9 Insane Porsches That Prove Luftgekühlt Is the Wildest Porsche Festival in the U.S.

This '76 911 Turbo Carrera stands out because this was the first year for the U.S.-spec Turbo Carrera, and this specific car is believed to be the 1976 New York auto show vehicle.

What's even more interesting is the color of the car, Polar Ice Blue (also known as Ice Blue). This is just one of two Turbo Carreras painted this light-blue shade. We also really dig the retro Turbo decals. For an idea of what this car's legend is all about, be sure to check out our modern-day test of a '78 model.

Some say the 993-generation 911 is the best of them all. Its discontinuation marked the end of the era of air-cooled Porsches. In 2011, this low-mileage, perfect condition 993 Turbo was transformed by Kelly Moss Racing to an accurate factory-spec GT2 Evo race car that’s ready for competition.

It stood out to us in a row of other 993 Porsches because of the obvious amount of work that went into the transformation to race car, along with the major detailing work it has received. A few of the long list of modifications include spec bodywork, factory NOS GT2 roll cage, motor built by SPE, upgraded KKK K16/K24 turbos, Fabspeed headers and exhaust, Porsche Motorsports RS shifter and clutch, and much, much more. Oh, and it also has a wing on top of its wing.

Believe it or not, in 2014 this car should have been headed to the junkyard. The 964 Carrera C2 had definitely seen better days. It was in the middle of some major bodywork when the new owner took delivery of the car.

He decided that since the interior was in good condition and the car ran, he was going to go for a full conversion from Japanese specialist Rauh-Welt Begriff (RWB). To take things a little further, it was painted Nardò Gray and heavily modified before it made an appearance at the 2015 SEMA show.

Everything is original on this 964 Speedster except the paint on the rear bumper . . . it's even with the original owner still. We briefly spoke with him. In September 1993, he went to Zuffenhausen to pick up the car and drove it all throughout Europe. Now that's how you take delivery of a new car.

This Speedster's keeper has owned more than 60 Porsches in over 40 years, and this 964 Speedster is one of his favorites. I think that just about says it all.

Here's an odd one. This orange P-312 Coffee Train is one of 200 tractors that were originally built for use on Brazilian coffee plantations to till the soil between rows of coffee crops.

You might be wondering why this tractor is so round. The unique smooth shape was so it wouldn’t damage the coffee plants when it was tilling soil. Seeing one of these was a real treat, as there are fewer than 20 of these complete tractors still in existence. Now that's one expensive tractor.

Another reason Luftgekühlt is so truly special that each year the location changes. You’re going to be hard pressed to find an air-cooled Porsche beautifully placed in the Universal Studios backlot anytime soon, let alone hundreds. This '68 911 R, carrying the VIN 11899001R, is the first production 911 R.

That's not all—it has set five world records and 11 international records for a 2.0-liter-engined car for speed, time, and distance during a world-record run attempt at the Monza circuit in Italy. The car was driven for 96 hours straight, covering a distance of 12,240.91 miles at an average speed of 130.77 mph. The only stops were for gas, tires, and oil. In 1997 it was sold in the United States and completely restored with BP colors.

Another really well placed car was this eye-popping '79 935 street car replica. Built on an original German-market 930, it was imported into Sweden in the 1980s and fully rebuilt. It then disappeared for over 20 years, becoming a recent barn find in Sweden.

When the 935 made its way to the U.S., it was painted by the artist "Ornamental Conifer" into an art car. It will be rebuilt (again) and modernized before going on display this fall at the 2019 SEMA show.

This isn't just any Porsche 959—just as any 959 could never be referred to as "any Porsche." Called the 959 SC, it has undergone a 4500-hour transformation by Canepa. The car was completely stripped down to the tub and received a full respray and body restoration, and the interior was completely refinished to its owner's desires. Canepa also added an upgraded suspension, tuned the twin-turbo engine to 800 horsepower, and fitted modern engine-management and fuel-injection systems. New, larger magnesium wheels were fitted and shod with Michelin Pilot Sport 4S tires.

Canepa will replicate this effort with any 959. Additionally, every mechanical component is inspected and rebuilt or restored, meaning that beyond their performance gains, every 959 SC, or Sport Canepa, essentially is a brand-new 959.—Daniel Golson