This year, Carlisle Events is celebrating its 50th anniversary, and the Carlisle Chrysler Nationals continues to be one of its most significant events. The 2024 edition was no exception, with over 3,000 Mopars gracing the Carlisle Fairgrounds. Like most years, the ambient temperatures soared into the 90°F range, but the weekend remained rain-free despite the threat of a thunderstorm on Friday.

As is the case with every Carlisle Chrysler Nationals weekend, multiple Mopars have the focus placed on them. The A12 69 ½ 440 Six Pack Dodge Super Bees and 440 6BBL Road Runners celebrated their 55th anniversary this year. There was an extensive collection of unique lift-off hood B-bodies on the show field and in several buildings.

Each A12 had its own unique story to tell. Some were original (unrestored) and proudly wore their 55-year history. Others had owners who had transformed them into race vehicles at some point in the ‘70s or ‘80s and those cars continued to wear that era’s livery. Lastly, some of the cars were over-the-top restorations so detailed that they even included the wheel discs affixed to the front wheels, showcasing the unique features of these vehicles.

Another focus at this year’s event was the High Impact Paint and Old Skool Paint displays in Building T. Dodge and Plymouth had different names (twenty names in total) for the ten High Impact colors. The display showcased nearly every shade of the High Impact colors, represented on vehicles from 1969 through ‘73, and offered a stunning variety of colors that amazed the audience.

Travis Hess, a master of his craft with a paint gun and pinstriping brushes, left the Mopar enthusiasts in awe with his work. He painted several Super Stock A/H ’68 Hemi Cudas in the Old Skool style, each a testament to his skill and dedication. Additional race cars rounded out the display, sporting lace, flames, pinstriping, scallops, and other techniques that highlighted the techniques of many painters.

The last specialty group was the 20th anniversary of the ’04-’06 Dodge Ram SRT10 trucks. The 72° V-10-equipped trucks were relatively rare, so the collection on the grounds was awe-inspiring.

Nick Panaritis of Nick’s Garage brought his Challenger and a few other Mopars down from Canada. Other special guests included Miss D.C. 1984 Claudia Abel, Paul Rossi, Herb McCandless (videos one, two, & three), the Ramchargers and the Golden Commandos engineers, Sox & Martin’s Buddy Martin, David Rea, and Fletch from Classic Restos.

The Malaise Era vehicles, a feature class at last year’s show, were well represented again this year. These vehicles, produced during the mid-1970s to the late-1980s, are gaining traction with enthusiasts who were too young to enjoy the muscle car era and grew into adulthood before the late-model Chargers and Challengers put Mopar back on the high-horsepower radar.

Speaking of Chargers and Challengers (and 300s), the LX-platform classes continue to expand. Much of the fairground’s acreage was filled with the late-model Hemis with a sprinkling of V6s. Hellcats, Red Eyes, and Super Stocks resided among the GT, SE, SXT, R/T, R/T with Road/Track Performance Group, Police, and Daytona R/T Chargers and Challengers.

Another large showing was the pickup truck classes. There were several classes for the pre-Hemi trucks, and they were well represented. However, the Hemi and Cummins Rams trucks were everywhere. Unlike the car classes, the modified trucks were raised or lowered, and with the large truck beds, many owners utilized it to house audio equipment for their extensive radio systems.

Two additional classes outside the muscle car era were the front-wheel drive Mopars, which included Daytonas, Omnis, Shadows, K-cars, and Shelby cars. The other class includes some of the most exquisite vehicles on the face of the earth, the Forward Look cars.

The manufacturer’s midway was well represented, with the best aftermarket companies in attendance. Mancini Racing, Indy Cylinder Heads, Silver Sport Transmissions, QA1, and USCT Motorsports anchored the aftermarket midway. Additionally, Legendary Auto Interiors and Coker Tire had displays in the swap meet areas.

Sadly, one company that was missing was Mopar. Stellantis, the parent company, has moved its focus away from performance, at least gasoline-related performance, to focus on electric vehicles. The shift may or may not be permanent, but without Mopar’s presence at Carlisle, the Thrill Rides, which allowed riders to enjoy the power of Hellcat-powered Challengers and Chargers driven by professional drivers on the specially designed track, were unavailable.

This year, instead, the event allowed owners the opportunity to autocross their cars. Given the long line of vehicles waiting to run, the missing Thrill Rides may not have been noticed.

The McCandless Collection, home to the cars from “The Forward Look” (1955-1961) and vintage automotive memorabilia, brought several Forward Look vehicles and a couple of Mopars Herb McCandless raced in the 1970s.

In an exciting twist, with Stellantis out of the performance business, the McCandless Collection stepped up to sponsor the NHRA U.S. Nationals Super Stock Hemi Challenge on August 30, 2024. The new name is the Sox & Martin Hemi Challenge, a tip of the hat to the great team of Ronnie Sox and Buddy Martin.

The car corral had fewer cars for sale than in recent years, but the swap meet section was much more extensive. Like every show, the swap meets had a gem for everyone; the searchers just had to find it. The deals must have been exceptional based on the carts rolling off the grounds.

With the 2024 event in the bag, the time is now to mark July 11-13, 2025, on your calendar for next year’s show. Expect the show field to be full of beautiful Mopars, a who’s-who of the celebrities signing autographs, a massive swap meet, great vendors on the midway, and several special celebrations and anniversaries.

<

►

>