- Air|Water is a Porsche car event open to vehicles of all eras, not just air-cooled cars.
- This event was started by the team behind Luftgekühlt.
- This is the fifth Air|Water event and the third time it has been held in Costa Mesa.
Air|Water is a Porsche-centric car show that spun off from Luftgekühlt into its own event. It was started by the same team and aims to offer a broader Porsche experience for fans of the brand.
On April 25, the show returned to the OC Fairgrounds in Costa Mesa, California. This marks the third time the event has been held here and the fifth show for Air|Air overall.
We had the opportunity to speak with one of the event’s founders, legendary Porsche hot shoe Patrick Long, to learn more about Air|Air.
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Source: Air|Water
Since Long was already part of the Luft exhibition, we were curious what prompted him to start this additional Porsche exhibition with Air|Water. “The desire to open a completely new format: Air|Air, gives us the ability to expand our offerings with things like live Porsche auctions and trade shows in the showroom,” Long said.
“This is our opportunity to dispel a bit of the mystique, and welcome the new Porsche experience to a wider audience that can become a popular annual gathering place. With Luft focusing on vintage, we’re not telling the amazing story from 1999 onwards, and we want to include the latest Porsche technology, new cars and new generations.”
Photo by: Air|Water
This of course means more great vehicles can make an appearance. But does Long have a favorite? “2013 Porsche 911 GT3R. This is a Manthey Racing car in the iconic Grello livery and was part of the Air|Air loudness moment, celebrated by Jorg Bergmeister, who drove the car in that period.”
Still, there are always more cars that could appear at an event like this. So we asked Patrick what he’d like to see at Air|Water someday. “The Porsche GT1 is a limited-edition road and racing car that we haven’t featured yet. It appeared right on the cusp of the engine transition from air-cooled to water-cooled with the 993-based GT1 debuting in 1996 and then the 996-based version.”
“This car is iconic and achieved much success as well as LeMans and beyond. Limited street examples are also rare and coveted. We hope 2026 will be the year we showcase this hero car.”
This seems like a potential hint at what people can expect at AIr|Water 2026. But I wonder if there’s a way to develop Air|Water even further. I asked Patrick if track-based events could be added in the future.
Photo by: Air|Water
“We’ve hosted a select few events in the past and are always open-minded about new formulas. Watch this space!”
It looks like the team has big plans for the future of Air|Water and Luft, considering the recent success of the event in Tokyo.
If you’re in the Costa Mesa area on April 26, this looks like a great way to spend the day. Visit the Air|Water website for tickets and more information.
