California meets Scandinavia – Luftgekühlt Copenhagen

Luftgekühlt Copenhagen, part of the now legendary series of events organized by Californian Porsche freak and racing driver Patrick Long, began early in the morning on September 7. One record-breaking drive across the famous Öresund Bridge between Denmark and Sweden and a breathtakingly beautiful exhibition later, it was clear that this event was groundbreaking. Photographer Ingmar Bötker was there for Elferspot and captured the Californian vibes of Luftgekühlt’s Danish edition for you.

For Luftgekühlt Copenhagen, the Öresund Bridge was temporarily closed completely

Even before the actual start of the event at the historic Vilhelm Lauritzen Terminal in Copenhagen, 190 Porsche drivers met at the border between Denmark and Sweden, more precisely in Kastrup, Denmark. The Öresund Bridge and the Drodgen Tunnel between Copenhagen and Malmö were completely closed to enable a record-breaking drive. There have never been more Porsche sports cars on the road between the two countries at the same time.

After crossing towards Sweden, the cars drove back towards the airport on the other side. When these vehicles reached the historic part of Copenhagen Airport, numerous visitors were already waiting for them. At 07:45, there were already numerous of the total 1,500 visitors waiting for the participants. These included many well-known faces from the Porsche scene, such as Magnus Walker and Hanna Schönwald.

The Bridge run itself was a highlight. As much as we like to see cars in aesthetic settings, it’s one of the best things to see them in motion, used as they are intended. The high energy and smiles from everyone driving into the sunrise made the early wake-up more than worth it.

Ingmar Bötker

A Porsche 959 at the main entrance, a 904 Carrera GTS inside the terminal, the Jägermeister race cars in front of the rolling field

Where heads of state and diplomats are usually greeted with media attention, a number of highlights from almost eight decades of Porsche history were on display. Luftgekühlt Copenhagen featured Zuffenhausen’s first real supercar, a guards red Porsche 959 for example. It was enthroned at the main entrance to the Vilhelm Lauritzen Terminal. Three silver Porsches from the early days of the company were waiting inside. In addition to a 356 Speedster, a 911 F-model and a beautiful Porsche 904 Carrera GTS adorned the arrivals hall. The timeless choice of colors made them blend in perfectly with the minimalist architecture of the terminal, which was built in 1939.

At the exit towards the rolling field, the hustle and bustle became really colorful. A 914/6, a 911 RSR, a 934 slantnose and a 962 in the unmistakable orange Jägermeister livery were waiting on the left. Seeing these racing cars gathered together in one place is quite something! On the right-hand side were red beauties from the 964 Carrera, 356 Speedster, 911 Carrera 3.2 Speedster, 993 Carrera 4S and 993 Carrera RS.

These two rows framed the two highlights of Luftgekühlt Copenhagen, so to speak. Between them stood the legendary Porsche 917K with starting number 56, in which David Piper and Gijs van Lennep competed in the 1970 24 Hours of Le Mans. Incidentally, this car also gave an audio sample of the 180° V12 engine. Behind it was the secret star of the event – which actually wasn’t a car! On the other side of the fence was one of only 40 Mooney M20L PFMs ever built. A small aircraft with a 3.2 liter Porsche six-cylinder boxer engine. The elegant airplane undoubtedly put even some cars in the shade.

Further highlights in the historic hangar at Luftgekühlt Copenhagen

Another fixture of the Luftgekühlt Copenhagen event was the historic hangar next to the terminal. For example, a blue Porsche 550 Spyder awaited visitors there. In the middle of the hangar, which was supported by a wooden substructure, the 1950’s racing car was enthroned on a wooden platform, flanked by numerous Porsche 356s and 911s. The range of vehicles at the event was generally breathtaking. Safari conversions of various shapes were there as well as, for example, a familiar 993 Speedster or Pablo Escobar’s former IROC Porsche.

A reunion with friends – Porsche’s air-cooled history lives on

Auch der Rest des Geländes war gesäumt mit unzähligen luftgekühlten Porsche-Modellen. Wie wichtig es den Hütern dieser Schätze ist, die Geschichte lebendig zu halten, zeigt zum Beispiel das Engagement von Jonas Nilsson. Der Organisator des 4367 Tribute Events war noch am Mittwoch auf der Nürburgring Nordschleife. Am Samstag stand er – wie zahlreiche andere Trackday-Teilnehmer – mit seinem rennpräparierten 964 schon wieder am Flughafen Kopenhagen. Insgesamt waren 270 Autos Teil des Events, davon 40 der sogenannten Hero-Fahrzeuge.

The rest of the site was also lined with countless air-cooled Porsche models. Jonas Nilsson’s commitment, for example, shows how important it is to the custodians of these treasures to keep history alive. The 4367 Tribute event‘s organizer was still at the Nürburgring Nordschleife on Wednesday. On Saturday, he – like numerous other trackday participants – was already back at Copenhagen Airport with his race-prepared 964. A total of 270 cars were part of the event, including 40 of the so-called hero cars.

And that gets to the heart of the matter. Because Luftgekühlt is more than just a vehicle exhibition, it is a gathering of passionate fans of the brand. Young and old from all over the world gathered at Copenhagen-Kastrup Airport to admire their favorite cars, meet up and share their stories and experiences. Meeting people, who you have only known from social media before, enjoying shotgun rides with newly met friends, that’s what these events are all about! The vibe of the Californian Luftgekühlt events really resonated in the Baltic Sea metropolis in perfect weather.

One of my personal highlights was Lars Roldner’s Porsche 911 IROC RSR. It belonged to none other than Pablo Escobar and had such a great sound!

Ingmar Bötker

© images: Ingmar Bötker (@ingmarbtker)