Patrick Dempsey & TAG Heuer Celebrate Porsche at Luftgekühlt 10
The Universal Studios backlot in Los Angeles is the birthplace of many defining cultural moments on screen, from the original house from Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho to the clock tower that was struck by lightning in Back to the Future. Recently, however, it was home to a cultural phenomenon of a different kind: Luftgekühlt’s latest celebration of air-cooled Porsches. Dubbed “Moments In: Movements, Motorsports, Motion Pictures,” and co-hosted by TAG Heuer ambassador (and notable racing enthusiast) Patrick Dempsey, the event combined a collection of historic Porsches with a TAG Heuer popup.
For those who don’t dream about Targas and Fuchs wheels, Luftgekühlt (or “Luft” for short) was created by two-time Le Mans winner Patrick Long, who wanted to create a new kind of car show for fellow Porsche enthusiasts around the world. Now in its 10th edition, Luft has earned a dedicated following of enthusiasts and collectors who eagerly await news of the next event. Luftgekühlt 10 focused on Porsche’s historic cars — both race and street models — from the earliest 356s to the 993s, and used the location of Universal Studios to cinematic effect, with dozens of cars staged around the backlot’s many false-front buildings.
Highlights from the event included gems like the Porsche 959 and 904 Carrera GTS, historic Porsche race and rally cars, and even a Porsche tractor. It also showcased Patrick Dempsey’s first Porsche, a 1963 356, that the Grey’s Anatomy star bought in his late teens at the start of his acting career.
TAG Heuer, of course, has been synonymous with motorsports and film for decades, from its roots as a maker of precision motorsports timing equipment to high-profile cameos in movies like The Wolf of Wall Street and The Fall Guy. Following the launch of a long-awaited partnership between the Swiss luxury watchmaker and the German sports car brand, TAG Heuer has created a string of collectible racing-inspired timepieces including the new limited-edition TAG Heuer Carrera Chronograph Tourbillon x Porsche Panamericana.
As such, TAG Heuer’s pop-up at Luftgekühlt 10 showcased its decades-long legacy of motorsports, including its latest watches and historic photos of Swiss racing driver Jo Siffert (TAG Heuer’s first ambassador in 1969) and Steve McQueen who made the TAG Heuer Monaco famous by wearing it during the filming of 1971’s Le Mans.
“Luft is about community, it’s about passion, it’s about friendship, and it’s about joy,” said Dempsey in a promo for the event in which he told the very Hollywood backstory of his black 356, which he purchased 30 years ago from a Top Gun crew member.
With dozens of historic cars, some of the world’s most passionate Porsche enthusiasts, and TAG Heuer’s legacy of motorsports, it more than upheld Luftgekühlt’s reputation for putting on some of the best Porsche gatherings around.
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