How to make an event extra special? Hold it in a hangar.

Do we fully understand the allure of hangar parties? No.

Do we go whenever the opportunity presents itself? Of course.

It’s a chance to see special cars surrounded by some extra flair–like planes. And there’s often food. Good food.

The biggie on the calendar has to be Motorlux out in Monterey, the event long associated with McCall. The early-bird price? Currently $600.

I’ve been lucky to attend several times. It’s a chance to see some special cars and hobnob with the beautiful set while grabbing a nosh–never a full meal, to be honest, but I guess enough to make those plucking down all those bones feel satiated.

More recently, I was invited to one here at Daytona International Airport, aka the Monterey of Florida. (Okay, I just made that up.) It was co-hosted by Brown & Brown Insurance and Hagerty.

[How to be the life of the party? Bring a Porsche (BMX bike optional)]

The invite came with a special ask: Did I want to show a car?

Totally in.

That quick “yes” got me a few things:

Rockstar parking in front of a jet that wasn’t mine.

First-in-line honors for the shrimp.

And, perhaps most importantly, now I was part of the event.

So I cleaned up the Porsche 911 and put a period-appropriate BMX bike on the roof. Got there early, in fact. Ate my shrimp and chatted with the other guests, too (including, oddly, my dermatologist).

Before the Amelia weekend, I got an invite to another hangar party: The Hangar Amelia on Saturday evening. It followed Radwood, meaning I’d be a few minutes away–would just need to make a quick wardrobe change at a local supermarket. (And thank you to the nice gentleman who, upon seeing the Porsche’s trunk open while I was changing in the parking lot, asked if I needed a jump start.)

I wasn’t invited to show a car this time. Upon arriving, I’d see that I might have been slumming it in the 911 as the field included Ferrari’s greatest hits of the 1960s, the Kremer Porsche 962C that finished fourth overall at Le Mans in 1987, a 1966 Porsche 906. Did I see a Red Bull F1 car, too?

They also had planes, including two from VistaJet, a business jet service: Challenger 350 and a Gulfstream G450. Tours were offered.

And lots of shrimp. Enough vittles to make a complete meal, in fact.

Sadly, the rain arrived along with dinnertime, sending many of the guests to the valet line. Those who weathered the storm–either inside or under a tent–got to experience a little of that hangar magic. At the end of the day, maybe it’s because a hangar or jetway is just a bit more exotic than Gate C52 at ATL.

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