Checkeditout Brought Racing, RWB, and Classic Porsche Style to Chicago

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September 16, 2021

Few car brands have as strong a following as Porsche, especially when it comes to classic models. So much so that there’s a car show exclusively devoted to air-cooled Porsches, Luftgekuhlt. However, ‘Luft’ isn’t the only event celebrating vintage or modern brand devotion. If you live in or around Chicago, there’s also Checkeditout.

Checkeditout celebrates modern and classic Porsches and honors an enthusiast’s legacy

Several classic Porsche 911s with a modern Panamera in a parking lot next to a graffiti-sprayed brick wall
Several classic Porsche 911s with a modern Panamera | Matthew Skwarczek, MotorBiscuit

The Checkeditout story starts with a Chicagoland Porsche 911 SC RS owner named Karsten Aufgebauer. He, along with several local Porsche enthusiasts, wished there was a way they could all get together to swap stories, celebrate their cars, and enjoy Chicago’s urban landscape. And after some Instagram discussion, Karsten organized just such an event in 2017.

At the time, the modern and classic Porsche meetup didn’t have a name. Unfortunately, Karsten wouldn’t be able to give it one before he died of cancer in 2018. But that year, his friends decided the event would continue. And they named it to honor Karsten’s Instagram handle, @checkeditout.

Checkeditout isn’t just about checking out new and vintage Porsches, though. It’s also a way for the Porsche community to give back to Chicago. Each year, the event donates funds to a different charity. For ‘Check21,’ that charity was Second Bridge, a non-for-profit that supports and donates goods to children in the foster care system. And last year’s ‘Check20,’ while there wasn’t a singular, central event, the participants did organize a drive for Toys for Tots.

356s, 930 Turbos, classic Porsche 911s, oh my!

  • The side 3/4 view of a gray 1961 Porsche 356B 1600 Super 90 parked on the street
    1961 Porsche 356B 1600 Super 90 side 3/4 view | Matthew Skwarczek, MotorBiscuit
  • The open engine bay of a gray 1961 Porsche 356B 1600 Super 90
    1961 Porsche 356B 1600 Super 90 engine bay | Matthew Skwarczek, MotorBiscuit
  • The rear 3/4 view of a white-and-black 1967 Porsche 911R on the Checkeditout parking lot
    1967 Porsche 911R rear 3/4 view | Matthew Skwarczek, MotorBiscuit
  • Classic early Porsche 911 with patina behind a red 1987 911 Carrera 3.2
    Classic early Porsche 911 behind a 1987 911 Carrera 3.2 | Matthew Skwarczek, MotorBiscuit
  • The overhead front 3/4 view of a silver classic Porsche 911 Targa in a parking lot
    Classic Porsche 911 Targa overhead front 3/4 view | Matthew Skwarczek, MotorBiscuit
  • The side view of Lowend Garages' custom maroon Porsche 964 with gold-striped-black-panther decal
    Lowend Garages’ custom Porsche 964 side view | Matthew Skwarczek, MotorBiscuit
  • The side view of a modified red 1987 Porsche 911 Carrera 3.2 in a parking lot amongst other Porsche cars
    Modified 1987 Porsche 911 Carrera 3.2 side view | Matthew Skwarczek, MotorBiscuit
  • The rear 3/4 view of a classic early Porsche 911 with patina surrounded by other vintage and modern Porsches
    Classic early Porsche 911 rear 3/4 view surrounded by other vintage and modern Porsches | Matthew Skwarczek, MotorBiscuit

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This year’s Checkeditout took place at West Fulton Market in downtown Chicago on Saturday, August 21st. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to snap photos of every single car that parked up there. There were simply too many interesting vehicles to see.

As noted earlier, Checkeditout is open to all Porsches, including modern ones like Panameras, new 911s, GT3s and GT3 RSes, and the occasional Boxster Spyder. A Chicagoland dealer even brought along some of Porsche’s new e-bikes. However, arguably the biggest draws were the classic Porsche models—and Check21 did not disappoint.

Scattered around the roughly four-square-block area was a 1961 Porsche 356B 1600 Super 90, a 911 Targa, multiple 930 Turbos, and a 968. And while there wasn’t a modern 911 R here, an original one was.

Several customized classic Porsches, including a patina-d early 911 and a 964 modified by Chicago’s Lowend Garage, also made their appearances. So did a 1987 911 Carrera 3.2, the successor to Karsten’s beloved 911 SC. Plus, while I didn’t get a chance to snap it, Checkeditout confirms that local racing team and fabrication shop Kelly Moss Road and Race brought its Safari 911 to the event.

Nakai-san’s former personal RWB Porsche build was there, too

  • The front 3/4 view of the yellow-and-black RWB Porsche 993 911 Cabriolet 'Nohra'
    RWB Porsche 993 911 Cabriolet ‘Nohra’ front 3/4 view | Matthew Skwarczek, MotorBiscuit
  • The rear 3/4 close-up view of the yellow-and-black RWB Porsche 993 911 Cabriolet 'Nohra'
    RWB Porsche 993 911 Cabriolet ‘Nohra’ rear 3/4 closeup | Matthew Skwarczek, Motorbiscuit
  • The rear view of the yellow-and-black RWB Porsche 993 911 Cabriolet 'Nohra'
    The rear view of the RWB Porsche 993 911 Cabriolet ‘Nohra’ | Matthew Skwarczek, MotorBiscuit
  • The rear wheel and fenders of the yellow-and-black RWB Porsche 993 911 Cabriolet 'Nohra'
    RWB Porsche 993 911 Cabriolet ‘Nohra’ rear wheel | Matthew Skwarczek, MotorBiscuit
  • The side 3/4 view of the yellow-and-black RWB Porsche 993 911 Cabriolet 'Nohra'
    RWB Porsche 993 911 Cabriolet ‘Nohra’ side 3/4 view | Matthew Skwarczek, MotorBiscuit
  • The black steering wheel, gauges, and seat of the yellow-and-black RWB Porsche 993 911 Cabriolet 'Nohra'
    The steering wheel, gauges, and seat of the RWB Porsche 993 911 Cabriolet ‘Nohra’ | Matthew Skwarczek, MotorBiscuit

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However, while I wasn’t able to photograph Kelly Moss’s Safari 911, I was able to snap some photos of ‘Nohra.’ That’s the name of the yellow 993 Carrera Cabriolet modified by RWB founder and famed Porsche builder Akira Nakai. More specifically, it’s the name of the RWB 993 that Nakai built for himself to use whenever he was in the US. That’s right, Nohra was once Nakai’s personal car.

As all RWB classic Porsche builds, Nohra gets several suspension and aero upgrades, as well as different wheels and Nakai’s signature fender flares. Plus, it has RWB seats, an RWB steering wheel, and an Alpine audio system. And it has all the features of a regular 993 911, including automatic climate control, heated mirrors, and an air-cooled flat-six engine.

Besides modern and classic Porsche road cars, Checkeditout 2021 also starred a Porsche Crawford Daytona Prototype racer

  • Fall-Line Motorsports' white-blue-and-red Porsche Crawford Daytona Prototype at Checkeditout
    Fall-Line Motorsports’ Porsche Crawford Daytona Prototype at Checkeditout | Matthew Skwarczek, MotorBiscuit
  • The side 3/4 view of a white-blue-and-red Fall-Line Motorsports' Porsche Crawford Daytona Prototype
    Fall-Line Motorsports’ Porsche Crawford Daytona Prototype side 3/4 view | Matthew Skwarczek, MotorBiscuit
  • The carbon-fiber-heavy left-side interior view of Fall-Line Motorsports' white-red-and-blue Porsche Crawford Daytona Prototype
    The left-side interior view of Fall-Line Motorsports’ Porsche Crawford Daytona Prototype | Matthew Skwarczek, MotorBiscuit
  • The carbon-fiber-heavy right-side interior view of Fall-Line Motorsports' white-red-and-blue Porsche Crawford Daytona Prototype
    The right-side interior view of Fall-Line Motorsports’ Porsche Crawford Daytona Prototype | Matthew Skwarczek, MotorBiscuit
  • The rear 3/4 view of Fall-Line Motorsports' white-red-and-blue Porsche Crawford Daytona Prototype
    Fall-Line Motorsports’ Porsche Crawford Daytona Prototype rear 3/4 view | Matthew Skwarczek, MotorBiscuit
  • The front 3/4 view of Fall-Line Motorsports' white-blue-and-red Porsche Crawford Daytona Prototype with its left-side door open
    Fall-Line Motorsports’ Porsche Crawford Daytona Prototype with left-side door open front 3/4 view | Matthew Skwarczek, MotorBiscuit

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While Checkeditout is a great opportunity to spot some classic Porsches, it also allows ‘regular’ enthusiasts a chance to get close to some modern greats. Case in point, Fall-Line Motorsports’ Porsche Crawford Daytona Prototype race car.

Admittedly, this isn’t a vintage racer, but it does belong to a racing class that no longer exists. The Daytona Prototype program ran from 2003-2016 as the top program in the Rolex Sports Car Series, which later became the United SportsCar Championship. Essentially a more affordable take on the Le Mans Prototype concept, DP cars had spec chassis designs with manufacturer-supplied powertrains. Crawford was one of the chassis suppliers for the Gen 1 and Gen 2 cars, CarThrottle explains.

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The Porsche Crawford DP that Fall-Line Motorsports brought to Checkeditout, though, isn’t stock. In Gen 1 form, the Porsche Daytona Prototypes used an engine based on the 996 Turbo’s 3.6-liter twin-turbocharged flat-six. Only instead of the 996 Turbo’s maximum 444 hp, the DP car made 475 hp, Car and Driver reports. However, the 996-gen engine in Fall-Line’s car makes 800 hp.

Hopefully, this car, like the rest of the Check21 entries, returns for the 2022 event.

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