Words & Photos by Mike Mastracco
The Fairgrounds in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, was buzzing with over 1,500 cars on the third weekend of May 2025. The “Carlisle Import & Performance Nationals” is happening! This event showcases a huge mix of makes, models, and years of vehicles, ranging from the ones you see daily to some you’ve probably never even heard of. Several buildings will be packed with these unique, often overlooked cars, and the outdoor display area will be just as full.
Each year different manufactures are highlighted. This year in building “T” Triumph TR7’s and TR8’s was enjoying a 50-year anniversary celebration. Back in the day Triumph advertisements for these wedge-shaped sport cars states “The Shape of Things to Come.” Another featured display in building “Y” was the late 1990’s to the early 2000’s vehicles from the tuner scene. This is where wild paint schemes, body kits for the front, sides and rear are shown off. Let’s not forget the crazy wheels and tire combinations that put these cars to the road and make these cars special.
There were cars spanning from the 1940s to the 2020s, from obscure and forgotten brands to those still in production in the United States and other areas of the world. The Mustang, Corvette, Challenger, and Camaro are some of the most well-known rides. Meanwhile, brands like Citroen, Opel, Renault, Morgan, and SAAB might remind you of a bygone era. The show field was packed with a diverse range of cars, featuring more Triumphs (TR7s & TR8s) than I’ve ever seen in one spot. There were MG ragtops and hardtops too. Naturally, there were plenty of other models from Ford, GM, and Dodge scattered throughout the field. Other notable brands included Audi, Alfa, Fiat, Volvo, BMW, VW, Nissan, and many more, both modern and vintage.
A bunch of displays were set up by origin of country, including Domestic, Italian, French, German, Swedish, British, Japanese, and Korean. There were also tuner displays and more than thirty club/organization displays. This wasn’t just a car show; there were tons of other fun activities to check out. Throughout the day, you could catch Autocross & Drifting exhibitions, Low Car Limbo, a Burnout/Donut Contest, live music, and of course, several food stands. Some food stands are there every year, where regular attendees look forward to a Sausage Sandwich, a refreshing Lemonade, or other tasty treats. On the backside of the grandstand, there are permanent food concessions offering a variety of delicious options. You’ll find plenty of tables to sit down, enjoy your lunch, and relax in the shade. All in all, the food and drink options are plentiful, a nice variety, and reasonably priced for the location.
Looking for parts, accessories, or entire cars—there were plenty of vendors to choose from. From selling cosmetics products such and car wash, wax and other detail items, like rubber floor mats, and everything in between. There were new and used parts vendors galore, in fact there were enough parts to build a car from scratch without making a dent in the field of forgotten parts.
Featured there was a luxury limo—a 1997 Toyota Century—with a 5.0-liter V12 motor with right-hand drive. Typically, these were only made for the Japanese new car markets which now are available for export in the vintage used car market. In Japan this is the top of the automotive heap when it comes to transportation. Japan is noted for their respect of others especially the higher hierarchy. This luxury limo is the car that dignitary’s get driven in. If a person is riding down the road on their motor scooter or driving in their car and they see this big black car approaching they must pull over, stop and wait for it to drive by. If you see this car, it is not proper to look at it or tries to look inside, as respect for these individuals in monumental.
Other cars shown include an Opal GT alongside an Opal Manta, three Citroens, one silver Citroen, a blue Dauphine, and a Manx dune buggy that’s all set for any vacation fun. Many of these vehicles either bring a smile to your face or leave you wondering what the designers were thinking.
A lot of weekends at the Carlisle Fairgrounds are filled with car and truck shows, live music, auctions, and a ton of other activities. To see the complete list of events, check out: www.carlisleevents.com
The end!