Porsche’s Biggest Fan Event Just Took Over Tokyo

For the Love of Porsche

Very few automotive brands have the same appeal and gravitas as Porsche. Over the years, they’ve grown to cultivate massive loyalty among fans, owners, and collectors from all walks of life. Because of the brand’s very rich history and extensive catalogue of classic models, people are constantly drawn to them.

One of the biggest fan-made events centered on Porsche just concluded a monumental event in what most would consider a mecca for the automotive scene – and for the first time, it finally reached Japan.

Luft Japan

Luftgekühlt (Luft) was founded in 2014 by two-time Le Mans Winner Patrick Long and Creative Director Howard Idelson. What started out as a small gathering of just 100 Porsches quickly caught on and gained attention. This could be because Luft prioritizes a true community built on authentic storytelling, rather than the rigid nature of traditional car shows.

Over the years, Luft has grown through its annual gatherings, and the last one was held two years ago. With the community clamoring for more, this year’s event promised to be bigger and better.

To achieve this, they planned for it to take place in Japan, specifically, a portion of the iconic Tokyo expressway. Now, if you think it’s irresponsible to close a major road in one of the most traffic crazy cities, the car meet was actually held on a recently closed-off portion of the highway, which will be converted into a public park.

Since this was the first time Luft was held in a central city location, to capitalize on that, plus the famed Tokyo night lights, Luft also ran well into the evening. “The idea was to run the event into that photographic moment – experiencing the cars from daylight through to night.” Said founder Patrick Long.

Japan’s Porsche Culture

Japan’s car culture is admired the world over for the uniqueness of the style and the variety of car groups that coexist in the country. When it came to showcasing the local Porsche scene, Japan once again delivered. A total of 220 road and racing examples were displayed, bringing in around 11,600 visitors.

One of the notable models showcased was the famous Number 28 Porsche 910, driven by Tetsu Ikuzawa and the Taki Racing Team, which finished second overall and first in class at the 1968 Japanese Grand Prix at Fuji International Speedway. Another rare sighting was the four Porsche 964 N/GT, only twenty of these cars were ever made.