Germany may be where Porsches are made. But Southern California is where a huge number of them end up. (Little wonder that the automaker opened a dedicated Porsche Experience Center right there in the LA area.) That scene has yielded an unsurpassed cadre of Porschephiles. And each year for the past five, they’ve gathered for Luftgekühlt.
The event takes its name for the German for “air cooled.” The SoCal gathering of collectors and enthusiasts is one of the foremost Porsche events anywhere in the world. Right up there, at any rate, with the Rennsport Reunion that typically takes place each fall, up the coast at Laguna Seca .
It’s brought together such big names as Magnus “the Urban Outlaw” Walker, noted collector Jerry Seinfeld, and the people behind Singer Vehicle Design. But of course the greater focus is on the cars than the people.
Classic 911s and More
Luftgekühlt 5 took place this past week at the Ganahl Lumber Company – the oldest lumberyard in California. And it brought out an enviable array of classic German sports cars. There was Dan Gurney’s 804 grand prix racer. It was joined by a 908 sports racer that’s going up for auction in Monterey this summer. And an original 1967 911 R graced the gathering as well. It also marked the 30th anniversary of the 964-generation 911, and the 25th of the Carrera 3.8 RSR winning Le Mans.
It looks like it was one heck of a time for fans of Zuffenhausen’s iconic air-cooled, rear-engined sports car. But if you missed the action, you can check it all out in the video below. It’s condensed for your convenience into one quick minute of classic Porsche action.
https://youtu.be/p1fboH-Y1R4