Carlisle, PA Import Show May 21-23

[WedgeWorks]

Breakfast near the Hotel....

Meeting of the Stag & TR8 guys

Customized TR2 or 3 or who knows what it was to begin with?

 

[jessebogan]

I know the customized TR3 really well. The car belongs to Andy Paza, the owner of AMP, a pretty high end resto and metalworking shop in Williamsport Md. That is his personal TR3. He took the headlamp cowls off the apron, and relocated to the grille area, so it looks a little like a Nash Healey.It is ALL metal. Some folks like it, some do not, but you are not likely to forget it. The car is driven a lot, so it is all OK with me.

 

[angelfj1]

Oh my!

 

[AngliaGT]

Nice pictures!Thanks for sharing.
I can't wait to get back to the NE again,
hopefully with a British car.

- Doug

 

[HerronScott]

So are there many parts vendors at Carlisle Import these days? The last one I went to was probably in the late 80's or maybe early 90's and I recall buying a number of things from people with used and NOS parts.

Scott

 

[DougF]

The numbers aren't what they once were. ebay and other sites have cut into the parts shows. They're still fun to attend.

 

[HerronScott]

Doug,

That's what I figured although that was certainly one of the fun things for me in digging through boxes of parts to find the one treasure you needed or the realy great deal.

Scott

 

[71MKIV]

I've been attending the Carlisle show for, I dunno, probably 15 years, maybe longer. They definitely made a deal with the devil a few years ago when they worked with EBAY as a sponsor. That was the beginning of the end of the real "flea market". It used to fill up the whole area down the hill and out to the street. What's in the flea market depends on the year. It was 5 years ago I bought the sheet metal to finally get started on my Spitfire. That was the year for Spitfires. The next year was a year, IIRC Jags, this year was the Sprite/Midget. There always is seems to be an unofficial "theme" for what's left of the flea market. They've also allowed vendors in to hawk wares that may not have anything to do with cars.

As a "flea market" it's not worth the 13 bucks it takes to get in. As a car show? the gathering of the NASS was worth every penny. It has become more of a place for clubs to gather than a place to find things for your car.

Now all I have to do is finally finish my car so I have something to show.

 

[WedgeWorks]

It has really shifted from the vendor areas to more the show cars. I have been going since 1990 just after graduating from High School at 17 driving a TR7 down for an 8 hour jaunt to sell for a friend. Up to about 2002-ish parts were still decent but recently it has been shrinking and the prices is all about who you know. It pays to have a long term relationship with some of the guys selling parts. I will say it was a good year for MGB & TR4s/6s in the vendor area having them in groups of 3 for sale. The days of drag racing next to the show field, camping there too and hords of parts bought up by Friday morning are long gone but it is now the clubs and meeting old friends that make it worth my short trip of an hour and a half even without a british car to drive!

 

[luke44]

Did anyone else happen to see the State of PA Tax Collector hassling the few vendors that were there? I overheard the lady, clip board in hand, talking to one vendor about "coming clean" and tax "amnesty" if he came forth by a certain date.

Sad. These poor folks trying to scrape out a few extra dollars selling some old car parts. and the state standing right there....

 

[DNK]

Now if my memory serves, those parts have already been sold WITH tax and I didn't think they could be taxed a second time.
Of course this is on used parts

 

[71MKIV]

Course that shows you where the state of PA's priorities are at. They spent 500 bucks on the revenoooer to go hassle these guys for a 150 dollars input into the treasury. Makes sense to me.