LUFTGEKÜLT 7

Words & Photos by Kobus Reyneke

From the November / December 2021 Registry Magazine - With Bonus Photos

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Luftgekühlt has become an international Porsche bucket-list event, and Luft 7 lived up to expectations. As the name implies, registration was limited to air-cooled Porsches built between 1948 and 1998.

The venue was the Indianapolis Bottleworks District, which is centered around the beautifully repurposed Art Deco Coca-Cola bottling plant—once the largest such facility in the world. It now houses the Bottleworks Hotel and numerous retail stores. The Garage Food Hall serves as a community food and drinks court; across the road you’ll find the Living Room Theater and the Pins Mechanical Co., with two bars and, of course, bowling.

Although Patrick Long and Howie Idelson headlined the event, Jeff Zwart was again in charge of staging the cars the way only he can. By the time the gates opened to the general public at 10:30 a.m., a long line had formed. Similarly, the line to buy Luft merchandise seemed to stretch forever.

With only about 150 featured cars compared to the roughly 500 at the 2019 event held at Universal Studios (covered in Vol. 43-2, July/August 2019), Luft 7 felt compact and somewhat more satisfying. On display—together with a sea of air-cooled Porsches of all models—were many significant race cars and a good mixture of 356s, ranging from barn finds to shiny new Outlaws.

A few miles away at the Indianapolis International Speedway, the Porsche Sportscar Together Fest featured non-stop racing, a grid walk, and a small concours. Most of the Luft 7 attendants ended up there on Saturday.