Luftgekühlt, The Book - Volume 2 is Now Available
Volume 2 of the Luftgekühlt Book to commemorate The Air-Cooled Porsche shows known as Luftgekühlt is now available.
Air Brigade received one of the early copies and had the pleasure to unwrap and discover the photos of the wonderful air-cooled Porsches that appeared at Luftgekühlt 4-6 in the US, plus the Luftgekühlt shows in England and Germany. Luftgekühlt 1-3 are covered in Volume 1 of Luftgekühlt, The Book.
Luftgekühlt, The Book, Volume 2 is currently available on the Luftgekühlt web site for $140. The first edition is a limited run, so if you enjoy and collect books about air-cooled Porsches, you need to act fast.
The book reveal experience captures the experience of the event. Air Brigade attended Luft 6 at the Universal Studios Backlot and similar to that experience of anticipation as I approached the venue and rode the bus to the Backlot, I had the same feeling of anticipation while unwrapping the book.
The book arrives in a graphic shipping box that provides an experience in its own right to display and enter the magic of the event through the book. As you carefully cut open the packing tape and flip open the box you are then teased with Luftgekühlt logo before you open that layer to see the book cover graphic with the bright yellow binding peaking out from the box.
Slipping the book out of the book jacket and you are hit in the face with a bright yellow cover with black Luftgekühlt logo in glaring contrast to the graphic, but understated black book jacket box.
The book opens with a graphic definition of Luftgekühlt for those not familiar with the event or the German language. Luftgekühlt roughly translates to Air Cool (make cold).
Several graphic photos tease the start of the book before you are introduced to Luft 4 held at the Port of Los Angeles. The photos are big and bold and in most cases would be defined as arty takes on the car as opposed to clinical representations of the cars on exhibit. The creators, understood the reader perfectly as just when I started to say to myself, I would like to get a good look at a 911 or 356, several photos appear to fulfill my desire.
The same desire that is fulfilled can be said of the paper stock and reading experience. The stock starts with a matte dull paper that adds atmosphere of the event to the photos, but once again I found myself longing to see the glory of these air-cooled Porsches displayed in high gloss to really capture the exactness of the Porsche brand. All of a sudden gloss hits me in the face as we move to the show in Oxfordshire, England and then subsequently the German show in Munich.
Writing is at a minimum to set the stage since the cars are the real stars of this book and of these shows. Each event starts with a yellow insert in the book that describes the event and the thinking behind the location. Also sprinkled throughout the book are thoughts and write-ups by the organizers, Porsche Racer Patrick Long and Porsche Racer and Photographer Jeff Zwart.
Fun, interesting quotes are also sprinkled throughout the book. My favorite: “HOLD FAST Lift mid-turn and it’ll bite ya’. Stay in the throttle and be rewarded mightly...” This really captures the essence of driving an air-cooled Porsche where it required the driver to drive and experience the road to keep the car on the road.
Should you buy the book?
Yes, if you love air-cooled Porsches and love art books. This is the ultimate art book for air-cooled Porsches. Savior and enjoy the experience of the shows every time you open the book as I am doing now on a cold winter day as my air-cooled Porsches sit in the garage tethered to their battery tenders waiting for the next run down the mountain roads or the Luftgekühlt 7 originally planned for North Carolina and hopefully will be re-scheduled in 2021.
To Order Luftgekühlt, The Book, Volume 2 use this link: https://shop.luftgekuhlt.com/products/luft-book-vol-2
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