CARLISLE CONNECTS

The Chrysler Nats is on track to becoming the premier event on the Mopar calendar.
And that’s without drag racing.
By Al Dente
Photos by TheBruntBros

How do you stuff 10 lbs. of Mo’action into the proverbial 5 lb. sack? Well, we try to do it in every issue of Mopar Action, and the folks who run the Chrysler Nats at Carlisle also seem to have acquired the knack.

Carlisle just seems to be doing everything right, listening to feedback, making improvements and adding quality content. One reason is they are not afraid to take out their checkbook to attract the talent and exhibits that make a difference. By investing in their event, Carlisle is reaping the benefits of record-breaking attendance in show cars, Mo’fans and vendors. And word of mouth about the show appears overwhelmingly positive. Contrast this with another big show whose operators appear to be “cashing out,” and coasting on their laurels. Attendance is down, vendors are deserting and there’s a general air of dissatisfaction about the event.

Jeff Riker calls his 2014 392 Challenger “Orange Crush.”
It was special ordered and is only 1 of 2 Challengers with options identical to his.

Carlisle 2014 set records for the event and this year’s show topped that with over 2,500 cars registered, helped, no doubt, by a gorgeous weather weekend. No tornadoes this year carrying some vendor tents into Kansas. ‘Course there was the usual litany of special guests—folks that shaped the Mopar legacy available for autographs, (brief) conversation and photos. So, for a change, we’ll dispense with some (but not all ) of our usual wise remarks about skateboard parking for the media (we were able to fly this year to Carlisle), and how we were being missed by Goldie, the office goldfish, and actually describe what went on at the show (a rare departure for us).

First thing after securing our skateboard in media skateboard parking, we headed off to Building T as we always do as we’re victims of habit. We were later joined by TheBruntBros who were delayed as they had stopped at every gas station displaying “Clean Restroom” signs so they (taking the sign literally) pulled in to clean them. Building T hosts the Carlisle Invitational. You can’t exhibit your car in there unless you’re invited to do so. We saw a couple of Mo’fans trying to sneak their daily drivers in there to avoid paying for parking, but the on-the-ball staff would have none of it. Kudos for them. This year, Bldg T had everything from dead mice (in and on a barn find Super Bird to a Shelby Can Am racer (part of the Shelby Reunion). Another marque being honored along with Shelby was Neon, a car we found that takes very kindly to a shot or two of nitrous. Models varied from dolled-up SRT-4s to something that was offered by the rental companies.

And there was more. Like the 45th Anniversary special display of AAR ‘Cudas and T/A Challengers in Bldg. Y. Learning you A,B,Cs in school really pays off when trying to get around at Carlisle. You can easily spot droputs by their wandering around in a daze mumbling “I wish they used numbers.” This display had everything from barn finds (but without mice) to original and restored examples.

Moving right along to the other end of the Fairgrounds, we come to Bldg. G, otherwise known as the Retro Dealership (originally K Street Motors). Here, arrayed inside and outside the building was an amazing display of cars from Chrysler’s “Forward Look” era (’55-’62). These cars were the product of Virgil Exner who worked for Chrysler from 1950 through 1961. Signing autographs and chatting with Mo’fans was Virgil Exner Jr., son of the famous designer who passed away in 1973.

‘Course there’s always a great selection of cars and trucks in Carlisle’s Survivors tent. Here, packed in like sardines were about three dozen (mostly) original Mopes. A cool feature was the row of Survivors accompanied by their original owner (or bloodline descendant relative). Survivor cars are claimed to be unrestored, at least 25 years old and have 80% of their original paint. Original survivor owners didn’t have to be 80% original (hip replacements, dentures, etc).

Okay, so you were tired of looking at parked cars. Carlisle had you covered. Check out the Hellcat Thrill Ride. This attraction, hosted by Dodge, saw hundreds of Mo’fans buckled into Hellcats for a full acceleration blast in a special track. The ‘cats didn’t miss a beat all weekend despite nonstop thrashing. Most impressive. Then, it was a hike over to the autocross track (hope they have at least rickshaw transportation next year) where you could ride along in a barf-bag equipped and Hotchkis Sport Suspension-modified Challenger for a G-wiz experience. Or, take your own ride out on the course in a bid for the best time or most ridiculous spinout.

On the showfield, we found Max and Pam Gemberling’s one of 62 produced 1966 361 CID Dodge Coronet 500 convertibles with a 4-speed. The clock showed only 37,800 + miles.

You’d need a break after all that, so you had your choice of any number of seminars where you could sit down and take notes or just take a short nap as TheBruntBros are fond of doing. Subject matter included Chrysler Performance Engines hosted by Herb McCandless, The History of the Golden Commandos, Preventing the Ethanol Destruction of Carburetors, Tom Hoover’s Contribution to Chrysler and Racing, AAR and T/A Q&A with Barry Washington, Jeff Bangert and Bob Tarrozzi, What’s Up with Mopar Values and more. The Ramchargers were there with one notable exception—Tom Hoover who passed away. Hoover’s memory was honored by a universal 2-minute engine revving salute. This speaks volumes about Hoover’s esteem, especially when compared to Mopar legend Tony DeFeo rating a mere momentary blip off idle or two left directional signal blinks.

Another important feather in Carlisle’s cap is their new for 2015 OE Certification judging. Another show’s OE Certification program used to be the only game in town, and the quality of the judging and the meaningfulness of the awards depended on who was doing the judging. Well, Carlisle did what the other show didn’t—opened their wallet and brought on board some of the most respected names in the Mopar hobby as judges. This year, it was Frank Badalson, Paul Jacobs and Dave Wise. The number of cars to be judged is limited to four, and judges do extensive research ahead of time on the models they will pore over and come prepared.

A special unveiling by The Challenger Dream Giveaway revealed two special Challengers that one lucky person will win—a 1970 440 R/T and the wild 2015 Challenger Hellcat X—the factory supercharged with added turbocharger that was our Dec. ‘15 issue’s cover feature.

If you’d like to show up next year and be part of another historic Carlisle record breaker, mark your calendar for July 15-17, 2016. It should be a sellout, so make your plans early. Or, wait ‘til the last minute and take your chances.

Here are some photos of the event in addition to those that ran in the April issue.

A real jaw-dropper in Bldg. T was this ’70 Petty Blue Super Bird #1. A 3,648 original -mile barn find, the car had been sitting in a barn since 1971 and had to be cut out of the building. Never titled, the ‘bird was brought to the show in as-found condition complete with a bevy of dead mice on the body and in the interior. ‘Course the kids wanted to see the mice while dad checked out the car.

Another significant piece of Mopar legacy on view was James Hylton’s #48 NASCAR ’69 Daytona. Built and driven by Hylton on a Nichels Engineering chassis, the car was found by Bill Rossi and is now owned by Sigel Enterprises and Assoc. who plan a restoration. We’d say they have their work cut for them.

Even AMC found their way into Bldg. T with Michael Spina’s ’73 Matador in Los Angeles “Adam 12” police car trim.

Boosting Carlisle’s standing on the Mopar show circuit is their new OE Certification judging. They’ve brought on board some of the most knowledgeable Moparphiles in the hobby: Paul Jacobs, Frank Badalson and Dave Wise.

Nostalgia race fans were treated to the now-restored Lee Smith’s ’65 AF/X altered wheelbase Plymouth.

Carlisle celebrated the 60th Anniversary of Chrysler’s “The Forward Look” featuring a vast selection of 1955-‘62 vehicles created by the famed stylist Virgil Exner, whose son was a featured celebrity at the event. Forward Look era cars lined the lot facing the street in front of the dealership. Looking through the showroom window was a time warp back to 1957. Inside there was even a cardboard promo of him.

This seller bought 5 of 40 bashed up Charger police cars available at a Georgia auction. He sold this Charger with a bad body but a good drivetrain plus another Charger with a good body and bad drivetrain for 4 grand.

“Gold Rush,” a 1967 900 HP 572 Hemi GTX dazzled over mirrors in Bldg. T.