There has been Hurst representation at Carlisle in some form or the other since the inception of the Carlisle Events brand. The Hurst spotlight in 2019 shines directly on the Carlisle Chevrolet Nationals.  Spanning two days, June 21 and 22, the Carlisle PA Fairgrounds comes to life with not only all things Chevrolet, it also plays host to a Hurst Showcase!  The showcase will feature a few dozen Hurst branded GM cars and welcomes some amazing guests.

New for 2019, guests at the Chevrolet Nationals can expect a visit from Linda Vaughn.  This is Vaughn’s first trip to Chevrolet weekend in over 10 years and by coming to Carlisle in June, offers event guests a chance to meet THE first lady of Motorsports.  In addition, Hurst enthusiasts have a chance to connect with Jim Kerr, also known as “The Hurst Shifty Doctor,” former Hurst engineer Don Glover, former Hurst sales manager Steve Weiner, former PR and sales guy Howard Maseles, former O.E.M. salesman Don Morton, former production engineer Marty Danko, former engineer & designer Don Lane and former manager of manufacturing & quality control, Joe Barone.

Jim Kerr was the ORIGINAL Hurst Shifty Doctor (the guy who installed and repaired Hurst shifters at the races)!  Jim was involved almost since the beginning and is one of the key people who developed the Carlisle Hurst Nationals.

Don Glover was an engineer with Hurst starting in 1967. In his time at Hurst he worked on the team that developed many of the products and specialty cars. Don is basically an encyclopedia for all things Hurst. Don will be available all weekend with many of his blueprints, products and more. 

Steve Weiner is probably one of the oldest Hurst employees, having started with the company in 1960 at the age of 18. Steve was at Hurst almost from the beginning and he was deeply involved in the business, so he knows it well.  

Joe Barone will join his former Hurst co-workers for the 2019 Hurst Showcase.  Joe worked for Hurst Performance in Warminster, Pennsylvania from 1971 to 1986.  During his time, Joe served as the Manager of Manufacturing & Quality Control for various hallmark products.

Marty Danko started with Hurst at the age of 19 and spent 18 years with the company. During his time with Hurst, Marty was involved in both production and engineering as the R&D Engineer. Marty’s primary duty was to make prototypes and then fit them into the vehicle applications.

Don Lane began his career with Hurst in 1955 which makes him one of the earliest employees of the company. Don designed the Hydrogate, Lenco shifter and the Quarter Stick as well as many other shifters that never made it into production. He was also involved in the early stages of the Jaws of Life.

Joe Barone worked for Hurst Performance from 1971 to 1986 as the Manager of Manufacturing & Quality Control. Some of the key products during Joe’s watch were Roll/Control, Jaws of Life as well as the Competition/Plus, Dual Gate, Super Shifter, Lightning Rod and Quarter Stick shifters.

Howard Maseles was part of a team of Detroit racers who were contracted by Hurst to help build the ‘69 Hemi Super Stock cars. Howard went full-time with Hurst in 1969 to help build many prototype vehicles, race cars and more. In 1970, he moved to Pennsylvania to become the Hurst Shifty Doctor until 1981.

Don Morton was in charge of OE sales and experimental vehicles at Hurst. Essentially, Don was the guy who worked with each OEM when they wanted to outsource a special project. This included cars like the Hurst/Olds that made more sense to send to Hurst for the transformation rather than build a limited run on Oldsmobile’s assembly line.

Each guest will be part of seminars, pose for photos and sign autographs too.  Complete details about the Hurst aspect of Chevrolet Nationals weekend as well as on the Chevrolet event itself can be found at www.CarlisleEvents.com or by calling 717-243-7855 .

A little sun and a lot of passionate car fans helped make the 2019 Carlisle Import & Performance Nationals an event which topped those from recent memory and will leave guests talking for weeks to come.  Since this version of the event commenced in 2016, the weekend has brought together some of the most elegant imports from around the world, while mixing with performance muscle, tuners and sport compacts.  The automotive world reunited once more May 17-19 at the Carlisle PA Fairgrounds!  

Though the gates opened at 7 a.m. Friday with cars rolling in, the core of the show started the day before.  That’s when the vendor base and invitational cars loaded in for a weekend of international automotive excitement.  Building R once again hosted a special French vehicle display including 80 years of motorized bikes, trikes and scooters, while Building Y hosted French Cars.  Adjacent to Building Y is Building T and that’s where the best of the best were positioned, including Supercars, the Subaru WRX STI and Jetta.  Additional featured invitationals, the Citroën and more anchored that area, while across the road within the pavilions, the popular racecar paddock and neighboring Dune Buggy display took center stage.  

With amazing displays indoors, there was plenty of room outdoors for the remainder of the show cars.  With cars and trucks parked by country of origin, guests could literally walk around the world, all within the 82-acre facility.  Once more the SAAB lovers showed strength in numbers and with the Citroën celebrating 100 years, their group offered a great showcase, including a parade of Citroën history around the grounds.  

Seminars were a popular attraction too.  With topics covering engine and timing belt repair as well as a handful centered on the Citroën, its history and more.

New in 2019 was the first chance for burnout participants to win money.  Via a special Summer of ’69 promotion, any participant who popped a tire within 69 seconds or less won $69 in cash.  Additional automotive competitions left guests standing rows deep with appreciation.  Contests included drift limbo and the rolling exhaust contest, plus low car limbo, the aforementioned burnout contest and of course drifting and autocross hosted by NICOClub/NICOFest.

It all wrapped Sunday with the winner’s list being posted, spotlighting dozens of winners, judged and honored by the team from eJudged.com.  There were even some special awards given on Friday as 10 car owners received Carlisle Elite honors. 

The fun returns in 2020 as we celebrate the 35th edition of this special weekend.  Registration is now open and show weekend runs May 15-17.  For complete details on the 2019 show, including winners lists and photos, plus registration links for 2020, visit www.CarlisleEvents.com.

2019 is a year for the ages at the Carlisle Ford Nationals presented by Meguiar’s (May 31-June 2 at the Carlisle PA Fairgrounds).  Not only will Ford spotlight some of its newest products at the event, it’ll surround itself by some of the best pieces of work from its storied history of production.  Some of the new include the GT500 and 2.3L High Performance Package Mustang, Roush Stage 3 Mustang and Roush F-150 and guests might even see the latest production model Ford GT.  One thing is for sure, the GT will turn heads, as well as the like branded supercars that flank it.  One such car is only one of two of its type AND it’s being shown for the first-time EVER in the United States next to the #60 Matech Ford GT1 Race Car.

Carlisle Events is proud to announce that guests can see first-hand, the 2009 Matech Ford GT Prototype GT1 race car.  As noted above, this car has NEVER been on display in the United States at ANY car show and during Ford weekend, that WILL happen for the first-time.  This particular car is one of only two prototype Matech Ford GT1 race cars in the world and it was built by Matech Competition which was a Swiss racing team. 

It doesn’t just look sleek, it went fast, having competed in select races in the FIA GT Championship Series in 2009 as a Prototype GT1.  The Matech team saw success with this car in its races and it helped them better learn how to improve other competition cars, specifically in the aerodynamics department.

In 2010 when Matech launched the new GT1 race car they nailed the aero tweaks thanks to Ford’s factory support which allowed the team to test the new cars in their wind tunnel to concentrate on the most efficient and effective aerodynamics of their new cars.  The support from Ford really helped Matech dial in their GT1 effort in order to get the best vehicle possible for their Le Mans efforts.

The prototype making its U.S. car show debut at the Carlisle Ford Nationals will be joined by one of the aforementioned 2010-2012 competition cars.  The #60 was a front-runner at Le Mans throughout most of the race before being rear ended and disabled from the race.  Repaired and stateside since 2014, the 50,000+ showgoers at Carlisle will see these two cars, plus a handful more as part of a special Ford GT display.  In addition, the GT’s (not all of them) will put in some hot laps on the Gateway Classic Mustang Autocross course starting at 12:30 p.m. on Saturday, June 1.

Ford weekend is an annual history-making event and with this new addition, it’s a must-do for anyone with a pulse.  Complete event information, including links to buy tickets or register for the National Parts Depot Showfield are available at www.CarlisleEvents.com or by calling 717-243-7855.

In 1977 Carlisle Events first offered Spring Carlisle to its throngs of fans.  All these years later, the annual spring fling is still just as important to the guests who call the Carlisle PA Fairgrounds home each April.  For 2019, Spring Carlisle ran April 24-28 and welcomed over 100,000 guests, all with a common goal; car stuff and camaraderie.  People came from around the world to buy, sell and trade, while also catching up with old friends, and also making new ones.  It was five days of automotive bliss!

Coming out of Easter weekend, the facility was already full of life early on Monday of event week.  With a few days of load-in completed, Wednesday ushered in the first day of the show under sunny skies and perfect spring weather.  Spaces were packed with vendors, while aisles were crowded with shoppers.  From the northern part of the car corral to the western part of the automotive flea market, the fairgrounds were bustling.    

As the event transitioned from Wednesday to Thursday, the event sped forward at a breakneck pace.  The automotive appetites of everyone who made the annual pilgrimage to Spring Carlisle also were satisfied.  Pieces and parts were moving so fast that the most frequent call on staff radios was for the parts haulers, designed to help customers get a purchase from point A to point B.  Within the car corral, the automotive history was evident too.  Rides for sale by owner spanned from early 1900 models to modern day, meaning that over 100 years of history was available at Carlisle.

Friday gave guests yet another reason to make their way around the grounds, albeit while dodging a few rain drops.  With mother nature working against showgoers, those who were on hand made the best of their time, helping lighten the return load of vendors who also were weathering the storm.  Another bright spot of the day were a pair of cars on the stage.  One car, a 1967 Camaro, showcased THE definition of a barn find (because it was), while the other was a sharp looking Bandit Trans Am, on display via a local enthusiast to help promote the June 22 Bandit Jump happening as part of the Carlisle Chevrolet Nationals.

Saturday and Sunday saw Spring Carlisle wind down and close out.  The rain of Friday moved on, yielding a breezy, cool day for Saturday, while Sunday carried all the sun and fun that everyone would have hoped for all five days.     

In addition to a great event on the Carlisle PA Fairgrounds, the Carlisle Auctions team staged yet another amazing collector car auction.  Spanning Thursday and Friday (April 25-26), the event saw 500+ consignments cross the block, tallying $5 million in sales with a 60% sell through rate.

Up next for Carlisle Events, its Import & Performance Nationals event which runs May 17-19, while Carlisle Auctions returns on June 22 for its second annual Summer Sale.  Complete details on the Carlisle Events show can be found at www.CarlisleEvents.com, while auction details can be found at www.CarlisleAuctions.com.  

With Spring Carlisle opening central Pennsylvania car show season, Carlisle Auctions also returned to action with its popular brand of live entertainment, hosting a two-day auction at the Carlisle Expo Center.  The fun, held in conjunction with the Thursday and Friday of Spring weekend, welcomed thousands of guests and packed the Carlisle Expo Center on April 25 and April 26.

Something unique crossed the block at nearly every turn, including many one owner and/or low mileage consignments.  There were even a few that were donated, with $3,400 going to the Carlisle branch of the Salvation Army.  The auction even featured some special themed hours, including ones dedicated to ‘60s era cars, trucks and even a no reserve hour.  Each theme proved quite popular, helping amass over $5 million in sales and a 60% sell through rate.

Of that $5 Million, $375,390 came from its top five sellers.  The #3 seller, the GTO “Judge,” was tops on Thursday, with the ’63 Corvette not only being the top seller Friday, but the top seller overall.  The top five and their sales totals are noted below and include buyer’s premium.  

1) 1963 Chevrolet Corvette - $85,600
2) 1985 Ferrari Testarosa - $81,320
3) 1969 Pontiac GTO "Judge" - $75,790
4) 1959 Chevrolet Apache - $68,480
5) 1968 Chevrolet Camaro SS - $64,200

Of course there are some that didn’t sell and Carlisle Auctions is eager to work with buyer and seller to help close a deal on a “Still For Sale” consignment.

For complete information on this auction, its results and those cars that might still be available, contact Carlisle Auctions at 717-960-6400 or to learn more about this event or future auctions, including the next one taking place in June.  The Summer Sale runs in conjunction with the Carlisle Chevrolet Nationals and takes place at the Carlisle Expo Center on June 22 at 10 a.m.  Visit www.carlisleauctions.com to learn more.