Categories: Cars

Air|Water 2026 Returns To Costa Mesa!

Air|Water is a Porsche car event open to vehicles from all eras, instead of just the air-cooled cars.
The event was started by the team behind Luftgekühlt.
This is the fifth installment of Air|Water, and the third time it’s been held in Costa Mesa.

Air|Water is the Porsche-centric car show that’s spun off from Luftgekühlt into its own event. It was started by the same team and aims to offer a broader Porsche experience for fans of the brand.

On April 25th, the show returns to the OC Fairgrounds in Costa Mesa, California. This marks the third time the event has been held here and the fifth show for Air|Water overall.

We had a chance to speak with one of the show’s founders, legendary Porsche hot shoe Patrick Long, to learn more about Air|Water.

Source: Air|Water

Since Long was already a part of the Luft shows, we were curious what led him to start these additional Porsche shows with Air|Water. “The desire to open an all-new format: Air|Water, gave us the ability to expand the offering with things like our live Porsche auction and exhibitor hall trade show,” says Long.

“It was our chance to take away a bit of the mystique, and welcome in a new Porsche experience to the broader audience that can become a known annual gathering place. With Luft focusing on vintage, we weren’t telling the amazing stories from 1999 onwards, and we wanted to include the latest Porsche technologies, new cars, and new generations.”

Photo by: Air|Water

This certainly means a lot more great vehicles get to make an appearance. But does Long have a favorite? “The 2013 Porsche 911 GT3R. This was a Manthey Racing car in the iconic Grello livery that was part of an Air|Water moment of loudness, revved up by none other than Jorg Bergmeister, who piloted the car in period.”

Still, there are always more cars that could show up at an event like this. So we asked Patrick what he’s hoping to see at Air|Water one day. “The Porsche GT1 is a race and limited road car we’ve not featured yet. This car came about right at the cusp of the engine transition from air to water-cooled with both a 993 based GT1 debuting in 1996 and then a 996 based version.”

“The car is iconic and had numerous successes and LeMans and beyond. The limited street examples are just as rare and coveted. We hope 2026 will be the year we showcase this hero car.”

That feels like a potential clue as to what folks can expect at AIr|Water 2026. But I’m curious if there are ways to expand Air|Water even further. I asked Patrick if track-based events could be added in the future.

Photo by: Air|Water

“We’ve done some select events in the past and are always open minded about new formulas. Watch this space!”

Sounds like the team has big plans for the future of Air|Water and Luft, given the recent success of the Tokyo event.

If you’re in the Costa Mesa area on April 26th, it sounds like a great way to spend the day. Head to the Air|Water website for tickets and more info.