That’s it. I’m pretty confident we’ve reached peak car show awesomeness. How on earth could you possibly top meticulously laying out 200 air-cooled Porsches on a closed-off highway above the very heart of the most densely built-up capital city in the world?
I don’t think you can. But this is exactly what the first Luftgekühlt Tokyo brought us.
When two-time Le Mans winner Patrick Long and creative director Howie Idelson gathered 100 air-cooled Porsches together for an event at Deus Ex Machina’s Venice, California, store in 2014, the spirit of Luftgekühlt was born. Through the organizers’ keen eye for aesthetics, they curated every subsequent show to outdo the last, utilizing amazing venues to highlight the history of Porsche’s air-cooled cars and celebrate the uniqueness, allure, and friendships that they generate. This year, it was finally Tokyo’s turn to host this very special gathering.
The Turnpike team was all hands on deck for what is hopefully the first of many Luft events in Japan. Larry, who has been shooting for Luftgekühlt since its inception, made his way over from Los Angeles, and Alec and I were on the ground from setup day to watch the show come together.
For me, the event was extra special. Being invited to display my RWB 964 was humbling to say the least, not only because Luftgekühlt is such a prestigious event, but also because I’d be representing RAUH-Welt Begriff as a builder of unique Porsches.
The idea of holding a Luftgekühlt show in Tokyo goes back over a decade. Initially, the first event was scheduled for 2020; however, we all know how that year ended up… From its inception, Kokei Takada – the man behind Japan’s Motorhead magazine – was brought on to handle local planning, and all the while kept the search for a Luft-esque (read: incredible) venue alive.
As luck would have it, a few years ago, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government began relocating the Nihonbashi stretch of the Shuto Expressway underground. This meant that the KK Line, a 2km-long piece of highway linking Shimbashi to Kyobashi, would ultimately be shut, but not demolished – the long-term plan being to turn it into the ‘Tokyo Sky Corridor,’ a green public walkway where people can enjoy and use as a relaxing space above the chaotic city streets below.
Once the new underground expressway section was completed in 2024, the KK Line was closed to traffic. With work on the new walkway not having begun, it became the perfect venue for the inaugural Luftgekühlt Tokyo event.
Luftgekühlt’s signature style of laying out an event’s hero cars across a venue and then dotting owner entries around them is what always makes them such a visual spectacle. Here in Tokyo, it was the perfect use of space, separating race 962s on one of the corners on the far side of the highway stretch from the older 356s and Speedsters – not to mention the event’s poster car – a very special 1968 910 – in the very center section.
The 50 invited cars were brought in on setup day, so I got to walk past several 964 and 993 RS models, a couple of 964 Turbos, and even a pair of RUFs as they were being positioned. One of the latter was NATO, a famous matte-colored RUF R&D machine from the mid-80s that served as the test bed for cars like the CTR ‘Yellowbird.’
The Midland 935 ML was positioned in the center of the three-lane road, directly above the main junction on Harumi-dori, overlooking the iconic glass Hermes and Sony buildings. This resulted in a simply stunning photographic opportunity.
Alec and Larry captured hundreds of images from Luftgekühlt Tokyo 2026 to share with you guys, while I was busy shooting a rather long video of the event. I hope you all enjoy what we put together!
I never had so much fomo in my life before. What an amazing location and selection of cars
It feels like Luftgekühlt Tokyo raised the international standard on how to do car show venues. Thanks for the mega gallery!
I finally got to cross off a bucket list item by attending Tokyo Auto Salon in January. My family and I were looking for an excuse to go back and it looks like I found one! Amazing words and photos guys. Keep up the great work!
Absolutely love the photos taken. I’m very much looking forward to the video on this event!
You guys are a huge inspiration and I have always been in amazement of the photos you guys put out.
I highly encourage going to a Luft event. The cars are placed with great thought on pictures and background.
So glad you’re still covering these events. Thanks!
Crazy shots from all of you. What a location too, who would’ve thought something like this would even be possible?!