Luftgekühlt is one of the most anticipated car events in the US. Being a German car fan, it was always on my radar. Luftgekühlt (German for Air Cooled) is a single-make car show featuring only “air-cooled” Porsches. Created by Patrick Long and Jeff Zwart, this year will be the 9th edition of the now cult-followed event. The “Luft” event is known for its unique locations, an impressive selection of rare and vintage Porsches, and a photogenic atmosphere. Historically, this event is heavily focused on Porsche’s air-cooled models. However, this year, the event is holding a special Sunday feature called Air/Water, which features all Porsche’s from their 70-year history. Having never attended before, I decided on Sunday to get the full range of cars as I am no purist. I love all of them.

Usually, this event is held in Los Angeles, but this year, it was held in Vallejo. A full six hours closer to me. I couldn’t pass up the chance to see all that the event could offer; spoiler alert, it was more than I could have imagined. So I woke up around 5am and hopped in my wife’s Tiguan (The GTI is out of commission at the moment, more on that in a later post). Having recently moved back to Reno, the drive was only about three hours long, so I threw on a few podcasts and went down. Being on my way to a Porsche event, I started with Overcrest Productions’ Interview with Betim Berisha. You may know him as one of the creators of the Hoonipgiasus. With Porsche on my mind, I was ready for the event.

Upon arriving at the event, I was immediately blown away by the event infrastructure. Flaggers were diverting cars into the main parking lot, with hundreds of people waiting to get on full shuttle buses to trek them to the entrance to the event. I was under the impression that this would be a smaller event. I couldn’t have been more wrong. I checked in to receive my event wristband and boarded a bus. It was at this moment that I started to get really excited. If this was the time spent planning to get people into the event, I could only imagine what was in store for me. 

After a short drive, I stepped off the bus in front of an old brick warehouse. I made my way inside. An immense rack of brand-new Kinesis wheels was the first thing I saw. Astonished by the build quality, I failed to notice that it was blocking my view of at least 150 Porsches, all parked up just on the waterfront. As I exited the warehouse, I realized that the entire event was at an old Navy shipyard on the water. This massively industrial complex was the perfect bit of flair of class, showing off its untouched brick building and unique tooling left out. It hit me right then; this would not be an ordinary car show.

Rows and rows of randomly ordered Porches lined the event lot. I was overwhelmed; Not only by the sheer number of cars, but also by the variety. The event became an infinite Porsche generator. About 20 minutes into aimlessly walking around the event in awe, I heard a tip. The Hoonipigasus was there, in a building in the North lot. I tried to play it cool, but I’m sure I looked like a 10-year-old who had too many pixie sticks. I was so excited; I had to see it, so I made my way toward the “said” building to see if I could find it.

I saw a crowd outside of the building. I excitedly rounded the corner to see if this was the one. And there it was. It was the only place I had been so far that was silent. The only noise was the echoing from the clicks of cameras. I was frozen with awe but immediately humbled by the reminder of why Ken Block wasn’t there. Ken Block was and still is one of my idols. Seeing one of his cars, especially one this impressive, was more of a spiritual experience for me. Even though I didn’t know him, I felt as if seeing this car offered some closure for me. This was an important moment for me personally, but also for the car world. Sitting there for about 30 minutes staring at the car was a reminder that life is short and great things are possible if you put your mind to it. Additionally, and I don’t put this lightly, it was a fucking awesome car to see in person. I left with a new motivation to continue creating and pursuing anything I could get my hands on in the car space.

Feeling rejuvenated and invigorated, I left the Hoonipigasus warehouse and went to the South lot. After seeing my idol’s dream car, I figured the rest couldn’t be close to that and would start to feel a bit vanilla. Boy, was I wrong again. The south lot was set up in a much more industrialized shipbuilding area. It even had a Nuclear Sub sail on display, with some Porsches underneath it. This side seemed much more alive; you could tell people were excited. There were a ton of car celebrities walking around as well. I saw Larry Chen, Brian Scotto, Matt Farah, Jeff Zwart, and even Damon Way. I’m sure I missed some in the shuffle, but it was a weird experience to see all of these people I follow regularly on social platforms. 

As I walked around the event, I couldn’t help but notice the attention to detail that went into every aspect of the show. Everything was perfectly orchestrated, from the carefully selected music to the perfectly placed food trucks, creating a truly unique experience. Finding myself once again ogling over a sea of cars, I noticed another crowd of people heading out of another warehouse building. I decided to see what the draw was. Luft 9, yet again, did not disappoint. There wasn’t a strict theme, but this warehouse was full of race cars. Everything was on display, from hybrid IMSA cars to classic Porsche 904s. They even had a full-scale model 911 with a parts display. I couldn’t get over the rare models in one place. I was constantly overwhelmed by the displays throughout the entire event. My favorite in the South lot was the Rothmans Porsche 956. I bought this car in Gran Turismo 7 only a few days earlier. I never thought I’d see anything like this in person, especially something with this car’s racing pedigree. It was unreal to see your fantasy cars in real life.

Being a three-hour drive from home, inevitably, I had to leave. I made my way back to the shuttle bus and headed home. I was euphoric the entire drive home. Constantly running the day back through my mind. It was an unforgettable experience, and I kept thinking: When is Luft 10? Even if the next one is in Los Angeles again, I will 100 percent be there. Luft exceeded all my expectations, and I left feeling truly inspired by the passion and dedication of the Porsche community. I have even found myself looking for classic 912s on eBay (It’s probably the closest thing I’ll ever get to a 911). Perhaps one day, I’ll be able to attend with my own Porsche. Until then, all I can do is recommend attending the next event.