How Kühlt Is That?

5/7/17

Luftgekühlt.  It’s German for air cooled.  It is the name of one of the largest air cooled Porsche shows in the country.  In many respects it defines a life style, as it relates to an era that ended almost 20 years ago when Porsche stopped producing the 993 version of the 911.  After that all 911s were water cooled and had radiators, something many die-hard Porsche enthusiasts just could not tolerate.  As a result, it’s an era that is still fervently celebrated, and one that, like oldies radio, continues to have an audience.

I am a newbie as far as the Porsche marque goes.  I got my first Cayman just under four years ago.  I leased it because I just did not know what to expect.  I found it to be a great car, and even though I had had BMWs for about 30 years, it made me forget them entirely.  About two years ago, I turned it in and bought my current Cayman, a 2015 GTS.  I love that car, mid-engine, radiator and all.

As I got more and more into Porsches, I joined the Porsche Club of America (“PCA”).  I went to my first PCA event, a breakfast at the Spitfire Grill in the Santa Monica Airport, about six months after getting my first Cayman.  I went, but not without lots of trepidation, mainly because I would not know anyone but also because I had a Cayman, not a 911.  It turned out that there had been no reason to be nervous.  I was welcomed from the outset and so was my car.

It was during a PCA volunteer gathering the day before Luft 1 that I first heard about Luftgekühlt.  Many of the PCA old timers were speaking in hushed tones about an upcoming Air Cooled show, saying it would be epic.  They were also saying it was supposed to be under the radar because the organizers were concerned that they did not have enough space to handle the crowds.  The organizers were right.

The show was at Deus Ex Machina in Venice.  I went to the show.  The venue was too small, but the show was great.  There were people and cars everywhere.  That was when I started getting into air cooled Porsches.  And, yes, the show was epic.

As I was driving home, I called Pam, who is generally unimpressed and usually disbelieving anytime I combine epic and Porsche in one sentence.  She asked me about the show and wanted to know if it was EPIC.  I told her all about it.  Then I asked her if being in Venice, hanging out with lots of Porsche fans made it epic.  She said, “No.”  Then I asked her if seeing a large number of air cooled Porsches made it epic.  She said, “No.”  So I asked her if meeting Magnus Walker made it epic.  She did not bother to respond, and her silence told me that it did not.  Finally, I asked if it was epic that I stood a foot from Patrick Dempsey.  Her sudden intake of breath told me she thought that was epic.

I could not go to Luft 2, and I was too busy mourning the loss of my newly acquired 1977 911 S to a car fire to even think of attending Luft 3.  But I really wanted to go to Luft 4, which was held the first weekend in May, because I now have two air cooled Porsches, a Blue 1969 912 Targa and a  Silver 1974 911 Targa.  Of course, I submitted pictures of  both to the organizers.  They are great cars, but neither is show quality, as they are both drivers.  Needless to say, and most likely because I was way too late with my query, I never heard back about my cars.  Thanks to my high school friend, Marc, a Las Vegas Region PCA member and Jason, a Los Angeles Region PCA member who was organizing volunteers, of which I was one, at the event, I did get my 1974 911 into the parking lot reserved for air cooled Porsches that did not make it into the show.  I felt pretty good about that because that lot had sold out before I got around to signing up.

My volunteer job initially consisted of traffic control, which I was doing so well that I was told by the police to get out of the street.  After I was safely ensconced on the sidewalk, one of the event organizers told me that they had some extra room in the show lot and said that if I saw a cool car or two to send it to the show lot.  I looked at him and asked, “How about mine?”

So my 1974 911 driver made it into the show and it actually got several compliments while I was standing nearby, taking lots of pictures to commemorate the event, knowing  that most likely I would never have another opportunity like it again.

At its core, Luftgekühlt is a Cars and Coffee event.  Yet it is so much more.  If I thought Luft 1 was epic, and I did, using epic to describe Luft 4 would be like saying Mount Everest is tall.  No words come to mind to label it, but Über Epic may come close to doing it justice.

The locations where Luftgekühlt shows are held can be labeled Industrial Chic.  The Luft 4 location, in and around Brouwerij West in the Port of Los Angeles, was no exception.  Even without being filled with Air Cooled Porsches, the location itself was stunning.

The cars in the show were spectacular.  Sure, many have been on display before, but seeing them in this location was amazing.  From the restored 1951 Class winning Le Mans 356 to the 959 used in the Paris-Dakar event to the series of all types of 911 RSs, which were white and parked in a column, the event had more than its share of museum quality cars.  The cars on display outside the buildings in the show lot were drivers.  Great cars, either stock or custom, that showed off every type of Air Cooled Porsche imaginable.  Like mine, they were working cars which any of us would cherish.  And if that were not enough, there was the air cooled lot, which contained hundreds of air cooled Porsches, the vast majority of which could have been in the show lot.  As I walked around, I could not help but smile.  If anyone asked me, I would have said that I thought about 50% of all the air cooled Porsches in LA were on display.

On top of the location and the cars, the food vendors and craft vendors had a great assortment of things to eat or buy, making Luftgekühlt a completely satisfying experience.

As a result Luft 4 was a runaway hit and deservedly so.  People, whether or not they are Porsche owners or PCA Members, love Porsches.  Based on conversations with various volunteers, it was estimated that about 6,000 people attended the show.  I spent several hours directing traffic and managing the inflow of cars into various parking areas, and from that time and by just looking around, I would say that estimate may be on the low side.

One of the truisms I have coined is, “Nothing ruins a good time like success.”  I know Luft 5 will come around.  I do not know where it goes from here, but I am looking forward to finding out.