The Carlisle Ford Nationals helped celebrate the Mustang’s birthday and set a new attendance record in the process
By Steve Turner
Photos courtesy of Carlisle Events
Since 1995 one of the largest celebrations of all things Ford has taken place at the Carlisle Fairgrounds in Carlisle, Pennsylvania. Over the years the car has progressed from celebrating the earlier Fords to fully embracing Fords old and new. That growth took the event to new heights this year, as the event set a new attendance record with over 50,000 spectators and over 3,000 Fords on display.
If you wanted some Ford Racing mods on your ride, the Carlisle Ford Nationals offered the chance to drive right up and have them installed right on site. Fred Beans Ford of Boyertown, Pennsylvania, performed the installs, including power upgrade packages, cold-air kits, handling packs, lowering springs, short-throw shifters, exhausts, and more.
During that time, Ford Motor Company has also grown to embrace the Carlisle Ford Nationals. A significant stop on the tour celebrating the Mustang’s 50th birthday, this year’s event hosted a Mustang birthday party on Friday. Moreover, Ford displayed preproduction versions of the highly anticipated 2015 Mustang.
Over 50,000 spectators took in the sights at the Ford Nationals, with the primary draw being the 3,000 Ford show cars.
Even cooler, the event was another that featured the Ford Racing garage, where you can drive your Mustang, Focus, or Fiesta in and have it upgraded with Ford Racing gear right at the show.
“Carlisle Ford Nationals is one of the most electrifying enthusiast events in the United States,†Steve Ling, Ford car marketing manager, said. “We’re excited about bringing exclusive opportunities and vehicles to Carlisle, especially our Ford Racing Garage, which is only available at this one-of-a-kind event.â€
It was definitely a one-of-a-kind event for Kenneth Chronister of East Berlin, Pennsylvania. He was the winner of $2,000 in Ford Racing gear. Registration was available on site and online, but as an onsite vendor, Kenneth was automatically registered. That also meant he was on hand to pick up his prize.
On Saturday night, 300 Fords cruised into downtown Carlisle for some after hours fun, including live music from Borderline and the Colt Wilbur Band.
He was one of many vending as part of Carlisle’s massive manufacturer’s midway and swap meet, which allowed attendees to shop for Ford gear and more. In addition to the shopping, there were also numerous Ford celebrities, engineers, and designers on hand. There really is a lot to see at the event, and those attributes have obviously made it quite popular.
Next year’s event is scheduled for June 5-7, 2015 and the vehicles highlighted for celebration are the Ford GT and the Thunderbird. If you’ve never been, you’ll definitely want to consider adding it your event calendar.
Looking sharp in Deep Impact Blue, this preproduction 2015 Mustang attracted plenty of attention on the Carlisle Events stage.
Sure the new Mustang draws a crowd, but nothing fills the stands in front of the stage like the Miss Carlisle contest! The two dudes front and center clearly take their judging seriously.
The year’s bikini-clad winner was Paige Asenith Ott of Reading, Pennsylvania, in the center. Only real guys will notice the 2015 Mustang in the background.
Another popular contest at the Carlisle Ford Nationals is the burnout contest. Everyone loves tire smoke, and we love that this event really buts safety first. Each burnout vehicle is walled in on all four sides to ensure it stays put if something unexpected happens.
A repeat contestant in the Carlisle Ford Nats burnout contest is this 1979 F-250…
…owned by Nick Zerba. He was this year’s big winner after laying down such a huge cloud of smoke that his truck disappeared.
Everyone enjoys receiving birthday cards, and the Carlisle event offered the chance for attendees to sign a card for our favorite pony car.
If you missed the Mustang birthday cake’s brief viral drive around the Internet, here is the 1964 Mustang cake created by The Carlisle Bakery before the party guests got a slice.
If you wanted the chance to see what Ford’s latest vehicles are like, the company had its Go Further Ride & Drive Experience at Carlisle.
Our pal, and new Special Vehicle Team Owners Association Events Director, Mike Rey was on hand to represent SVTOA at the event.
One of the cool things about the Carlisle show is that the various makes and models are grouped together on the show field. So, if you are hot for Foxes like your author, you can find that aisle and soak it all in.
Carlisle Events hands out awards to the top three clubs at the show. The Focus bunch had such a strong showing that the FocalJet.com crew took home top honors.
You editor still misses his Chrome Yellow 1998 Cobra, but SVTP’s own StacyStangz still has hers. The example in the foreground here is still naturally aspirated and sporting a JLT Performance CAI.
It’s really rare to see one Ford GT. At Carlisle you could see a whole rare of these awesome machines. I am partial to the Tungsten Gray, how about you?
This super-sano Shelby held court amongst a strong contingent of GT500s. It sports Shelby CS40 wheels a Super Snake hood, Redline Tuning hood struts, 2013 Shelby Recaro seats, a Laguna Seca rear-seat delete, and much more.
Under the hood the detailing of Mark Watson’s GT500 is incredible, from the powdercoated, 2.9-liter Whipple to the carbon-fiber JLT CAI, this thing is sweet. To enhance its performance, this GT500 is equipped with a list of upgrades long enough to fill its own catalog. From a full American Racing Header exhaust to a C&R dual-fan heat exchanger, it is as well rounded as they get.
The Carlisle Fairgrounds are immense, and a golf cart really helps you get around. This Ford Racing Cobra Jet golf cart is the kind of on-property transport that the SVTP crew needs at every event.
An alumnus of the American Muscle calendar Karen Loftus of Levittown, Pennsylvania, showed off here Nasty 20013 Mustang GT in one of the many indoor displays at Carlisle. Her GT sports an Accufab throttle body, a Steeda cold-air intake, BBK long-tube headers, a Borla Cat-Back exhaust, and much more.
Another airbrushed ’Stang, this silver S197 got the cleaning treatment in the S197 section. It features a Procharger with snake-skin hydrocarbon tubing, an FRPP Three-Valve intake, FR500-style wheels, and a menacing airbrush treatment under the hood.
Shelby GT500 Super Snakes don’t need much to attract attention. This bad-in-black example looks stock. That is to say stock for a Super Snake with a massive Kenne Bell supercharger under the hood.
Many of the indoor displays at Carlisle were brimming with pristine, rare hardware. This stone-stock 1985 Mustang GT owned by Shawn Erney is said to be one of 200 such rides displayed at the Motorsport Nationals, a long-running Ford drag-racing event that was held at Maple Grove Raceway in Pennsylvania.
The mod install station looks pretty cool. I’ve always wanted to make to Carlisle but just haven’t been able o make it happen.
Its a bucket list event for any car guy. I’ve never been to the Ford show, but I’ve been to a dozen or so Corvette shows, and almost as many Mopar shows, as well as the Fall Carlisle. Awesome event. The 50th Mustang Anni is the only event I’ve ever been to that’s came close as far as car count. If I don’t do the power tour again next year, I’d like to make Carlisle.
The mod install station looks pretty cool. I’ve always wanted to make to Carlisle but just haven’t been able o make it happen.
Its a bucket list event for any car guy. I’ve never been to the Ford show, but I’ve been to a dozen or so Corvette shows, and almost as many Mopar shows, as well as the Fall Carlisle. Awesome event. The 50th Mustang Anni is the only event I’ve ever been to that’s came close as far as car count. If I don’t do the power tour again next year, I’d like to make Carlisle.
Steve,
I’ve been trying to reach you – congrats on the move!
Matt
Thanks Matt. My bad. Email response coming your way!