AETHER CineRally & Campout
Since its inception, AETHER has been heavily motivated by the pursuits that we as a brand are passionate about. Whether it’s traveling, skiing, hiking, or motorcycling, the garments we produce can almost always be traced back to AETHER’s staffers’ own proclivity for various outdoor hobbies, sports, and activities.
While it’s not a piece of apparel, footwear, or an accessory, this same passion-driven approach is what ultimately gave way to our recent CineRally & Campout — an exclusive community event celebrating our penchant for Porsches, classic cars, film, great food, and great wine. With the inaugural event now freshly in our rearview mirror, we’re taking a look back at the first annual AETHER CineRally & Campout.
The event began with a 9:00AM meetup at our flagship AETHERla store where attendees got to see some familiar faces and enjoy a light breakfast that included some world-class coffee in the form of beans that were provided by Verve Coffee and made on-site using a La Marzocco linea Mini. CineRally-goers also got to check out the array of Porsches and other vehicles being driven by fellow attendees — an assortment of cars that essentially transformed the curbside parking outside the store into a temporary car show.
By 10:00AM, our roughly-50-vehicle procession departed from AETHERla, traveling north on the US-101 and then the I-5 before transferring onto CA-126 and heading west. Around noon, we rolled into Ojai shortly before pulling into the lot of Highly Likely to get a break from driving, stretch out our legs, and enjoy a quick bite to eat.
On the heels of lunch, the group drive continued, making its way north along CA-33 before making another quick stop for gas in Maricopa. While the first half of the group drive primarily consisted of escaping the city and run-of-the-mill freeway travel, the second half of the trip proved to be a far more enjoyable experience behind-the-wheel thanks to what felt like an endless series of turns and corners — and some incredible scenery.
After a second quick petrol stop in Santa Margarita, the group made its way west on CA-58, before eventually being spat back out onto the 101 for the final leg of the approximately 300-mile journey. As afternoon turned to evening, the group finally arrived at the John Pianetta Winery in San Miguel, California.
Upon rolling into the vineyard, CineRally-goers all received a gift bag including a limited edition AETHER Racing Team shirt, a hat from our friends at Fast Saturday, and a commemorative group ride road map and event pamphlet. Attendees were also greeted with a selection of craft beer and a wine-tasting experience. Official event sponsor Elementalist was also on-site, inviting attendees inside its 1977 Dodge Tradesman B300 Xplorer where they could select a strain of flower for the evening based on their mood and preference for scent profiles.
Not long after, renowned SoCal-based eatery Allora Pizza served up a catered classic Neapolitan pizza dinner that was prepared from scratch and freshly-baked on-site. The cannabis that Elementalist provided no doubt “enhanced” Allora Pizza’s already-stellar meal — and made the night’s movie screening that followed that much more enjoyable as well.
For dessert, boutique Los Angeles-based chocolaterie Milla Chocolates prepared special chocolates made using mini scale molds of a 991-gen Porsche 911. What’s more, San Francisco’s Hometown Creamery also whipped up a special custom ice cream flavor just for the CineRally christened AETHER Alpine Escape.
While the majority of attendees were having dinner, an inflatable 21-foot projector screen was erected. An assortment of vehicles then parked around the screen in a half-circle, thereby transforming the vineyard into an impromptu drive-in-style movie theater. The evening’s itinerary then culminated in the screening of 1983’s Risky Business.
Once the movie rolled credits, some attendees headed to their tent or campsite to call it a night, while others made their way to the campfire, enjoying the group’s camaraderie — and a few more drinks. Thanks to an incredibly clear night with minimal moonlight, the CineRally also offered some truly excellent star-gazing.
After a fun-filled night, attendees awoke the following morning to the sound of coyotes howling in the distance. By 9:00AM, a light breakfast was served along with more coffee and espresso. In the hour that followed, the vast majority of rally-goers returned to their sites to back up camp, say their goodbyes, and then hop back on the road to Los Angeles.
Not long after getting on the road, the rear differential unfortunately fell off of our AETHER Alpine Alfa. Luckily, we were able to limp it to the nearest town in first gear, where a resourceful local mechanic was able to locate the necessary hardware needed to successfully reattach the diff. Less-than-two-hours after it had fallen off, the rear differential was back on the Alfa, and we were back on the road.
All in all, the first-ever AETHER CineRally & Campout was a smashing success. So much so, in fact, that we’re already looking to the second annual iteration of the event in the summer of 2026. So, if you weren’t able to attend the inaugural event, be sure to keep your eyes on the calendar for details on next year's CineRally.
