By Tim Suddard
May 24, 2024
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Carlisle Import & Performance Nationals
Photography by Tim Suddard
Afraid that the next generation hasn’t embraced car culture? Then you haven’t been to Carlisle’s import show. The show's transformation can now be called complete.
Since 1986, the folks at Pennsylvania’s Carlisle Fairgrounds have hosted an annual spring import show. When we first started attending in the early ’90s, we praised the great swap meet, strong camaraderie and growing car show that featured some 100 machines.
[Swap meets: How to buy and sell like a seasoned professional]
By the oughts, we wondered aloud why the vendors were still selling mostly British car parts while the show had started to move towards new Japanese and European imports–especially in an age of eBay and other online options.
This year, the evolution of this event is presumably complete. While some British parts vendors remain, there are now others catering to Datsuns, Miatas, Saabs and Volvos. While this event is still a great place to find that switch, driving light, or oddity that you might be looking for, the swap meet is no longer a major portion of the show.
What used to be a bastion of British car clubs and older enthusiasts of those cars has transformed into an absolute gaggle of younger folks with newer cars–Volkswagens and Hondas, Z cars and Toyotas. The under-40 crowd have taken over the Carlisle Import & Performance Nationals in a very real way.
The crowd that was once damned for being too loud and rowdy has grown up. They’re now in their 30s and 40 with kids in tow, quietly camping and enjoying the atmosphere.
Carlisle officials say they hit another record this year and topped last year by more than a hundred cars. Trying to navigate the field on Saturday made this boast easy to believe.
Each year, the Carlisle staff picks an award for the best club display and, in a bit of irony, handed it to a Rolls-Royce club, bypassing the sea of Japanese and German imports.
Carlisle has something for every car person, and seeing things that we wouldn’t expect has always been part of the fun. We already have May 16-17 on our calendars for next year's show.
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