(PHOTOS) L’oe Show packs downtown Pottstown with car lovers

POTTSTOWN — A car show dedicated to a single manufacturer that attracts thousands of people downtown on a damp, humid Sunday over Labor Day weekend is perhaps proof positive that love comes in many forms.

To be clear, these owners, visitors and business people absolutely love these vehicles.

Everywhere and anywhere one turned during Sunday’s L’oe Show, whether it was on High Street or Hanover Street, people were talking about Audis, Porsches and Volkswagens; the different models, the parts, the accessories, tales about past cars owned, and dreams cars sought.

Pop-up stores set up on the street and even inside some of High Street’s vacant storefronts were packed with people buying those accessories, parts and fan gear.

“This is my baby,” said Matthew Alfieri, who brought his 2003 VW Passat from Randolph, N.J., for Sunday’s European car show extravaganza. “You could throw any Porsche you want at me, I will never trade this car,” he said.

Like so many we spoke with at Sunday’s show, Alfieri’s fascination with the brand started early, very early. “I was 3 years old and my dad had this car and one more VW. He was never as interested as I was in this car.”

The same was true for Eric and Michelle Smith, who came from Northport, Long Island, to see their show. Neither brought their individual Audis, but they brought their 18-month-old son, Luka, perhaps to give him an early start on a lifelong obsession.

Smith said the couple used to attend a car show at a racetrack in New Jersey, but the track closed and with it, the car show.

“I’ve never seen so many,” he said.

There is no question these vehicles are popular with a certain set of people, and L’oe Show is becoming increasingly popular as a way to celebrate them. All the vehicles on display had to register ahead of time, and it only took eight days for all the hundreds of spaces to be claimed.

This is the third year Pottstown has hosted L’oe Show and it appears to be a hit. It is organized by Jamie Orr, who owns Orchid Euro LLC on Queen Street. Orr also travels the world to find rare and unique vehicles and has used this expertise and his network to bring sponsors, suppliers and enthusiasts to Pottstown for this annual show.

This year, three shipping containers were modified to serve as stackable car display areas, which took months of work and cooperation among many businesses, including Hawk Towing, based in Pottstown, Pottstown’s Eastwood Company “for supplies (lots of Rust Encapsulator) and TP Trailers in Limerick, according to Orr’s Facebook page.

The containers also served as the platform for the show’s DJ, Vic Pardal from South Africa, making the day’s announcements and giveaways.

“I bought this in 2019 new. I’ve always wanted one since I was a kid,” Tasha Gehris of Northampton, Pa., said as she lovingly polished her Audi TTRS.

“It’s got a big turbo, literally everything you can have,” she said with a laugh. This is her third year at the show and last year, her car was named “best female car.” I didn’t want to put out the award, it seemed like bragging.”

Onlookers and at least one reporter advised her to flaunt it if you’ve got it.

Rolf Dayal brought his 2004 Golf 32 from Queens, NY, to Pottstown for the show. “I was lucky, I found this one and it had had only one owner and only 65,000 miles on it, so I flew to Michigan to buy it,” he said.

“I bought this instead of a Harley-Davidson. I thought to myself, they make Harley-Davidsons every day. This car was only made for one year, so it’s rare now.”

Back at home, Dayal has three other cars, one of them a 1995 VW Cabriolet, which he parks in a driveway he rents for the cars.

“I live in an apartment, but I am in the process of buying a house. I am looking for one with the biggest garage and the tiniest living space,” he said with a laugh.

“My friend got me into these VWs. They last forever and their performance is something else. I guess there’s just something about that German engineering,” he said.

Dayal is part of an online VW chat group with more than 250 members and “we’re still pulling people in,” he said.

So too, it seems, is L’oe Show.