
Distinctive Porsches From Luft 11 to Spark Ideas for Your Next Car Modifications
Andrew P. Collins
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This weekend saw the 11th edition of the hugely popular annual air-cooled Porsche show, Luftgekühlt, held at the American Tobacco Campus in Durham, North Carolina. It marked the first time the event took place on the East Coast, allowing new cars and spectators to participate. If you couldn't attend in person or have only seen a few clips on Instagram, here’s a more in-depth look at some of the most intriguing car features I encountered at Luftgekühlt 11.
Since there are many galleries showcasing the historical and technical aspects of various air-cooled Porsches, and you likely know what a 911 looks like by now, I’ll focus on the visually striking details. Check out some of the most captivating features I noticed and then swipe for an image of the entire car.
I’m a huge fan of cool lights and analog gauges, and this vintage 912 had both. Be sure to swipe to see the classic rally clocks! The wood-rimmed steering wheel features a unique spoke pattern that complements the car.
We saw a plethora of impressively deep-dish rear wheels at the show. It's no wonder, as this setup looks outstanding on Turbo cars with their super-wide fenders.
I really appreciate how the owner of this car recorded torque specs directly on the metal with a paint pen. It’s evident that someone works on this vehicle frequently. I just hope those little numbers don’t get worn away by dirt. Perhaps a brush-on clear coat could help?
Look at the adorable rear fog light (near the exhaust tip) on this whale-tailed car. This 911 also featured my favorite style of shift boot: the ones resembling toilet plungers.
This 911’s rear quarter window had a small louver. The car also had a very appealing shift knob and pedal arrangement.
It brought me joy to see some rust on a car at an event as prestigious as Luft. A vehicle doesn’t need to be flawless to be impressive!
What do you think of these taillights? I’m torn. I think I would have liked them as a child.
Having just completed a few hundred miles in a new 911 Carrera T, I gained a newfound appreciation for wooden shift knobs when I saw this car. The new T is manual only and features a naturally finished wood shift knob as standard, much like this car and the Carrera GT.
Someone is very committed to their Luft affiliation! And the person who created this emblem did an excellent job.
Caged headlights are fantastic, and luggage that matches the interior is an added bonus.
This is the 1976 Holbert Racing 934. "Competing in '76 and '77 under the G.W. Dickinson banner, it secured podium finishes at Pocono, Mosport, Trois-Rivières, and Gainesville with Al Holbert and Doc Bundy behind the wheel," the Porsche shop Zweck posted on Instagram as the car was heading to the show. Honestly, I just liked how the "turbo" script was painted onto the grille.
Check out how cool this car's gas cap is! Its fenders really give it a frog-like appearance.
Stylish seats and unique taillights.
To me, the 993 GT2 represents the pinnacle of the 911. Just look at this car—it's pure magnificence.
Outstanding decals and a Pasha-patterned interior on this one.
I’ve noticed several modified cars with noses painted to contrast the rest of the body. This one features a particularly intriguing version that almost resembles a European fire/rescue vehicle. I appreciate the concept but am unsure about the execution.
More quirky taillights.
Leather straps used functionally always look charming to me. Additionally, I wanted to highlight the wheel stance on this vintage Porsche—those wheels are tucked in so deep that you could almost double their size without them being flush with the fender! Aesthetics were clearly quite different back then.
I really like when cars have some sort of cartoon or creature mascot on their fenders. I'm not sure what this is meant to be, though. A ghost? Regardless, it’s endearing.
So yes, fenders are definitely present here. This absurd 1975 911 Carrera RSR won the 24 Hours of Daytona in 1977.
This vehicle made me understand why those little circle-light conversions were so popular. If they’re cool enough for a ’67 911R, they’re cool enough for any car.
Check out the skid plate on this thing. Honestly, you don’t need to go full-safari to want a bit of extra underbody protection.
For some reason, I felt compelled to photograph the “Carrera RS” script on the interior carpet of this mint-colored car. It looked exceptionally extra, but in a way that was fitting for the period and the


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Distinctive Porsches From Luft 11 to Spark Ideas for Your Next Car Modifications
Luftgekuhlt, a festival celebrating air-cooled Porsches, recently concluded its 11th edition in Durham, North Carolina. Here are some impressive vehicles that were displayed.