•  Grid Icons is Pit+Paddock’s car show concept that spotlights performance-themed builds from popular marques in unique venues across the United States.
• The fourth Grid Icons showcase will congregate a healthy variety of modified Porsches—from air-cooled to water-cooled, to SUVs and transaxles—at Porsche Warrington in Warrington, PA.
• Porsche Warrington’s dealership footprint will be repurposed as an event space and morsels of its rare collection will also appear alongside East Coast enthusiast icons.
• The modified Porsche show at Porsche Warrington is set for Saturday, June 15, 2024, and tickets are now available on our Eventbrite page.

“There’s finally an event for all of us.” This was the happy consensus I heard from water-cooled Porsche fans during the first Air | Water show last year at Mare Island. Before this, the modern segment was excluded from Luftgekuhlt’s Porsche showcase. The barring was understandable. “Luft”, after all, translates directly to “air”, so it wouldn’t have made any sense to simply open that event up to the rest of the brand’s lineage. Air | Water was Luft’s solution and I can tell you first-hand that the first show was one that I’ll never forget. The cars, the venue, the vibe…it was all millimeter perfect. There was only one problem that I could spot: the event was in California.

WEST COAST, BEST COAST

I get it, most of the action is on the West Coast. California’s enviable climate, landscape, and general inclination for trend-setting behavior definitely make it an appealing choice. So when I heard people talking about Air | Water as an event for “all of us”, I felt like I was still part of an unrecorded census.

Maybe I’m a bit sensitive to this because I grew up in the Midwest. Even though we had plenty of our own events, Chicagoans often looked longingly at large automotive gatherings that were, at minimum, 1,200-mile drives in opposite directions. Among my friends, the curiosity for the coasts was often powerful enough to leave the Midwest just to be a closer part of the action.

FOR THE REST OF US

Now that I’m in Philadelphia, that longing is still strangely powerful. This city is essentially the Chicago of the East Coast (albeit half of the scale), and the desire to put Philadelphia on the map has been brewing since Pit+Paddock started a handful of years ago. We’ve had several opportunities—a fair share of Cars+Coffees and an East Coast Drivers Project—to practice in anticipation of doing something even more impactful. Our Grid Icons car show series has finally presented the opportunity we’ve waited for. The fourth edition of this concept will leave California for the first time and will land 15 minutes away from our home office. The cross-country trip will also celebrate something new—all things modified Porsche (not just the 911)—within a unique host venue: Porsche Warrington. This dealership has graciously offered its entire footprint as a blank canvas, allowing Pit+Paddock the freedom to curate enthusiast-owned cars and some of the dealership’s rare collection into the space, too.

While Air | Water may be known to visitors as the Porsche event for “all of us”, our Grid Icons event is one “for the rest of us”. It allows East Coast notables to showcase cherished gems and fans the chance to admire these cars in the flesh rather than how we’ve had to ingest the rest of the country’s best Porsche content: on our phones.

WHAT’S SO DIFFERENT?

At the onset, it may sound like “just” a car show. But Grid Icons has never been that. From our first GT-R spotlight event, through our most recent NA Heroes focus, Grid Icons has been dedicated to three important things to elevate the experience: quality over quantity, unique backdrops, and an opportunity to align real enthusiasts with incredible brands in the aftermarket industry. Unlike most Porsche gatherings prioritizing 911s, this event is for everyone: midships, transaxles, SUVs, and sedans will all be there to appreciate. Crucially, there will be more than just cars to ogle. Some special guests, unique merch, test drives, and incredible raffle prizes will all be up for grabs. More on all of this will be revealed here, and on our new Grid Icons IG, in the next couple of weeks.

WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW

Our Eventbrite is officially open and has plenty to digest, so I decided to break everything down here for you. Thanks to Porsche Warrington and the support of our sponsors (more on this later), general admission tickets are free, but for anyone who wants to experience a Grid Icons event in the best way possible, I’ve got a couple of recommendations to consider:

For Local Car Fans and Porsche Hopefuls: As I mentioned, general admission tickets are free, but it’s worth considering the Preferred Parking add-on for $10. From experience, the available parking fills up fast, and there’s nothing worse than trudging back to your car in some remote lot after an event. Plus, if you’re closer to the action, it’ll allow you more time at the show to take it all in.

For an Elevated Experience: Our 21+ VIP ticket experience ($55) is the one to get. The VIP ticket includes Preferred Parking and gains you entry into our second-floor lounge overlooking the Warrington showroom. Upstairs, you’ll be able to enjoy complimentary drinks and receive a generous bundle of gifts: a free issue of 000 Magazine, memorabilia from Porsche Warrington, some Pit+Paddock swag, and vouchers for food on-site.

Ten VIP ticket holders are also eligible for a Taycan driving experience during the event. At no extra cost, it’s definitely worth getting behind the wheel of the best electric car on the market.

For the Porsche Die-Hards: Our convenient all-in-one bundle includes everything the die-hard Porsche fan or owner would want. It’s the VIP ticket (meaning you’ll get all the food, drinks, free gifts, and Taycan driving opportunities), but it also includes Pit+Paddock’s latest lifestyle collection: an amassment of collaborative goods—a hat, t-shirt, commemorative pin, and poster—from 000 Magazine, Leen Customs, and Cooled Collective. The bundle guarantees that you’ll be the first to have all of this supremely limited edition merch without having to line up for it, and (in my opinion), it’s also the best value.

Big thank you to Marc Brenner and the Porsche Warrington staff for welcoming Pit+Paddock into your space and trusting us with our vision for the event. We’re so excited to host all of you on June 15th for a celebration of all things modified Porsche. For anyone applying for a display car slot, please email us with your interest at rsvp@pitpad.com.

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