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Carlisle Import Show Impressions

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Mark_Gibson

Mark_Gibson

Jedi Trainee
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I just got back from the 3 day Import and Kit Car show at Carlisle that actually turned out to be about a day and a half. Friday was rainy until mid afternoon, Sat was nice, and Sunday started out overcast and then cleared up by noon. The only real activity on the show field was Saturday. I saw a few nice TR-6's (maybe 8), and less than that of 3's and 4's. The big participant this year was the east coast Fiero club. I saw a Fiero with: a Northstar V-8, a Northstar V-8 with a turbo, a 3800 V-6 with a turbo and nitros, and various other combos. I was impressed that people would take the time to make these cars into road rockets, and most of them had high dollar paint jobs and aftermarket body kits. I almost came home with a TR-6 body shell strapped to the luggage carrier of my Caravan, but thought better of it at the last minute!! The shell was in nice shape and the guy would have taken 250 for it on Sunday, just not to have to take it back home! Oh, and the fastest car at the show was a British design built in South Africa, the Noble M400. Zero to 60 in 3.5 seconds, faster than a Ferrari Enzo, for less than 85K. The distributor said they get the whole car minus the engine shipped to them, and then arrange to have a Rousch Racing Ford 3.0L V-6, twin turbo mated to a 6 speed gearbox and dropped in before delivery. 5 month waiting list. Amazing car!

Mark
1970 TR-6
 
I can see more Triumphs at a get together for my local club. THe April G2G was 75 degree weather. About 25 cars showed up in the parking lot of a chain restaurant. From 2 TR2s, all the way up to a TR8 and 2 GT6s. Better that hoofing it to Carlisle.

Last year Saab was the winning marque. They traditionally have had quite a presence at Carlisle, was it the same.

A Fiero with a Northstar and Turbo.....my god...what a hotrod....
 
Bah, I hate going to shows where there are 10 cars just like mine. (Which is every British car show.) TR6s are great fun, but when it comes to shows they aren't exactly in a class of their own.

I can even imagine what a beast that Turbo Northstar/Fiero combo must have been. You're right about the M400 though. That thing is incredible! I'd love to own one someday.
 
On the other hand, in 40+ years of owning an SP250, I have never been anywhere there were more than 4...and there was always a kind of thrill to see that many. I can't count the number of web pages of show pics I have visited looking in vain for even one pic. And this was a car by a major Brit manufacturer!
Enjoy the profusion of TR's. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/yesnod.gif
 
I always seem to miss this show.
Next week I'll be driving right through Carlisle for a family thing....bad timing!
One of my students went with guys from the NJ Replicar Club. He said it was a good show (but wet!).
I wonder if you saw the Grassroots Motorsports Magazine gang and their little Berkely roadster?
Here's some pics posted by someone else who was there:

https://www.offthehill.org/ImageStories/Car%20Shows/Carlisle%202005%20-%20Saturday/

https://www.offthehill.org/ImageStories/Car%20Shows/Carlisle%202005/Sunday/
 
[ QUOTE ]
Bah, I hate going to shows where there are 10 cars just like mine. (Which is every British car show.) TR6s are great fun, but when it comes to shows they aren't exactly in a class of their own.


[/ QUOTE ]

This is exactly why I love going to our local cruise in night (Fridays, Somerville NJ). It is one of the largest cruise in's in the state, if not the largest, gotta be between 150 and 200 cars on a good night. Last year the most Brits I saw there at one time was three, my car, a Spitfire, and an E-type. Everything else was restored American classics, muscle, hotrods, and some modern exotics and kitcars.
 
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