Air | Water in Costa Mesa: Rain, Porsches, and a Photographer’s Day Out
all photo credit: Instagram/@octane.jpg
Air | Water isn’t your average car show. The reunion-style event in Costa Mesa brings together people who love Porsches, whether air-cooled classics or the latest water-cooled models. At the OC Fairgrounds in Costa Mesa, cars and people filled the space, all there for the same reason: to see what shows up, rain or shine.
The morning didn’t exactly go as planned. It rained off and on, soaking the pavement and leaving puddles here and there. However, nobody seemed to care. People zipped up their jackets, grabbed umbrellas, and kept walking. The light rain even added a certain character to the cars, making them look like they belonged on display for everyone to see and not just sitting in a garage.
Capturing the Crowd and the Cars
Our photographer for the day, Jordan Taylor (@octane.jpg on Instagram
if you’re curious), had some new gear to try out. Fujifilm loaned him a GFX100 II and an X100V for the day. The GFX100 II is a monster of a camera, built for detail and big prints, while the X100V is smaller, easy to carry, and perfect for capturing quick moments you don’t want to miss. Moving between the two, Jordan captured everything from rare vintage models to the latest high-performance Porsches.
Standouts: RUF CTR3 and Bisimoto’s 935 “Moby Dick”
Some cars never fail to draw a crowd. Bisimoto’s 935 “Moby Dick” was one of them. Famous for its long tail, white paint, and 845-horsepower turbo flat-six, the original Porsche 935/78 “Moby Dick” was a Le Mans legend. Bisimoto’s tribute takes that wild silhouette and swaps the gas engine for electric power: a three-phase motor making 637 horsepower, fed by a set of LG Chem batteries. The result is a car that looks like a piece of racing history but moves with a silent surge.
SEE: Porsches Everywhere at Air | Water: Rare Classics, Creative Builds, and Event Standouts [35 Photos]
Not far away, the RUF CTR3 sat quietly, looking like it came from the future. The CTR3 is a rare, mid-engined sports car built by German manufacturer RUF, known for taking Porsche engineering to another level. With a carbon-kevlar body, a 3.7-liter twin-turbo flat-six, and over 690 horsepower, the CTR3 blends the spirit of vintage Le Mans racers with modern speed and technology. Parked next to some bushes, it was easy to miss at first glance, but anyone who knows what they’re looking at stops for a closer look.
The TAG McLaren MP4-2B was there, too, in its classic white and orange Marlboro colors. Underneath all that history is a Porsche engine, the same kind that helped McLaren win Formula 1 titles back in the day. You don’t see a car like that outside of a museum every day.
Off-Roaders and Creative Livery
The dirt track area had a different vibe, with off-road Porsches lined up, some covered in mud and dust. There was a 964 in Rothmans livery, a couple of 992 Dakars, and a 992 GTS with a surfboard and a bicycle strapped to the roof. Judging by the dirt, these cars looked like they had already seen plenty of action and were ready for anything.
Not every car took itself too seriously. Porsche Pelle’s 930 G-Body showed up in a Simpsons-themed “Donuts & Drip” wrap. It looked like something straight out of a cartoon, but it fit right in. Air | Water is the kind of place where creativity gets noticed.
Admiring Cars
By the afternoon, the rain let up, and the sun started to break through, drying out the pavement and bringing even more people out to check out some cool Porsches on display. Owners swapped stories while kids looked in awe at the colorful array of cars, and photographers — Jordan included — finding new angles. Sometimes it was a close-up of a water droplet on a fender. Sometimes it was just two friends admiring a car.
Air | Water isn’t about who has the rarest Porsche or the wildest build. It’s about showing up, rain or shine, and sharing the day with people who get it. The weather didn’t stop anyone. If anything, it made the day more memorable. Events like this remind us why Porsche culture runs deep. It also reminded us why it is all about community, passion, and showing up for what you love.
Jordan went home with a camera full of photos and a reminder that sometimes, the best car shows are the ones where you don’t mind getting a little wet.
