One of the most anticipated automotive events has just completed its fourth iteration of the air-cooled extravaganza known as Luftgekühlt. It’s hard to imagine that this event is only a few years since its inception in the parking lot of Deus in Venice. The once intimate gathering of classic Porsches has transformed into one of the largest (if not the largest) Porsche events in the world. A who’s who of Porsche owners, car collectors, enthusiasts, tastemakers and the occasional celebrity can be found walking through the aisles of vehicles and through the well curated halls soaking in the inspiration.

The early morning rain didn’t stop Porsche owners from displaying their vehicles and definitely stop the crowd from attending. The reserved air-cooled parking lot found on the exterior of the venue had many Porsches that alone would be a show stopper.

Upon entering the warehouse space, I was blown away by the production value complete with glass chandeliers and custom built pedestals that truly showcased the vehicles as the works of art they are. The Pirelli art gallery was the highlight for me with some truly unique and rare works of art and from what I was told was the only time these pieces have ever been shown together.the vehicles as the works of art they are.

I sat down briefly with co-founder, Howie Idelson, during the event to hear his thoughts as we both had our kids in tow.

JOHN: “So year four. Here we are. Is it everything that you expected?”

HOWIE: “We set out with a little bit of a different method this time. Trying to get back to something along the lines of what we did at Bandito Bros and make it little more curated and a bit more controlled and tell more of our story instead of a participant story. I think people appreciate it.”

JOHN: “I got here a bit later than I would of liked, but I was overwhelmed by the thousands of people I saw as I drove by to park. Was this what you had envisioned?”

HOWIE: “We prepared for it and know that people had anticipated coming to the event. Yet, we are always surprised by the response and humbled.”

JOHN: “Tell me more about the art component and the installation by Pirelli. It’s simply amazing and fits so well and tells such a unique story and is just impressive. Was it tough to find the right venue for this event to house everything?”

HOWIE: “It was. It’s always tough. This was the first time we had to really search for a venue. They usually have sort of come to us.”

JOHN: “Were there any difficulties or adversity in planning this one?”

HOWIE: “There were some challenges and since there some businesses running here we had to work around some things, but I think all in all the venue has been a good thing for us.”

JOHN: “Have you started planning “5” (chuckle)?”

HOWIE: “Yes there will be a “5” but we’re not going to think about it for awhile.”

JOHN: “How do you keep these events creative? How do you keep things fresh each year and introduce something different?”

HOWIE: “We start by trying to tell a story. We originally thought when we got here we could tell a brewery story and we found that the brewery wasn’t cooperative. So we told the Pirelli story instead and it was great because they wanted to be involved and wanted to be a partner. They let us activate for them instead of them telling us what to do and I think it really was a great match for what we do to tell their story and ours.”

JOHN: “That’s gotta be tough with partners / sponsors and everyone has their own agenda and yet you have this brand that you’re trying to protect.”

HOWIE: “And when you take on a sponsor you want to deliver for that brand so we almost took an agency role with them and activated for them and came up with a strategy and tried to show them our way. I think we are all happy.”

Bravo Howie and Patrick. Looking forward to what Luftgekühlt 5 has to offer.

For more info visit luftgekuhlt.com and to get your hands on Luftgekühlt book be sure to sign-up at www.luftbook.com.

John P
Latest posts by John P (see all)