Luftgekühlt 11 brought a surge of Porsche passion to Durham, North Carolina, as more than 9000 visitors gathered at the American Tobacco Campus to celebrate air-cooled heritage on October 4, 2025.
Around 400 Porsches were arranged throughout the site, with cars arriving from across the US, Canada and Europe. The event marked the East Coast’s first hosting of Luftgekühlt, which transformed the historic former factory into a showcase of Porsche culture.
The surrounding streets were closed to traffic as visitors explored displays that filled both indoor and outdoor spaces. Rare racing and road cars were placed among the red-brick industrial buildings, and inside the former Lucky Strike factory Porsche history was presented through curated exhibits.
Host Tommy Kendall was reunited with the 993 GT2 Evo he once raced at Le Mans. Bobby Rahal displayed his 904 Carrera GTS, while Todd Holbert demonstrated the Porsche 934 first driven by his father, Al Holbert. Dieter Inzenhofer, co-founder of Andial, was reacquainted with the Copenhagen-sponsored Porsche 962 endurance racer.
A strong focus of Luftgekühlt 11 was placed on the 30th anniversary of the 993 Porsche 911’s US debut. Special displays included rally-inspired ‘Safari’ builds and examples ranging from daily-driven 911s to concours restorations. Visitors could explore everything from competition cars to unrestored survivors, representing every chapter of the air-cooled story.
The display traced Porsche’s American journey from its beginnings with Max Hoffman and John von Neumann’s imports. Three of the 17 original America Roadsters were shown, marking the car that inspired the 356 Speedster and Porsche’s early success in the US. Further highlights included examples from The Ingram Collection and Road Scholars clients, among them a 1955 550 Spyder, 1958 718 RSK, 1961 Carrera Abarth and 1968 911 R.
Cars from the 1970s era featured prominently at Luftgekühlt 11, led by George Follmer’s 1972 Porsche 917/10, once backed by Durham-based Liggett & Myers. Its successor, the 1973 917/30, was displayed nearby alongside its recently restored Penske International Fleetstar transporter, seen together for the first time in decades.
From the 1980s, the Brumos Porsche 962 drew attention with its Copenhagen livery, recalling a driver line-up that included Hurley Haywood, AJ Foyt, Al Unser Jr and Elliott Forbes-Robinson. It was joined by the 1978 911 SC Heigo rally car developed by Walter Röhrl and Dieter Röscheisen, which headlined Bilstein’s display alongside notable off-road and endurance machines.
Among the most unusual exhibits at Luftgekühlt 11 was the one-off 966, an open-cockpit car created by Gunnar Racing and derived from the 962 platform. The event concluded with Tommy Kendall starting up his 993 GT2, surrounded by a display of key race cars marking the final generation of air-cooled Porsche engineering.
Porsche Classic showcased the first turbocharged Porsche sold in the US, while Pirelli, Bilstein and Mobil 1 provided historical and technical exhibits at Luftgekühlt 11. Tag Heuer celebrated the Carrera’s heritage, displaying the 1953 Porsche 550 Coupé chassis 001 from the Revs Institute, while Meguiar’s offered detailing advice focused on narrow-body 911s.
The first Luftgekühlt Community Award presented by Hagerty invited visitors to vote via for their favourite car. The winner was Christopher Moore’s Cashmere Beige 1978 Porsche 911 SC (pictured above), modified with a rebuilt engine, limited-slip differential and lightweight bodywork. Since completion in 2015, it has covered more than 100,000 miles.
For more information on Luftgekühlt, head here.
