(Words and photos: Joe Grippo) Well, we made it into the second half of the shitshow that is 2020. Drag races cancelled, some still happening with minimal or no spectators, car shows postponed or worse yet, cancelled. The resilient Carlisle Productions has found a way to soldier on and conduct business somewhat (new) normally. The infamous Spring Swap Meet had a bumpy start but went down with no problems and with lessons learned, the GM and Chrysler shows happened with good crowds and loads of cars. Or so I had heard. Then, next up it was the rescheduled Carlisle Ford Nationals turn and we weren’t about to miss it.
Prior to the show we familiarized ourselves with the new ‘Rona protocols put in place by the Carlisle staff with recommendations by the Commonwealthof Pennsylvania, pretty much standard deals, sanitizing stations, distancing, face coverings. Common sense stuff. I would say the Ford faithful did as asked for the most part and the show went off without a hitch. It was hot and humid, but the show field was packed, the Manufacturer’s Midway was jumping and the special displays of Starliners, Thunderbirds and Ford GTs in the onsite buildings were fantastic. A Blue Oval dream. If there was one thing lacking it was the normally robust swap meet. Not sure if the rescheduling of the event or simply the specter of Covid caused the lighter turnout, but regardless we still found stuff for our Mustang project. Scan the galleries for some odd ball and mind-boggling Ford finds.
The Carlisle Fun Field never disappoints, and this year was no different. Loads of F-series trucks, Fairlanes, Torinos, Mavericks, Cougars and all manner of FoMoCo goodness. Of course, the dominant make was the Mustang, mostly the newer versions but the vintage Stang fans were out in force. Check out the gallery and look for some of my favorites like the dead nuts accurate Bud Moore Trans Am Boss 302 racecar tribute, the super clean, totally cherry bump side truck with the utility box and the jaw dropping Allan Mann Racing real deal GT40. Oh yeah, and where else are youcome across two 1976 Levi’s/Coca-Cola Denimachine E150’s? Why the Carlisle Ford Nationals, of course.
2021 Ford Nats is already scheduled, so make your plans now!
Be sure to click on a photo below to check out more from the field at Carlisle!
Cool. Looks like a lot of empty space but at least they held it and some very cool stuff showed up. Who ever knew Mickey Thompson made a valve cover and timing cover for a Pinto!
Not me!