High-risks, high-rewards? Raising the bar, once again

When you think you have built the ‘perfect car’ for yourself, what’s next? You outshine it. I like the idea of escalating things and ideas; it shows that you are ready to face bigger challenges. High-risks, high-rewards; this is my way of thinking.

Enter the world of Keith Bryan Haw, known for his aggressive yet refined builds. ‘KBH’ has done it all with countless of European cars and Japanese cars. Savored by his signature style, he takes on a 2008 Porsche 911 and mixes it with JDM styling while still retaining EUDM influence. Take a look at these photos and see for yourself.

Keith has been modifying cars for quite some time now, starting off with an EK Civic approximately 15 years ago. As his high school car, it had slight modifications including Neuspeed springs, 5zigen exhaust, plus a good sound system. But his heavily-modified first-generation IS200, installed with a 1JZ + high rise turbo and Rays wheels was his first build that caught my attention. This was back in the day when modified cars were running full decal wraps on sedans with stock engines. Back then, I knew his style was unique.

Fast forward to 2015, I featured his daily driver, an M3 with numerous upgrades. After successfully modifying the E92, he wanted something more; I ended that article by saying: “As I speak, parts from all over the world are coming in for his new project. A build that raises the bar once again. Stay tuned for that.” This is ‘that’ car.

Being in-touch with Keith during the build process of the 997, I had all access with his photos and plans for the car. After a long search for a fresh manual-Turbo 997, the car received its first transformation early January 2015, starting with the AirREX suspension x AccuAir e-level air management combo.

11 months after, the whole car was complete as it took the proper unveiling at the Manila Auto Salon 2015. As part of the Car Porn Racing car display, reception was on a high note resulting in winning the “Best Sports Car” and “Best of Show”, not to mention the hearts of the crowd.

The game plan:

He had vision in building a modern Porsche around low-offset wheels installed with a wide body-kit – think of it as a latter day RWB. Keith already knew what he wanted when he first saw the Liberty Walk 997 kit, as he immediately purchased the kit even before owning the 911.

Custom everything:

As the local distributor of DPE Wheels, everything had to be customized. The CS5.V2 wheels were finished with a gloss brushed DDT for the face and lip, plus gloss black for its exposed hardware. The CNC-engraved “KBH” logo, seen on his DJ gigs and mix tapes was used on his center-cap – adding more flavor to his personal touch.

For the wheel diameter, Liberty Walk recommends 19 inches for the ‘997 aero kit’. Keith challenged himself by combining huge diameter wheels plus aggressive offset. These resulted in building the first ever LB Works 997 with a larger wheel diameter, with its 20 x 9.5 and 20 x 12 wheels.

Being a first generation 997 Turbo, the car had a ‘Mezger’ engine, known to be one of the favored engines for the chassis. Starting off with 473HP, the engine had numerous upgrades including bigger turbos, an ECU upgrade (*plus more *see spec sheet) to reach its final figure of 730HP. Jumping to almost 40% in power figures sounds enough for a Porsche, but future plans for the car is an engine rebuild to reach its target of 900hp, nine hundred horsepower.

What I really love about this car is that it looks good at all angles. I had a hard time in choosing the best shots from more than a hundred photos that day.

Alcantara feels:

The luxurious interior had to match with the sporty-aggressive exterior. For this, Recaro Sportster CS seats clad in alcantara were installed in exchange for the OEM leather ones. The Recaro’s shell and the Porsche Techquipment center console are painted white. The floor mats are in aluminium; the armrests, handbrake handle, console box are all covered in alcantara; even the LED interior light kit were from Porsche! Nothing was left untouched during the build progress, as the smallest details matter to Keith.

With all aspects of the car modified in only a span of 11 months, it would not be possible without the help of his friends in the car industry. Keith would like to thank the following: DPE Wheels, Alex Car Restoration, Car Porn Racing, Emperor Motorsports, Titan Motorsports, Speedworks Engineering, Leather Plus, and Speedyfix.

The perfect answer to my question:

Majority of modern Porsche owners here in the Philippines keeps the car close to factory specification. Porsche purists may say ‘why mess with perfection?’ During our chat for this feature, I asked Keith what motivated him to go the extra mile for his car, “To build the wildest 997 in the country.” he said. Job. Well. Done.

Now.. what’s next?

So again, as I leave you with this post, what could be next? We are disclosing his future project, but here’s a hint: sexy-wild-life. The world can’t wait, Keith.

Full specification sheet:

Owner: Keith Bryan Haw
2008 Porsche 997.1 Turbo

Power: 730 HP / 700 TQ – Dyno Tuned by Speed Works Engineering / Titan Works Motorsports

Exterior:

Liberty Walk front bumper with carbon fiber front diffuser and Max Speed LED DRL
Liberty Walk side vents custom molded to carbon fiber material
Liberty Walk widebody fenders front and rear with CPR custom aluminum fender liners
Liberty Walk side skirts
Liberty Walk rear bumper with rear diffuser custom molded to carbon fiber material
Liberty Walk carbon fiber GT wing with custom body color painted side blades
Liberty Walk side vents custom molded to carbon fiber material
Custom carbon fiber rear side diffuser and intake vents
Porsche Techquipment 997.2 side mirrors and LED clear version taillights
Painted by Alex Car Restoration – Championship White

Wheels & Suspension:

DPE Forged Wheels 20×9.5 and 20×12 CS5.V2 gloss brushed DDT face & gloss DDT lip with gloss black exposed hardware
Custom billet center cap with red lettering accents.
Michelin Super Sport tires 265/30/r20 front and 325/25/r20 rear
AirREX air suspension kit with AccuAir e-level air management
Brembo slotted rotors and SS braided brake lines
Hawk Racing brake pads
GMG racing adjustable sway bars
Tarett control arms and links

Interior:

Recaro Sportster CS alcantara/leather sports seats with Recaro railings shell painted Championship White
Porsche Techquipment painted center console painted Championship White
Numeric Racing ball bearing precision short shifter kit
Rennline aluminum pedal kit, aluminum shift knob with alcantara gear shift skirt, aluminum driver & passenger track matts, aluminum fire extinguisher and mount package
Leather Plus custom Alcantara steering wheel with leather red insert ring, alcantara handbrake handle and skirt, custom Alcantara console box and stop watch housing, custom Alcantara front door armrest and handle
Pioneer stereo head unit with Suncoast Porsche double din radio dash kit with Bose speakers
Suncoast Porsche LED interior light kit, Porsche rear seal delete caps and hardware

Engine:

Champion Motorsport 68mm VGT big turbo upgrade
Cobb access port ECU standalone management
EVOMS turbo inlet silicone ducts
Forge Intercooler upgrade
Forge carbon fiber intake system
Forge billet aluminum recirculating blow off valve
IPD high flow Y Pip, 82mm intake plenum
GT3 82mm throttle body
Cargraphic sport rear exhaust racing version with 2x 89mm slash black enamel tip, Cargraphic catalyser racing version without cat, Cargraphic manifold set racing version

Additional photos here: