Luftgekühlt has reached iconic status, hosting its air-cooled Porsche-focused show against visually appealing backdrops that draw fans from around the globe. But after 10 editions of Luft, founders Jeff Zwart and ex-Porsche works driver Patrick Long recognized that Porsche enthusiasts weren’t solely interested in air-cooled models, and opted to shake things up. The single-marque gathering tested a new event called Air|Water, as a second day of the 2023 Luftgekühlt event at Mare Island in Northern California.
Fast forward a year, and a stone’s throw from Luftgekühlt 8’s venue, Air|Water has gone solo, landing at the Orange County Fair & Event Centre in Costa Mesa, California over the weekend. With 1,000 cars selected for display, including hundreds of fan submissions to accompany some road and racing legends, Air|Water assembled a massive indoor and outdoor spread of Porsche models. With guest appearances from Porsche engineers, designers and racing heroes including Jörg Bergmeister, Air|Water helped celebrate the sports car manufacturer’s rich 76-year history.
Amazing ‘vintage’ of race and street
“This has always been our plan,” says Long, who wanted to reach a new crowd, as well as existing Luft fans. “I see it as the alter ego to Luft; a chance to do it differently and to celebrate some amazing cars that have been filling up our general parking lots these past years … and set in one of the most beautiful and popular areas of Southern California, which ironically has very little in the way of large automotive offerings. And it’s not just cars in our parking lot, but the amazing ‘vintage’ of race and street from transaxle models up to water-cooled models like the Carrera GT and 918 Spyder.”
Not to be overshadowed by previous Luftgekühlt events, Air|Water’s organisers went all-in with attractions to supplement the cars on show. Helping attendees learn more about the vehicles featured, QR stickers launched links to owner-submitted profiles, with a fan-favourite voting option. Capturing the enthusiasm surrounding off-road Porsche adventurers, Air|Water dedicated an area to celebrating overland and rallye builds. An indoor hall cultivated two dozen exhibitors that specifically serve Porsche enthusiasts.
The standalone Air|Water event will now become an annual affair, and serves as a warm up for Luftgekühlt’s next two instalments that will cross the pond to showcase in Wrocław, Poland, from 14-15 June 2024 and in Copenhagen, Denmark, on 7 September 2024.
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Photos: Kurt Bradley
