It’s fair to say that Tokyo Auto Salon is the root of most automotive tourism in Japan, and the resulting meets surrounding it in January certainly make for a busy, yet exciting month.
First up this year was RAUH-Welt Begriff’s annual New Year Party – or more specifically the RWB Car Meeting that precedes it – held at the Hard Rock Cafe in Roppongi on Thursday evening before TAS 2024 kicked off.
You might have noticed recently that the Porsche 911 has seemingly re-established itself as a pop-culture icon. 964s are being used in fashion commercials and even the brand new 992 GT3 is making its way into conversations with friends you didn’t even know were into cars. I’m sure that’s partially the reason why the crowd at this year’s RWB meet was unfathomably large; the other is the fact a lot of people are in town for TAS.
I’ve attended this event for a couple of years now and it’s always breathtaking seeing so many wide-bodied 911s in one place, and just about everything from early-model G-body coupes to 997 cabriolets.
As the years press on, we’re starting to see quite a few RWB 997s – a relatively new offering from Nakai-san – in the mix. Whether you like them or not, they’re certainly a refreshing addition to the RAUH-Welt Begriff lineage. There were a few flavours at this meeting.
I was delighted to see a couple of narrow body 911s amongst the crowd too, beautiful in their own right but serving as a glaring reminder of how wide these RWB Porsches continue to get.
And of course, it wouldn’t be a central Tokyo car meet without some kind of police presence. Whilst the crowd continued to grow, several officers observed from afar, ironically playing into the well-established RWB outlaw culture.
With seemingly no explanation, this truck was sitting out on the main road – an interesting sight considering this 997 has license plates and the ethos of this meeting – coaxing RWB owners into driving their cars out in the wild.
RWB 911s are known for dividing groups of enthusiasts, but no matter which way you look at them, they’ll always be very polarising cars. Having seen several of these attack the Motegi Twin-Ring circuit is proof enough that at least a handful of them get driven the way their aero suggests they should be.
As much as I do enjoy the RWB meeting, it was a simple, white AE86 that made me the happiest to see. Back in January 2019, I visited Japan and this RWB meet for the first time, taking a photo of this exact Levin, in this exact location. Fast forward five years, I’m back, in my very own AE86 alongside the same white car. This was possibly the most full-circle and rewarding moment of my time in Japan so far.
Another great year of RWBs in Tokyo, and even better to be back at the Hard Rock Cafe in Roppongi after a little while away. If this meet gets any bigger, perhaps next year an even bigger venue may be a necessity though.
Alec Pender
Instagram: noplansco
Tokyo Auto Salon 2024 on Speedhunters
