by: George Achorn
Editor’s Note: This article originally ran in the Q4_2023 issue of quattro Magazine. If you would like to subscribe to quattro Magazine, please join Audi Club here.
By their nature, parades are random things, typically special interest representing the local community. It seems fitting then that the L’OE Show began its day with a parade.
No really, it was an actual parade, led by the local marching band in uniform, and followed by a mix of cars that included an ‘80s Pike’s Peak racer with period F1 technology, a one-off design study from a now closed German car factory, and a few cars fresh off the boat from Germany including a Parisian-based and gull-winged example moving under Audi power that, if Instagram doesn’t lie, spent the previous day in New York City’s Times Square.
Okay, so beyond the marching band, L’OE’s parade wasn’t exactly local interest. The show though, that’s a different story and that’s entirely by design. As Jamie Orr began to build his parts business and then his YouTube channel, he set up shop in Pottstown, PA, a train line town on the outskirts of Philadelphia that fills the space between the wealthy suburbs known as Philly’s “Main Line” and more rural Amish farmland. It’s a beautiful old town known for 70s cruising culture and steel production that framed some of America’s key infrastructure.
It’s probably fair to say that Jamie didn’t know what he was getting into when he created L’OE Show. The event began nearby three years ago inside a hard-on-its luck mall, then relocated downtown the following year. For 2023, Jamie returned with visions of making the event bigger and better than before, including more engaged owners and clubs, more events, and more integration of either local businesses or non-local enthusiast community members be they individuals or brands. It’s how you get South African presenter personality Vic Pardal stepping briefly away from his regular gig with Red Bull to take the L’OE Show main stage to MC the event, brands like Rotiform to build out empty main street storefronts as pop-up boutiques or engage the local downtown chamber of commerce to provide specially priced packages and goods welcoming car enthusiasts to their space.
And it’s not like Pottstown is new to the car scene. As mentioned, cruising culture flourished decades back, and a more modern embracing of that has seen an old dealership turned into the Red Horse Motoring Club, with monthly Pottstown Nights takeovers by car enthusiasts seeking to show off their rides. Even here, Jamie integrated and augmented, hosting an industry and press welcome event at the Red Horse complete with Unitronic RS 3 LMS on display, or encouraging his thousands of guests to come and be part of that weekend’s Pottstown Nights gathering.
While Sunday is the only day of the actual L’OE Show, the event is more of a multi-day affair. Early in the week, vendors such as Rotiform, Solo-Werks and Leen Customs took over empty storefronts and opened their doors for business. Enthusiasts rolled into town and floated from gathering to gathering. This includes things such as an FCP Euro held gathering at a nearby inside carousel facility, get-to-gethers here and there, and a drive hosted by Porsche Club of America’s local chapter. Audi Club chose to augment a Cars & Coffee gathering by URO Tuning and Integrated Engineering and then take over a full city block on show day in order to celebrate everything quattro.
It’s all a massive undertaking for Jamie Orr. To be honest, we’re not quite sure how he does it. The large number of events generate options for participants without being hectic, creating a leisurely way to cruise around and experience things, and with enough time to find a spot to hang out with friends.
In case you’ve missed it in the past, L’OE Show has thus far been consistently on the front half of Labor Day weekend. It’s all over by Sunday night, meaning you’re likely home to spend your holiday with family. Plan on spending the several days leading up enjoying the many pre-show events to L’OE Show and earn extra relaxation points by booking a picturesque AirBnB in the nearby countryside.
