The geniuses behind Luftgekuhlt, the air-cooled Porsche event that has become a phenomenon, have created a new venture called Air|Water. Luftgekühlt was always open to spectators, of course, but only air-cooled cars could participate in the show or park in the corrals.

Air|Water is billed as a new, more inclusive Porsche celebration that will span all Porsches, including transaxle cars and modern water-cooled variants. The event is just around the corner, taking place April 27th, 2024 at the Orange County Fairgrounds.

Knowing the creative power behind Air|Water, it is sure to be a spectacle. We attended Luftgekühlt 7 in Indianapolis in our Porsche 356C Coupe, and had an absolutely magical experience. We’d highly recommend attending this year’s Luftgekühlt later in 2024 if you can make it.

The Porsche Auction in Partnership with Air|Water

Hagerty, in its apparent mission to dominate collector car enthusiast lifestyle and culture, has partnered with Air | Water to host a themed auction at the event.

Broad Arrow, Hagerty’s auction arm, will be auctioning what is sure to be a choice selection of Porsche collector cars. While consignments remain open and the full catalog is not yet posted, there are some impressive Porsche lots available for preview online.

In addition to rarities such as a 1969 Porsche 908 Spyder, a 2005 Porsche Carrera GT, and a 1989 Porsche 928 Club Sport, a few impressive early Porsches caught our eye.

“Knickscheibe” seems to how auction houses elevate the term “bent-window,” which is what us 356 folks call Pre-As with windshields molded into a “V” shape by the factory. They replaced the earlier split windshields which used two panes of glass separated by a vertical sealing strip.

This 1954 Porsche 356 Bent Window Pre-A appears to have nice bodywork, with pretty even gaps all around. We’re not sure of the age of the restoration but it doesn’t appear to be recent. From the exterior this would appear to be a nice authentic restoration, but things get interesting once you start opening doors and hoods.

We’re not sure how Broad Arrow could suggest the engine bay looks factory, as it’s anything but. A vinyl-lined engine bay is appropriate, but the pattern and contrast stitching on this example are not correct. A pretty trick fuel-injected motor certainly looks dramatically different from the stock 1500 engine. Aftermarket air cleaners, throttle bodies instead of carbs, a shorty oil filler from a C-model engine, a modern alternator and more jump out like a sore thumb, but the work looks well executed.

Moving to the interior, the exposed shift linkage is a well-known way to eliminate the complicated “monkey motion” design of early 356s, but its looks are not for everyone. The custom seats look very well done, but are a concern. Well-upholstered Porsche 356 seats have wonderful and supportive bolstering with a slight up angle at the front to support the thighs. These are parallel to the floor and could be uncomfortable for extended touring. Chalk that up to personal preference, perhaps.

The clutch, brake, and gas pedal are also missing their rubber pads for some unknown reason. Strange, given the attention to detail elsewhere.

The car’s non-matching numbers engine, trans and interior modifications could hurt this car’s performance at auction and the market for “outlaw” Pre-As is anything but known. The presence of Pepita seat inserts has been known to make Porsche bidders a bit loose with the paddle, though!

Those seeking Pre-As are typically interested in authentic examples of early Porsche engineering, which could make Broad Arrow’s estimate a bit hopeful. Auctioned amidst the enthusiastic aura Air|Water is sure to provide, though, this could set a new benchmark for modified early 356s.

The factory only built 30 Porsche 356C Carrera 2 Cabriolets in 1964, so this is an early Porsche that doesn’t come to market very often. This particular car, however, crossed the block at Gooding & Company’s Pebble Beach Auction just last August.

This Porsche 356 Carrera 2 has some wonderful features and options including a hard-to-find Reutter hard top with electric sunroof and an Eberspacher gas heater installed in the front trunk.

Of course the 4-cam engine is what makes this beauty truly special. Often worth a cool $250,000 on their own, this one was restored by Warren Eads, a noted 4-cam builder. Details have yet to be posted, so whether this engine is original to the car is unknown.

Back in August 2023, the car was estimated at $900,000-1.2M by Gooding & Company. It was a no-sale with a high bid of $800,000. Broad Arrow has shifted the value range south a bit, so let’s hope this one can find a new home. 

Here’s a striking consignment! Cataloged as a Kremer racing restoration of a 1976 Porsche 934 Turbo RSR, this has the visual look of a 934/5. 

The 934 Turbo was developed as a Group 4 GT race car by the Porsche factory. Built on the 930 Turbo as a basis, the 934 put out twice the horsepower and performed very well in period. The large rear wing is more common to the 934/5, which was built in 1977 as a hybrid of the 934 and 935 for racing in IMSA. It didn’t race much there, as it was banned.

We’ll have to spend some more time with the copious documentation and a translation app to figure this one out. In its striking blue color, it’s a bombastic addition to the auction and a wonderful sight to behold.

Over the coming weeks we expect many more lots to be listed in the online catalog for this exciting new auction. Unfortunately I can’t attend Air|Water, primarily because it coincides with my wedding anniversary. Before you shout “priorities, man!” I’m also attending the Central PA Porsche Swap Meet the same weekend. This certainly looks like one to watch next month and we’ll be sure to share more insights as more lots are added.

Wolf and Mare provides appraisal services for sellers and buyers of collector European cars. If you’re interested in acquiring a professional appraisal, give us a call or drop a line!