7 Show Stopping Porsches from Luftgekühlt (That Weren’t 911s)
You don't have to be able to pronounce it to know what Luftgekühlt is. For the past three years, Modernica in Downtown LA has hosted one of the greatest Porsche events in existence. Thousands of Porsche purists and fanatics came out to see hundreds of these magnificent air-cooled German vehicles. The 911 is and always has been Porsche's most iconic model, but there is so much more to ooh and awe over. Here are 7 show stopping non-911 Porsches you might have overlooked at Luftgekühlt:
914-6 GT Troutman Truck
Possibly the coolest (and only) mid-engined truck in existence, this truck is a 914-6 GT that has been converted into a pick-up. Built as a support vehicle to the 914-6s competing in the 28 mile Marathon de la Route, a race that took place on the Nürburgring from 1965-1971.
Behind the 2.5-liter boxer six, was a "bed" fitted with a toolbox, lights, fire extinguisher, spare fuel and a jack.
959 Canepa Gen III
In the 80s the 959 was Porsche's supercar and one of the first cars to break the 200-mph barrier. While not much different on the outside, the Canepa Stage III kit kicks things up a notch by upgrading the turbos and a host of other components to increase horsepower from a "modest" 450 to a monstering 763 horsepower!
912R-STi - Germany meets Japan
The 912 might share the same body as the 911 but the "2" designates that it was powered by a flat-4 engine. Peeking under the hood you can see that this 912 isn't powered by its original powerplant; instead, as the license plate suggests, it's been swapped for a 2005 STi.
356 Special by Rod Emory
The 356 Special by Rod Emory started life as a 1964 356 Cabriolet but the team at Emory Motorsports added their own touch to it with a sleeker profile. Shaving body parts, flattening the nose, enlarging the wheel wells, lowering and leaning the windshield and stretching the tail make this one of the more unique Porsches at the show.
By the way, with 220 horsepower stuffed into a 2,050 lb chassis, we can only assume that it is an absolute blast to drive.
Porsche 906 Carrera 6 - One of Fifty
Last year, one sold in an auction for nearly $2 million. I could only imagine the prestige it was to bring this down here.
Jerry Seinfeld's Carrera GTS Type 904
It's not everyday you see a Carrera GTS. Known for its yada-yada-yada and being able to yada-yada-yada make it one of the most saught after cars for Porsche collectors. It's great for getting coffee, its great for comedians, it's great for comedians in cars getting coffee, just ask its owner, Jerry Sienfeld.
Porsche-Diesel Junior Tractor
The 914-6 GT Troutman Truck wasn’t the only utilitarian Porsche at Luftgekühlt. The Porsche-Diesel Junior was powered by an 822cc single cylinder air-cooled diesel motor putting out a whopping 14hp!
Porsche FS Mountain Bike
This 911 was prepared for anything between the beach and the mountains. Roof rack loaded with a surf board, pair of skis and rare Porsche FS mountain bike.
The ultimate Porsche accessory didn’t come cheap with an MSRP of around $5,000 in the late 90’s.
Luftgekühlt always brings out some of the most interesting characters and collections for spectators to see. To learn more read about what the "#aircooledlife" is all about it. If you still love the 911 and need to get your fix, check out the gallery below for more!
