The wide body Porsche 911s from Rauh-Welt Begriff have been a point of controversy for some time. There are those who are disgusted by the act of chopping up a classic air-cooled Porsche, and there are others that believe 911s are not only meant to be driven, but also personalized. Still, even within the camp of RWB enthusiasts, there are still heated debates regarding what an RWB Porsche should, and shouldn’t, look like.
Which brings us to RWB Medusa:
It’s a classic RWB wide body Guards Red 993, with front canards, rear fender vents, and an oversized GT wing. The body kit looks even more purposeful with Lexan windows, complete with sliders on the door, and vents over the rear quarter. A matching Guards Red colored roll cage and GT3 bucket seats further show the RWB Medusa’s motorsport inspirations. Finally, a set of copper Volks TE37 wheels finishes off a proper execution.
But then we get to the vinyl work, namely the giant Supreme decal across the side of the car, and that’s where things start to get a little touchy. For those that aren’t familiar with the brand, Supreme is a boutique skateboard apparel store, which first opened its doors in lower Manhattan in 1994. What was once a store that catered to a small niche of New York skaters is now a global icon, known for its unique designs and its extremely limited runs. Even though Supreme has intentionally kept its physical growth slow in order to retain its brand identity, it still managed to spawn a following of fanatic collectors and admirers that, over the years, would either wait in front of the store for countless hours or drop an obscene amount of coin for “deadstock” on eBay in order to set themselves apart.
People who aren’t familiar with Supreme will never understand what all the hype is about. At the same time, veterans of the Supreme movement may feel betrayed as they witness a new generation of cultists dilute the brand’s sense of exclusivity and authenticity it once possessed.
But doesn’t that sound familiar? Replace Supreme sweaters with RWB Porsches and you’ll recognize many similarities between both the brand as well as the people that relate to it.
The mainstream couldn’t care less about the RWB Medusa, although a select few may commend the owner’s decision of the Supreme vinyl and recognize its place as a symbol of status and individuality. However, RWB ‘purists’ (is that a thing?) may find Medusa’s new Supreme livery a big slap in the face to Akira Nakai’s bespoke Japanese aesthetic.
Last week, Streetwear blog High Snobiety shared a new video that profiled JM Yang, the owner of RWB Medusa, where he inevitably talked about the decision to add oversized Supreme decals on his RWB. In response to the naysayers, JM shared something that Nakai once told him: “Feedback is good, whether it’s positive or negative.”
Would you rock this Porsche 993 RWB Medusa? Check out High Snobiety’s video below:
