Originally Posted by
Mr9146
My dad's blue car was accepted. Frankly, I think the reason it got accepted is because A) it was his car and B) it's going to be the car's last hurrah in the care of our family before it finds a new caretaker. And that was what I wrote in the submission and, I think, whomever did the choosing saw value in that story (and the fact that it's Gemini Blue).
Does it absolutely break my heart that Stacy's RS didn't get accepted? Yes. Absolutely it does. And that is 90% selfish because I've been taking care of that car for the last decade and think it's one of the coolest RSs in the world based on its history with Ruf.
But here's the thing ... it's a cART show. The cars are art and the whole thing is an installation. Pat, Howie, and Jeff have the thankless job of putting it all together for us to enjoy. And like any business (because that is EXACTLY was Luftgekuhlt is), you can't make everyone happy all the time ... you just have to do your best work all the time and know that some people are just gonna end up unhappy. It sucks, but that's life.
These guys have a vision; they are trying to create something that is both inclusive and aesthetically pleasing. Perhaps Stacy's car, or your car, or your car, or your car didn't quite fit the vision of the art installation that these guys are creating. And don't forget, it's the 50th anniversary of the 914 ... perhaps a mid-engine theme is going to take place and there were just too many 917s, 904s, 906s, 908s, and 910s registered that the 911 crowd had to share space.
Last year at Ganhal there were too many cars. Fact. The event was ULTRA inclusive and, yet, some people still got left out. So you have to ask yourself, is a highly-curated event with spectacular cars staged in an ultra-cool space that allows for AMAZING photos from virtually every angle what you want? Or do you just want to park your car inside the show so you can bring your own food and save a buck? What's more important to you?
The negative response here is, frankly, shocking to me. In a time when cars and coffee events are ubiquitous and becoming more and more boring and cookie cutter, I find Luftgekuhlt refreshing. Going to a mall parking lot is totally inclusive, but it's that lack of "curation" that I find completely boring. And it's the same cars every weekend. Super boring and I can only handle, like, 30min before I need to seek refuge in motion. But Luft is different. Pat reminded me the other day that I once called Luft a gathering Porsche Hipsters (yes, he reads the boards and probably this thread). I was right in that assessment - it was in Venice and there were hipsters everywhere - but I was wrong in my implication. Now when I look back I see that these guys were building something ... it took a little while to put a finer point on it, but I think they've really hit their stride. And pulling down the Universal back lot is MEGA.
Am I excited to be included in the event? ABSOLUTELY. But I'm more pumped about the venue than the fact that the car got in. I grew up in SoCal and have taken the back lot tram tour more times than I can recall, and I've always wanted to just bail out of the tour and walk around what I think is a space that's as magical (and arguably more historical) as Disneyland. Even if my dad's car was denied the opportunity to participate I can 100% guarantee that I would attend the event just to say that I was there.
So I urge the naysayers and disgruntled complainers to take a step back and try to look at the bigger picture of what Luft is in relation to the car culture landscape as a whole. Try and think of the event as an art installation that we are allowed to participate in. Again, what Pat and the boys are doing is a largely thankless job. We are lucky they are passionate enough about the whole thing to even do it all, because the alternative is to go to a parking lot somewhere like you did last week, with the same people as last week, and look at the same cars as last week, and tell the same stories as last week.
Luft is once a year because it's MEGA. And I'm glad that it is...
