The Real Luftgekühlt: 1958 King Midget III

The King Midget is not a child's toy that someone sneaked past the dimwits at their local DMV, but a micro car that traces it roots all the way back to 1946.  The initial versions were kit cars offering the unbeatable value of a 500 lb car for $500, but later the guys at the Midget Motors Corp offered fully assembled King Midgets...which is a strange name for a car powered by a single cylinder aircooled Wisconsin motor that pushed out 9.2 horsepower into a 2-speed...royal indeed. Find this 1958 King Midget offered for $11,500 in Northwest CT via craigslist. Tip from Cory.

Luftgekühlt 5: Porsches At Ganahl Lumber April 2018

DT E-i-C Vince: Last weekend I had the opportunity to attend Luftgekühlt 5 at Ganahl Lumber in Torrance, CA...and let me tell ya...it was Porschtastic.  If you don't like aircooled P-cars you might not be excited, but warm up your corn popper and enjoy this DT video.

Luftgekühlt 3: Living The Air-Cooled Life

My own fascination with aircooled Porsches dates back a few years. I don't have one of those stories about a grandfather/uncle/neighbor owning one, but I do recall a time when ordinary folks used them for ordinary commutes.  I had a summer job (between years of college) working at a Porsche repair/restoration shop down in San Diego and learned a few things that I won't forget -- the first is that un-grounded sand blasting nozzles create an incredible shock when the potential exceeds the insulating capability of rubber gloves, next is that there is an art to cleaning the floor with a mop & a spray bottle of Simple Green, and finally that the 911, 912, 356, & 914 exude an unquantifiable quality that makes them special.  This last Sunday I was able to relive some of that feeling at the Luftgekühlt event at Modernica.

Luftgekühlt: A SoCal Porsche Gathering

If you aren't familiar with the Luftgekühlt name -- and if you don't know how to pronounce it -- don't worry, you aren't alone.  Luftgekühlt is German for air cooled and pronounced like luft-guh-kewlt, but for two-time LeMans class winner Patrick Long and SoCal creative director Howie Idelson, it means passion.  These guys have a strong connection with all things that are air cooled and branded with the Free People's State of Württemberg coat of arms, and they are putting on an event in Vernon, CA this Sunday (April 10th) at 9AM (free street parking, $10 per person entry).