We take braking for granted these days. Cars used to be huge, heavy, and severely under-braked. Back then, drum brakes were the norm, as were skinny, tall tires with minimal traction that provided a comfy ride. There was a reason old American cars had wide brake pedals (for both feet, obviously), and the old saying of "pump the brakes" existed: Stopping used to be a suggestion, not a certainty. Thankfully, things have changed. A lot of that change is thanks to anti-lock braking systems.

ABS is meant to help drivers maintain control of their vehicles in emergency situations. Before ABS, cars would simply lock the wheels under hard braking, and drivers were along for the ride. Now, we can steer under aggressive braking, helping avoid possible crashes and injuries. It's one of the most critical safety innovations in car history, and it was only invented in 1971. In the years since it has become a mandatory technology on every new car sold in countries all over the world.

But how does it work?  Read Chris' full story online now for all the answers!
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Be sure to exercise proper braking technique en route to a Carlisle car show in 2024!  The 50th anniversary celebration starts April 17 with Spring Carlisle driven by Hemmings and continues through early October and Fall Carlisle, also driven by Hemmings.  In between, experience some of the largest auto events in the world.  Complete details on each event, links to register to show, secure vending spaces, and/or purchase discounted spectator admission tickets are available at CarlisleEvents.com.  As always, kids 12 and under are admitted FREE.

1999 was 25 years ago.  Let that sink in for a second, a vehicle built in 1999 is now considered a classic car.  25 years is also the threshold which allows the importation of vehicles that are at least 25 years old "without regard to whether it complies with all applicable Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards."

In our latest All About Cars Blog post, we share a piece from Car and Driver by author Greg S. Fink.  Fink looks at the coolest cars you can legally import into the United States.  Who knows, maybe we'll see one (or more) of these rides at the 2024 Carlisle Import & Performance Nationals, May 10-11.  

Read the full piece to learn more!  

Annually, Lou Costabile, friend of Carlisle Events, rolls out his My Car Story video blog posts.  The segment(s) frequently showcase a collector car, its owner, and their respective stories.  To date, we've showcased a few of Lou's vlogs by way of All About Cars.  Today, we're excited to showcase not just ONE car and story, but Lou's Top 10.  Give yourself about 10 minutes and check it out.  Be sure to like/follow his YouTube page for even more content too.

My Car Story - Top 10

On the East Coast, car weather is an actual season: There's a beginning, middle, and end. Just like "Winter Project" is also a season that takes up the months between car weathers, these are the cycles old-car nuts east of the Mississippi live by. And, for reasons we don't completely understand, the central Pennsylvania theater is where these cycles are played out most conspicuously. Just as the end of car weather is signaled by the Antique Automobile Club of America Hershey Region Fall Meet, otherwise known as "Hershey," the beginning of the season is officially kicked off by an annual event: the "Spring Carlisle" swap meet and auction held 35 miles west in Carlisle, Pennsylvania. And what better excuse for our latest One Perfect Day than to spend it at the Carlisle Fairgrounds? So, let's go!

Read Dan's Full "One Perfect Day" Story ONLINE NOW and make your plans for Spring Carlisle 2024, happening April 17-21 at the Carlisle PA Fairgrounds

Annually at the Carlisle Chrysler Nationals, enthusiast and YouTube host Lou Costabile scours the Showfield for amazing cars and stories to feature on his channel.  For this week's All About Cars blog post, we look at a 1977 Chrysler Newport, but not just any Newport; a Survivor!  Check out the video today and be sure to follow Carlisle Events and Lou on YouTube!

My Car Story - 1977 Chrysler Newport

We love seeing cars on display at Carlisle or in action on the track during event weekends.  In addition, many car enthusiasts love playing games or engaging with simulators that give a real-feel driving experience.  Well, the latest World Rally Cross video game offering by EA Sports is top-notch and by way of Chris Rosales of theDrive.com; let's take a look at the latest and arguably the best WRC title to date.

Read the Full Article Here and make your plans for a trip to Carlisle for track action, cool cars, and more as part of the 2024 50-Year celebration of Carlisle Events!  

Each year I travel to an event called Roadkill Nights in Pontiac, Michigan and it’s truly an event like no other that I attend. It’s kind of a live version of the Roadkill TV show in that it shares its name and pretty much all of the Roadkill personalities attend, including Roadkill, Roadkill Garage, Hot Rod Garage, etc. Being an offshoot of an automotive TV shows means that there needs to be a car show portion, and there is. On top of that, it’s “Powered by Dodge” so Dodge is on hand with Hellcat Thrill Rides and for the last two years, RAM has brought TRX Thrill Rides. It’s also a community event with carnival-type activities, food trucks and more.

But Roadkill Nights’ biggest claim to fame is that they offer drag racing right on Woodward Avenue! This is as close as we’ll get (legally) to the drag racing on Woodward that occurred in the ‘60s and ‘70s. It offers the allure of street racing but in a completely controlled environment and it’s totally legal. The only thing that could make it better would be to see actual Woodward street racers from back in the day pairing up like the Silver Bullet ’67 Plymouth, Gapp & Roush Mustang, Steve Lisk’s Challenger, etc. But I digress.

The first Roadkill Nights event was held in the parking lot of the old Pontiac Silverdome and after that it moved to M1 Concourse, which is a fantastic facility. For 2023 the event was forced to move due to construction on Woodward. The festivities were moved to downtown Pontiac and the organizers made the best of the move. One positive outcome of the move was that Dodge and RAM offered Thrill Rides where you got to be a passenger in a drag race ON Woodward Ave. That was pretty cool.

On Sunday, I didn’t have an official Carlisle Events agenda but I’m a diehard car guy so I had no plans of sitting in a hotel room all day. I had heard about a car show that was being held at an abandoned drag strip about two hours north of where I was staying. It sounded like an awesome opportunity but I decided to head to the “Rockin Rods n’ Rochester” show. Rochester is on the northern edge of the Detroit metro area so there are lots of really cool cars and people at that show as it pulls directly from the Detroit car community. The variety of cars was incredible with literally a little bit of everything at the show and the town of Rochester is very nice and it embraces the car show.

This year I wanted to stay in the area a little longer because I was invited to a very special and private gathering of Chrysler engineers and “race team” members. Just being in the presence of these guys (about 30-40 of them) was one of the most incredible experiences ever. Imagine sitting in a room full of the guys who literally handled the race programs for Chrysler including NASCAR, drag racing, Trans Am and even Team Viper. There were members of the Ramchargers, engineers, dyno operators and many more. The stories flying around were incredible. To most of these guys, it was just a job. But to enthusiasts like me, they are our heroes and THEY made this hobby what it is today. I’m hoping to get some of these guys to come to Carlisle in the near future to share their stories.

Something really cool happened on a personal level during the gathering. When one of the engineers heard I was going to be there, he made it a point to seek me out. His name is David Buchesky. David was a suspension engineer for Chrysler since the early ‘60s where he worked on production cars as well as NASCAR, drag racing and Trans Am programs. David moved around within Chrysler a bit in the early ‘70s but went back to suspension engineering when he worked on the Viper program.

Back to the part that was cool for me. If you look at David’s last name (Buchesky) it’s close to mine (Buczeskie). They might not look identical but they should be pronounced the same because “CZ” is pronounced with the “CH” sound. OK, that’s kind of neat but it gets better. David wanted to meet me because he thinks we might be related. Not only do our names sound alike, but his family name was originally spelled “Buczewski” before they hit Ellis Island. That’s getting really close! Upon doing some of my own research, I found out that David was born in Pottsville, PA which is less than 30 miles from my family’s hometown. It was great meeting you, “Uncle Dave”!

I don’t like to sit around when I travel and when I get an invite to see something cool, you can bet I’m going to be there. Steve Atwell is a pretty well-known collector in the Mopar world for his vintage drag cars. Steve invited me to check out his collection, or at least a portion of it. The four race cars I saw that day were Butch Leal’s ’75 Dart Sport, the Rod Shop ’73 Dart Sport, a Survivor ’67 Coronet (WO23) Super Stock car and Don Prudhomme’s ’70 ‘Cuda funny car (the actual race car and not the Rapid Transit show car). The street cars that I saw that day included a sweet ’68 Charger restomod and a ’68 Hemi GTX convertible that I’ll elaborate on in my coverage of the Woodward Dream Cruise. Besides the cars, there were Hemi engines, blocks and parts just about everywhere you looked.

Steve also owns a company called Erin Industries. Don’t feel bad, I had never heard of it either, but Erin Industries plays a very important role in the auto industry. I had heard stories about Steve’s business and I love manufacturing so I was really excited about this part of the visit. In a nutshell, Erin Industries mostly forms tubing; round, square or just about any shape. They can bend it, twist it, cut it, put holes in it (of pretty much any shape) and so on.

Erin Industries made the frame/chassis for EVERY Viper that Dodge ever built. However, most of their business involves producing smaller parts. On the day I visited, they had several lines running. One of them was forming two short fluid lines that go inside the transmissions that Tremec builds for the C8 Corvettes. I think we all know that the OEMs don’t build all the parts for their cars, but I personally never really thought about the supplier who makes the parts for the vendors (like Tremec) who supply the OEMs. Some other single, “small” parts being produced by Erin include the upper tie bar (radiator support) for most mid-size GM SUVs, AC lines for electric delivery trucks, the main tube for the hitch on a RAM TRX and much more.

This was one amazing trip and I accomplished a lot. I met several Chrysler race team members and engineers I had never met before and I met several for the first time. Hopefully some of them will come to Carlisle to give a presentation as that was my goal for that particular visit. I connected with many current key players in the Mopar hobby at Roadkill Nights. The visit to Erin Industries was icing on the cake but even that resulted in a once in a lifetime experience that I’ll talk about in my Woodward coverage in a future installment of All About Cars.

Check out the FULL Gallery of photos from Ed's Motor City adventures!  

What do you subscribe to at home?  Maybe it's a music or a movie service?  Maybe you're getting food or groceries delivered regularly...but, would you subscribe to features for your car?  A car that you've already paid (or are paying) thousands for?  This week's All About Cars is a fresh piece from Lawrence Hodge at the auto centric web page Jalopnik.com.  Lawrence is highlighting some of the car features that you'd pay a subscription fee for.  Check it out then ask yourself...would you?

Read the Full Story - Learn More

We’ve all taken journeys that ended up being sketchier than we’d expected. Maybe the road turned out to be in a much worse condition than you’d thought it would be, or the traffic around you might have been much more erratic than you were prepared for. Whatever the reason, a lot of factors can make a road seem pretty dangerous. 

These words open a piece penned by Owen Bellwood from Jalopnik.  Check out our latest All About Cars blog post as we share his full summary of dangerous roads!

Dangerous Roads - Learn More/Stay Safe

The 2023 Carlisle Truck Nationals have come and gone and for guests at the Carlisle PA Fairgrounds, they saw a lot of Ford, GM, and Dodge/Ram trucks.  While the domestic truck market takes center stage annually, the imported brands are still turning heads; be it Toyota, Honda, or Mitsubishi.  

Our latest All About Cars blog post comes from a fun piece on Jalopnik about the Mitsubishi Triton.  Check out the piece by José Rodríguez Jr. and be sure to make your plans for next year's Carlisle Truck Nationals, August 2-4, 2024 in Carlisle!

The Mighty Mitsubishi Triton Has Come A Long Way - Learn More!

The 2023 Carlisle Chrysler Nationals has come and gone, and so has our buddy Lou Costabile.  Lou had so much fun at Carlisle and garnered MANY great stories with car owners and their prized rides.  This week's latest All About Cars features Lou, Mark Tantillo, and Mark's 1971 Plymouth Duster 340.  Sit back, relax, and enjoy this "My Car Story" with Lou Costabile!

On Sunday, June 11, an accident on I-95 in the Philadelphia area severely damaged a portion of the interstate, specifically an overpass that's forced a time-consuming detour.  This week's All About Cars is a piece from Jalopnik that looks at the accident and highlights the traffic concerns that Philly area travelers are facing.  This same traffic trouble could affect your drive to Carlisle, directly or indirectly.  Word is, a portion of the overpass may actually open soon, if not by this weekend.  Check out the article and be sure to check in with Philly media sources like the Inquirer, or state resources like PennDot (including a live web stream of the scene) to learn more, get details on detours, etc.   

We look forward to welcoming you to Carlisle for any of our remaining automotive events.  Complete schedule details, discounted spectator admission tickets, vendor registration, and Showfield sign-ups are available at CarlisleEvents.com or by calling 717-243-7855.

Jalopnik Coverage of the I-95 Incident
Philly Inquirer Updates & Info
PennDot/I-95 Updates & Info

In the '80s (and before that) cars or trucks were just as much the star of a program as the actors or actresses.  Recently, a social media post by the Retro Network caught our eye; its focus...the Top 50 Cars and Trucks from '80s Movies or TV Shows.  Check it out, share it with your friends, and be sure to come to Carlisle where replicas or tributes of some of these rides just might show up to show off!

Top 50 Cars and Trucks - Read on to Learn More

Every auto event at Carlisle hosts an automotive flea market element.  Each vary in size by event, but ultimately serve a similar purpose; that being the buying, selling, and trading of automotive parts, merchandise and collectibles.  Recently, Tim Suddard and his team from Classic Motorsports attended the Carlisle Import & Performance Nationals car show.  They always make a point to attend the annual May event in some capacity and for 2023, it was be a vendor and "sell their stuff." 



In this week's All About Cars, Tim looks back at that experience and outlines for you, some of the top tips on buying and selling within an automotive flea market event like those at Carlisle!



CLICK HERE to check out the full piece and visit CarlisleEvents.com for complete details on the reminder of the 2023 schedule and beyond at the Carlisle PA Fairgrounds.

  

Annually at Carlisle the Carlisle Ford Nationals and Carlisle Truck Nationals welcome a nice mix of Ford Rangers.  Rangers span all years of production and include just as many original options as those that have been modified.  This week's All About Cars takes us to therangerstation.com and a piece by Jim Oaks.  Jim showcases 40 years of the Ranger and we hope you'll bring yours to Carlisle this summer to celebrate too.  Showfield links for both events are below...but first, be sure to check out Jim's story!  We can't wait to see you in Carlisle in 2023 and beyond.


40 Years of the Ranger by Jim Oaks
Carlisle Ford Nationals - Register my Ranger
Carlisle Truck Nationals - Register my Ranger

At Carlisle, we just wrapped up our annual Import & Performance Nationals Car show.  The event showcased just as much elegance and luxury as it did performance and style.  While this car wasn't at Carlisle, it has played a prominent role in automotive circles...more so as part one of Hollywood's most iconic film franchises.  Recently, a Nissan Skyline R34 GT-R that was attached to Paul Walker's Bryan O'Conner character in Fast and Furious 4 sold at auction for a record price point.

In this week's All About Cars, and because Fast 10 is coming out soon, let's talk a look at this piece crafted by Ryan Erik King from Jalopnik.  

Read the Full Article - Learn More

Corvettes are some of the most respected and sought-after cars on the road. Their price tags reflect that because they can run anywhere from $65,000 to over $200,000. If you own a Corvette, you will want to keep it in mint or near-mint condition for as long as possible. This not only means preventing any scratches, dents, or chips, but it also entails keeping unnecessary mileage and deprecation off your Corvette.

That is why shipping your Corvette can be helpful if you are heading to a car show in Carlisle, which could be several hundred or more miles away from your home.  You keep the mileage and depreciation off the car, but you also keep it off the road, which makes chips and scratches much less likely. You also spare yourself having to drive several plus hours and will be able to travel to the event in comfort on a train or plane.

Car Shipping Options That Give Your Corvette the Highest Level of Protection

Whether you are showcasing your Vette on the Fun Field or trying to sell it at the Car Corral, you will not want to skimp on the protection you provide for your Corvette as it ships. You can choose from three main protection levels when you ship a car: open-air shipping, top-loading, and enclosed shipping.

Open-air vehicle shipping is the cheapest and most common type of auto transport. When you ship your Corvette using open-air transport, it will be placed on a car carrier with two decks with no walls or roof, leaving your Vette exposed to outside elements. It does offer your car 100% protection from unnecessary mileage and depreciation. It also puts your car several feet up off the road, which helps lower the chance of scratches or chips from things like small rocks being kicked up off the road during transport. However, it does not eliminate that possibility, nor does it do anything to protect your Corvette and its paint from inclement weather elements like rain or powerful UV rays while it is being shipped.

Top-loading is an upgrade option available with all reputable auto transport companies. Top-loading is when your car is placed on the upper deck of an open-air car carrier. By choosing to top-load your Corvette, you are completely eliminating the possibility of any road debris making contact with your car during transport. You are also eliminating the possibility of oil or another automotive fluid from a vehicle on the deck above leaking onto your Corvette because your car will be on the upper-most deck of the carrier. Unfortunately, top-loading has three main drawbacks:

It offers no protection from weather or UV rays.

It puts your Vette at a height where tree branches could possibly scratch it during transit.

It puts your Corvette at an optimal height to get pollen, tree-sap or bird droppings on it.

Top-loading typically adds about $100 to the cost of shipping a car.

The option that offers the most protection when shipping a Corvette or any other type of car will be enclosed transport. During enclosed car transport, a vehicle is placed on a car carrier with walls and a roof. Thus, cars shipped in enclosed car carriers are completely protected from all outside elements for the duration of the shipment. In most cases, shipping in an enclosed carrier will add at least $500 to the Corvette’s shipping cost.

What Else Can You Do to Protect Your Corvette as it Ships to  Carlisle?

Whenever you entrust your Corvette to someone else, such as a car shipper, you will want the peace of mind knowing that there is nothing more you could have done to protect it. If you are shipping your Corvette to a Carlisle event and have not already had a top-of-the-line anti-theft system with GPS tracking installed, do so prior to shipping. In rare cases, car shipments can be targets for car theft.

You can also consider getting a paint protection film before you ship your car to a Carlisle event. Paint protection film will protect your Vette’s paint from UV rays, rain, tree sap, and more. Now, if you are shipping in an enclosed carrier, you will not have to worry about these things, regardless of a paint protection film or not. However, once your car arrives at a Carlisle event, you will display your Corvette outside for quite a bit whether you are showcasing it or selling it. That is where the value of a paint protection film could really come in for you.

Finally, you should also prepare yourself for the rare possibility that damage occurs during your shipment. You will want to ensure that the car shipping insurance will not have any qualms about any damage claims you must make. You can easily do this by taking several pictures of your Corvette and its condition before the start of shipping. These should be digital photos with time stamps to prove there was no damage to the car before shipping.

In closing, don't let THIS happen to your Corvette.  Reach out to Matt and his team today for a safe and secure transport to Carlisle and beyond!   

Every year spanning the final days of October and the early days of November, the automotive universe converges on Las Vegas for the pinnacle event of the hobby, the Specialty Equipment Market Association show, also known as SEMA.  While SEMA isn’t “open” to the general public, it serves to showcase some of the best vehicles in the world as well as showcasing hot or new products coming onto the market.  Before many of those items end up on a retailer’s shelf, they make an east coast appearance by way of Spring Carlisle (April 19-23) at the Carlisle PA Fairgrounds as part of the ARMO Hot Products Showcase.

Unlike SEMA, Spring Carlisle is open to the public and has been an annual destination event for car lovers since 1977.  One of the marquee features of the spring show is the aforementioned ARMO display, centrally positioned on the grounds near the stage.  ARMO is short for the Automotive Restoration Market Organization and is a council of SEMA itself.  ARMO directs its efforts toward preserving and promoting the automotive restoration industry and annually at Spring Carlisle, offers its showcase for the nearly 100,000 guests and thousands of vendors who converge on fairgrounds for the days-long automotive spectacular.

With the showcase at Spring Carlisle, show-goers can see in person the latest and greatest products coming onto the market, and this will also serve as the first time many of these items are seen in person by retailers and consumers alike.  Best of all, the product experts are available within the ARMO display to talk person to person about each item.  Having these kinds of conversations best helps everyone understand what is being displayed and how the products can work for any vehicle, regardless of its era.

For 2023, products will also appear in an online Showcase display and guests will vote for Best New Product Awards electronically. Further, those New Product awards, a special “People’s Choice” award is reserved for only products onsite in the Showcase tent at Spring Carlisle and will be chosen only by guests onsite.

“The ARMO Hot Products showcase is the largest east coast restoration product event of the year,” said Randall Bates, Auto Custom Carpet/Chair of ARMO.  “It’s the perfect way to kick off automotive events season and view the latest and greatest in restoration parts and products,” continued Bates.  “ARMO, in conjunction with Carlisle Events, is proud and excited to host the Hot Products Showcase. Come by, walk the show, view the products, join in with the ARMO crew and see how ARMO and SEMA can help you and help the hobby we love.”

Don’t miss the ARMO Hot Products Showcase – it’s centrally located and welcoming for everyone at the event!  Learn more about ARMO and Spring Carlisle online now at CarlisleEvents.com.  While on the web, register to become a vendor, sell in the car corral, or purchase discounted spectator tickets in advance of the event.  Call 717-243-7855 with any questions you may have regarding the event or the display.