To many, luftgekühlt is just another perplexing German adjective, alongside confounding nuggets likeanpassungsfähig (“adaptable”) and hemmungslos (“uninhibited”). To Porsche fanatics, luftgekühlt is nothing less than the pre-1999 Porsche 911 and 356’s most beguiling quality, pronounced in the cars’ native tongue: “air-cooled.” The brand, Luftgekühlt, founded by Porsche factory driver Patrick Long and Howie Idelson, a California-based creative director, is dedicated to the celebration of every air-cooled Porsche, from the earliest, skinny-wheeled 356 to their latest in-house project, a rally-prepped ’85 911 Carrera 3.2. Last week marked the 3rd iteration of all that internet adoration made physical: “Luft3,” an orgy of vintage, air-cooled Porsches parked door-to-door in a lot in Vernon, CA. Jerry Seinfeld and his 904 Carrera GTS were there, as was Jeff Zwart and his 1948 Gmünd coupe. Patrick Dempsey, too.
Still, we weren’t and neither were you. Thank God for the pictures.