I have just returned home from Pennsylvania where I attended my third L’oe Show, and I’m still on a high from this year’s event. It seems to get bigger and better each year, and has become my favorite car show. Hence, in today’s Market Monday I’m sharing my top 5 reasons you should attend L’oe Show in 2026.

I’ve never heard the origins of the show’s name clearly defined, but the event’s organizer is Jamie Orr, who operates a European parts and car importation business called Orchid Euro. I’ve always assumed the name was a play on “low,” which describes many of the cars in attendance, and the name of Jamie’s business.

As described by show founder Orr, ten years ago the VW community in the US had numerous big shows to choose from to connect with like-minded enthusiasts. Over time, many of these shows started to close up shop for one reason or another (H2O International, anyone?). In this funk, Jamie decided to create an event that would featured museum caliber cars in attendance and an international reach.

The first L’oe Show was held in a defunct shopping mall and by most accounts delivered on Jamie’s theme — Allan McNish’s Le Mans-winning car was parked in an old record store, for example — and was regarded as a success. The mall was too small for the growing show, so a new location was secured: the entirety of downtown Pottstown, Pennsylvania.

I’m an obvious advocate for this show, but until today I hadn’t put much thought into why I love it so much. Yes, I’m a native Pennsylvanian and I do love going back to my old stomping grounds, but it’s more than that. The list below is my attempt at quantifying my enthusiasm for the event, with the caveat that all enthusiasts are different and your mileage may vary. If your taste in cars is anything close to mine, this event may be for you.

L’oe Show takes place in Pottstown, PA, and not just “near” or in the general vicinity of. Rather, the entire downtown area becomes the show field for hundreds of Volkswagen Group vehicles over two days. Like many former iron and steel towns, Pottstown suffered from a post-industrial slump that led to economic decline and a nearly vacant main street. It’s bouncing back, but during the show those empty storefronts become pop-up shops, mini car museums and merch vendors.

Additionally, Pottstown is very convenient to the Philadelphia metro area, making it a reasonable drive from many of the major population centers on the East coast. Of course, Volkswagen has always had a huge presence in Pennsylvania, but the show’s location must play a part in its terrific turnout year over year.

Local businesses and restaurants do months of revenue in a single weekend, making a real contribution to the community and surrounding area.

I’ve attended many different types of car events of the years, from premium concours d’elegance to marque-specific swap meets and L’oe Show is my favorite. Why? One major reason: the vibe.

First, the show is chill. Far from the intense and pretentious competition of a concours, L’oe Show just feels like a community of enthusiasts coming together to admire each other’s cars without judgement. There are awards, but they’re limited and less about picking grass out of tire treads. It’s never fun to see cars leaving early because they didn’t win their class award, and you don’t see that at L’oe Show.

Demographically, L’oe Show skews younger — think middle-age versus rowdy teenagers — but the event draws a fantastically diverse group of enthusiasts both as participants and spectators. It’s rare to see so many families and couples attending a car event, but you see that here and it’s heartening for the future of car culture. Expect to see lots of tattoos, long shorts, skate shoes and flat-brim hats. 

I can’t talk about the vibe without speaking to music. Frankly, the playlist is straight out of my iPod (yes, I meant to say that) — with pop punk making up a significant portion of the mix, but delving into 80s, 90s, and 2000s pop here and there. The DJ spins some great tracks at this show.

Last, the attendees are generally respectful of the town and its rules. For old timers like me that cringe at burnouts and over-revs at Cars and Coffee, there’s little of that on show day.

Event organizer Jamie Orr admits that he’s not a great presenter, but thankfully the man he brings in to MC the show is a knockout. Vic Pardal is a South African motorsport enthusiast, professional drifter and TV personality and the perfect yin to Jamie’s yang. It’s his job to keep the energy up during the event and particularly on show day, and he delivers.

Vic’s voice can be heard throughout the show and the dude is mobile. You’ll see him cruising from car to car speaking to owners and vendors, giving shout outs for both sick rides and DS kicks.

An entry fee is required to show your car at L’oe, but for your fee you’ll get premium show parking, goodies, and the chance to get exclusive giveaways and discounts from show vendors.

The real value is for spectators, for whom entry is free. Parking is also free, but is becoming a bit more challenging as the size of the show expands. The event starts at 10AM, but I like to get there early to snap photos of the setup and secure a good parking spot.

I can’t say that the food options are bargains, but they’re reasonable and plentiful. Local restaurants extend their hours to Sunday just for the show, and the food is good (the Philly area has the best eats, but I’m biased having lived there for a decade). Libations are easily found, if that’s your jam, with a Bier Garten and more open on show day.

The real reason we go to shows is the cars, and if you’re an enthusiast of Volkswagen, Audi and/or Porsche cars, you have to go to L’oe Show. Those three marques are the specialty of Wolf and Mare so I love this event, but even if you’re just a casual car person L’oe Show is a spectacle of automotive passion and history.

Over 1,000 cars attended this year’s show, and it’s very cool to attend a celebration of automotive individuality in contrast to 100 point factory-stock restorations. There may be 100 Audi A4s at L’oe Show, but they’re all different.

Classic cars are welcome, but the early water-cooled era and newer tend to make up the bulk of cars at the show, with late-model vehicles being the best represented. Classic gems abound however, such as a rare Porsche-Diesel tractor, 1950 Beetle (one of the first imported to the USA by Hoffman Motor Cars), Audi S1 Sport Quattro rally car and more. The vast majority of cars are modified, so if you’re a purist this event may not be for you. Enthusiasts with an open mind will be rewarded!

This year’s special displays included a series of German hill climb champion vehicles, a celebration of the 50 years of the Volkswagen Polo, 75 years of the VW Bus, and 40 years of the Mk2 Volkswagen. One of my favorites was a pretty epic Mk2 Volkswagen Golf Rallye that was sadly overshadowed by a Lamborghini Huracan.

60+ vendors attended L’oe Show this year, including used parts vendors who were even better represented. It’s a great way to get up close and personal with some of the big boys in the VAG aftermarket space including Rotiform, H&R, APR, FCP Euro, Leen Customs, Milltek, UroTuning, Liqui-Moly and more. Many vendors exhibit some pretty incredible booth cars at their setups, such as H&R, Humble Mechanic and Open Air Imports’ “Live, Laugh, Lupo.”

While L’oe Show is open only to cars from Volkswagen Group, there is a massive community car show on Saturday night that brings tons of area cars to High Street for view.

I spend pretty much every hour of every day of the week researching cars, scrutinizing cars, and working on cars. I love what I do, but at times it can get a little tedious. Every time I come back from L’oe Show, I find myself fully reinvigorated and excited about the car community and car culture. For the single reason that it will make you feel alive again as an enthusiast, I recommend giving L’oe Show a try.

Honestly, though, if you just like cars…Go!

*My enthusiasm for L’oe Show is completely genuine and I have received no compensation or assistance for this post.

Wolf and Mare provides car finding, appraisals, and auction services for buyers and sellers of collector European cars. If you’re interested in acquiring an overseas car, give us a call or drop a line!