Fall Carlisle is a heritage event in automotive circles, dating back to 1974.  The fall auction, powered by Carlisle Auctions doesn’t quite go that far back, but it brings enough tradition to the table that buyers, sellers and spectators alike recognize it as a premier event within the region.  As such, the Carlisle Expo Center was packed for two days (October 3-4) for the Fall auction and the team at Carlisle Auctions delivered once more! 

With a bidder total that exceeded last fall’s registration and a lot of 500+ quality consignments, the table was set perfectly for two days of classic and collector car excitement.  Trucks, cars, trikes, bikes and motorcycles all crossed the block.  Fall even offered a 60’s themed “power hour” as a tribute to a decade of automotive excellence more than 50 years ago.  The theme, combined with the overall event and excitement by its participants, helped tally $3.6 million in sales and an over 50% sell through rate.
Of the $3.6 million in sales, $328,902 came from its top five sellers.  The top five, outlined below, included a Ferrari, two Corvettes, a Cadillac and a Buick.  All sales data quoted includes applicable fees.  

1) 1986 Ferrari Testarossa - $88,810
2) 1966 Chevrolet Corvette - $78,830
3) 2016 Chevrolet Z06 Corvette - $68,212
4) 1954 Cadillac Eldorado - $65,270
5) 1955 Buick Super 88 - $57,780

While more than 250+ consignments sold, that means about the same amount did not.  Those cars are “still for sale” and a Carlisle Auctions team member is available today to help negotiate a sale if buyer and seller can agree on a price point.  Some of those cars are currently showcased on the Carlisle Auctions web page.  

For complete information on this auction, its results and those cars that might still be available, contact Carlisle Auctions at 717-960-6400 or online at www.CarlisleAuctions.com.  You can all connect with Carlisle Auctions to learn more about this event or future auctions too.  One such future event is ALL-NEW and takes place November 8-9 in Sarasota, Florida.  Sunset-Carlisle takes place in partnership with the Sunset Automotive Group at their spacious facility, located at 6061 Sawyer Loop Rd. 

October is many things to many people.  It’s when most feel like Fall has finally arrived, it’s picking pumpkins, traversing corn mazes and of course it’s trick or treating.  For Corvette lovers and fans of the Miller family, not only is October 27 the late Chip Miller’s birthday, it’s also the wedding anniversary of Lance and Michele Miller.  Oh…and this also happens to be the same day that the Carlisle Expo Center in Carlisle, PA, plays host to one last central PA car show AND the last Chip Miller Amyloidosis Foundation event of the year.  One and all are invited to Carlisle to support the CMAF, honor Chip Miller and enjoy the 11th Annual Corvettes for Chip car show.  

Designed for Corvette lovers and lovers of Chip Miller alike, the event is as much a car show as it is a fund raiser, weaving equal parts fall fun in with Christmas cheer; after all, Santa will be there!  2018’s event raised over $8,000 and this year’s fun hopes to top that total, all while raising awareness for a great cause.  

The new date offers the same great fun, including the standard 8:30 a.m. start time.  Those interested in registering their Corvette for judging and review have two hours to do so, so by 10:30 a.m., registration closes.  Just before that, the event officially gets going with a 10:15 a.m. playing of the National Anthem.  Once all the introductory “stuff” has concluded, it will then be time for registered car owners to get together to review the agenda of the day.  Over 100 Corvettes are expected and all available eras of production will be on-site.  

There’s also some other special happenings leading up to the event.  The National Corvette Museum is hosting a special Corvette racing event at the AACA Museum, Inc. in Hershey in the days leading up to Corvettes for Chip.  There, the #3 Cunningham Corvette will  be on display.  Plus, at Corvettes for Chip itself, another famous #3 will be on-hand, the iconic yellow Corvette race car that Dale Earnhardt Sr., Junior and Andy Pilgrim drove at Daytona in 2001 just days before his untimely death.   

Regardless of what is happening during the Corvettes for Chip event, the backbone of the day is Amyloidosis awareness and fundraising for the CMAF.  The giving nature of the event also helps bring Santa Claus to town.  A late October get together may be more fitting for Jack Skellington, but he’s more a taker than a giver.  Time with St. Nick is a great way for family and friends to also support the annual Toys for Tots drive.  Talk with Santa, donate a toy and even pick up tickets for the 50/50 raffle.  

No event honoring Chip Miller would be complete without a ceremonial revving of the engines.  At the mid-point of the Santa meet and greet, car owners will fire up their beloved Corvettes at 12 p.m. for an audible tribute to a man who played a vital role in Carlisle’s automotive history and Corvette history too.  

Corvettes for Chip concludes with a raffle as well as silent auction opportunities.  There’s a 2 p.m. awards ceremony for the cars and their owners plus even more fun like a bake sale, food and drink, a DJ playing music, a silent auction and more.  

Registration is $25 for anyone who pre-registers online at www.corvettesforchip.com OR $30 the day of the show.  Parking is available indoors or out, but space inside the Expo Center is limited and at $60, is available on a first-come, first-served basis.  Again, to be indoors, pre-registration is required.  All registration fees are tax deductible!  Celebrate a super special day for the Millers and join us in Carlisle!  Complete information on this event is available at www.chipmiller.org or by calling 717-243-7855 x113.

Chrysler weekend at Carlisle – it’s three days on paper, but much longer for those who experience it in person.  Good weather means vendors are setting up days in advance, great weather means show cars are on grounds at least two days prior to the official start date.  Regardless of when someone shows up, the bottom line is that the annual Carlisle Chrysler Nationals is juggernaut within the Dodge/Chrysler/Mopar enthusiast base.  2020’s event should be no different and coming off a record 2,803 Showfield turnout in 2019, Carlisle Events is excited to share what themes and anniversaries will be showcased in America’s Automotive Hometown starting at 7 a.m. daily.

Running July 10-12, 2020 at the Carlisle PA Fairgrounds, displays will offer a diverse snapshot of the brand.  From indoor features within Buildings T and Y to those under a tent on the Showfield, there will be something for everyone.  Can you believe 1970 was 50 years ago?  It’s true…and with that milestone comes some amazing planned displays. 

Though locations are TBD, what is confirmed is the amazing array of history coming to Carlisle.  Chrysler weekend honors 50 years of the following:  50 Years of the Dodge Challenger, 50 Years of the AAR & T/A, 50 Years of the Plymouth Duster, 50 Years of the Superbird and 50 Years of Pro Stock.

The application for featured vehicle consideration is available online today and while every owner/applicant for one of the recognized celebrations won’t be selected, that doesn’t mean their vehicle isn’t welcome.  With such a massive facility and show car layout, registering for the Showfield is very easy and in most cases, available at a discounted rate.  A link to register for the event is available at www.CarlisleEvents.com.  Once on the Chrysler Nationals portion of the page, event hopefuls can either register to show their car OR pick up single day/weekend tickets to enjoy the event as a spectator. 

Seeing these great displays is just one aspect of the fun.  There are product walk-arounds and FREE thrill rides from Dodge, on-site installations from A&A Auto Stores, automotive competitions like autocross, a real street shootout and a burnout contest, plus there’s a massive midway and automotive flea market.  The midway and flea market are must-see/must-do aspects of the show and keep growing annually.  Shopping is made easy at Carlisle! 

To be involved with the 2020 Carlisle Chrysler Nationals as an automotive flea market vendor or midway partner, call 717-243-7855 to inquire about pricing and availability.  Otherwise, to be part of the show as a spectator or by showing a vehicle, visit one of the following web pages to learn more.

General Info:  http://www.carlisleevents.com
Event Info:  https://www.carlisleevents.com/events/events-detail/index?id=chrysler+nationals
Showfield:  https://store.carlisleevents.com/SearchResults.asp?Cat=26
Featured Vehicle Consideration:  https://www.carlislefeatures.com
Spectator Tickets/Weekend Passes:  https://www.carlisletickets.com

It’s quite common for over 3,000 Ford branded vehicles to be showcased at the annual Carlisle Ford Nationals presented by Meguiars.  Following a 2019 event that hosted a record-setting 3,194 vehicles on the National Parts Depot Showfield, 2020 is shaping up to be another stellar offering from Carlisle Events.  Though the 25th anniversary event is still months away, Carlisle Events is excited to share what themes and anniversaries will be showcased in America’s Automotive Hometown starting at 7 a.m. daily.

Running June 5-7, 2020 at the Carlisle PA Fairgrounds, indoor displays will offer a diverse snapshot of Ford’s impeccable production history.  One of the most popular showcase displays is hosted in Building Y.  Home to the annual Carlisle Select display since 2015, this feature positions 12-14 cars that are unique to the history of the Ford brand in front of a captive audience.  Additionally, every participant since year one of the display receives a commemorative plaque and sees their name affixed to a banner that hangs from the Building Y rafters, logging the history of the Ford Nationals Select.

Between Building T (located adjacent to Y) and the remainder of the grounds, additional displays will undoubtedly pack in the enthusiasts eager to see some of the best cars on the planet.  Planned is a 50th Anniversary display of the Grabbers.  There’s also a spotlight on the Ford GT, a Euro Ford Garage which includes the 50th Anniversary of the Capri and 35th Anniversary of the Merkur, a Thunderbird reunion and Starliner reunion too.   

Of course not every owner of one of the recognized celebrations is selected to be featured.  That doesn’t mean their car isn’t welcome at Carlisle.  With such a massive facility and show car layout, registering for the Showfield is very easy and in most cases, available at a discounted rate.  A link to register for the event is available at www.CarlisleEvents.com.  Once on the Ford Nationals portion of the page, event hopefuls can either register to show their car OR pick up single day/weekend tickets to enjoy the event as a spectator.  

Seeing these great displays is just one aspect of the fun.  There are product walk-arounds and FREE test drives from Ford, on-site installations from A&A Auto Stores, automotive competitions like autocross, a real street shootout and a burnout contest, plus there’s a massive midway and automotive flea market.  Shopping is made easy for any Ford lover as vendors and midway partners alike bring the must have and hard to find parts, merchandise and collectibles to Carlisle. 

To be involved with the 2020 Carlisle Ford Nationals as an automotive flea market vendor or midway partner, call 717-243-7855 to inquire about pricing and availability.  Otherwise, to be part of the show as a spectator or by showing a vehicle, visit one of the following web pages to learn more.

General Info:  http://www.carlisleevents.com
Event Info:  https://www.carlisleevents.com/events/events-detail/index?id=ford+nationals
NPD Showfield:  http://store.carlisleevents.com/SearchResults.asp?Cat=24
Featured Vehicle Consideration:  https://www.carlislefeatures.com
Spectator Tickets/Weekend Passes:  https://www.carlisletickets.com

The car count at Corvettes at Carlisle is always something people wonder about.  On one hand, you can absolutely see over 5,000 Corvettes at the show, on the other, not every one of them register for the Fun Field.  So when a new record is set, it’s always fun to share that info.  For 2019, Corvettes at Carlisle, presented by Corvette America, broke a year-old Fun Field mark.  The official count for this year was 2,901.  What makes that total even more impressive is that this was supposed to be a “down year” for the event, given that every five years there is a Corvette Caravan to Bowling Green, Kentucky.  That event happens just after Corvettes at Carlisle.

So how does an event that would otherwise see a bit of a downtick during Caravan year break a record?  The answer could be one of three things.  First, the weather (but for a little rain Friday morning) was beyond amazing.  Temperatures were in the 70’s during the day and in the upper 50’s at night.  Second, the passion of every single Corvette enthusiast who comes to Carlisle from around the world keeps the event growing and growing.  Oh…and Team Chevrolet brought 14 of their all-new 2020 C8 Corvettes to the show.  That showcase had people standing rows deep not only at their specially built showcase display, but within the Team Chevrolet tent too.

The reality is, Corvettes at Carlisle is a one-of-a-kind event that has to be experienced in person to truly appreciate it.  Cars and car lovers, vendors and concessionaires were on-site days in advance of the show.  Once the gates opened Thursday, it was a non-stop sea of cars rolling through the gates.  In fact, Saturday’s gate traffic saw cars coming from before 7 a.m. until about 3 p.m.  It was an amazing sight to behold.  Everyone at Carlisle took in all aspects of the show.  Past the C8 were some amazing midway partners, while the automotive flea market was bustling too.  Vendors were buying from each other, Corvette enthusiasts were shopping too and there were smiles all around.

It wouldn’t be a Corvette show without seminars and tech talk sessions via three different locations, four if you count the C8 walkarounds at the stage, it was beyond easy to get a Corvette education.  Seminar hosts included Wil Cooksey, the NCRS team, Kevin Mckay and Jim Mero just to name a few.  In addition, Paul Koerner of the Corvette Mechanic Team led four days of seminars at his annually expanding footprint adjacent to Building T.  The Corvette Mechanic Team has become such a trusted force at Carlisle that when a showgoer has a Corvette issue, they are the first ones any staffer thinks to call.  

Competitions and comradery were also prevalent.  Lingenfelter Performance supported the second annual King of the X autocross competition, offering $1,000 in total prize money for competitors.  In addition, there was a beauty contest, burnout contest, car club gatherings, a jam-packed downtown Carlisle Corvette parade and street party and more.  On Friday night the competition gave way to the aforementioned comradery via the annual Chip Miller Amyloidosis Foundation dinner.  Lance Miller, co-owner of Carlisle Events, took a pie to the face, well over $20,000 was raised for the CMAF and a good time was had by all!  

The recap of Corvettes at Carlisle 2019 could fill two more pages based on its sheer level of amazing, but then there’d be no reason to see it in person!  So…save the date.  Corvettes at Carlisle returns to the Carlisle PA Fairgrounds August 27-30, 2020 and Fun Field registration is now open.  Get details at www.CarlisleEvents.com or call 717-243-7855.