The 2025 Carlisle Ford Nationals Was A Massive Blue Oval Celebration

For over 50 years, the Miller family and its team at Carlisle Events have produced the finest automotive enthusiast happenings you’ll ever attend. Set in the rolling hills of historic Carlisle, Pennsylvania, the Carlisle Ford Nationals is the largest Ford-themed event you can attend anywhere.

More than just a car show, the 2025 Ford Nationals encompassed a multitude of activities that lasted three full days. The massive grounds were filled with over 3,200 vehicles in the NPD Show field, 700-plus vendors in the swap meet, monster trucks rides, a drift demonstration from RTR’s Ben Hobson, a rolling exhaust contest, burnout and donut contest, live podcasts, plus special “feature car” displays in the buildings and pavilions.

The action continued with parades, and Ford Motor Company showed off the Mustang GTD and introduced the all-new 2026 Mustang FX Package, a Fox-themed 2025 throwback package. Shelby American was also on hand with President Gary Patterson showing off its offerings, including the Shelby-built GT350. We also chatted with Steve Saleen, John Coletti, and John Clor of Ford Performance. Additionally, VMP Performance was on the property tuning vehicles and running vehicles on its portable chassis dyno, and the manufacturer’s midway was a who’s who of the Ford world.

Miles Of Fords

The Carlisle Ford Nationals shone brightly despite a taste of rain. We covered mile after mile and saw virtually every model year of Mustang, Torino, Cyclone, Galaxie, Bronco, T-Bird, Shelby, and more.

Each year, there are special features, and for 2025, the Carlisle team brought together a 20th anniversary of the Ford GT with John Coletti, Camillo Pardo, GT Joey, Chris Theodore, and Kip Ewing of Ford. The display of Ford GT models was simply unreal, with examples including street cars, race cars, replicas, and even one of the few prototypes. The dignitaries held Q&A sessions and really gave fans a treat as they shared amazing stories from the GT days.

There was also a gathering of the rare and often overlooked Mercury Motorsport Capris that was part of a dealer driveway program at the 1985 Detroit Grand Prix. According to the experts, there were 41 of these special-edition Capri models, built in white or silver with the appearance package and special options. The display at Carlisle featured about a dozen of the cars, which was the largest gathering since they were delivered in 1985.

Variety Packed

Out in the NPD show field, you can count on finding unique and interesting Fords beyond the typical or common models. Yes, you’ll see stock and modded Foxes, supercharged Coyotes, and classics restored to perfection, but several caught our eye and made us spend some time looking them over as we snapped photos.

Participation from the local and national car clubs is matched only by the best shows, and owners put in a huge effort to continue the growth. Having over 3,200 vehicles on display gives you a look at everything imaginable from all the FoMoCo brands. This year included Edsel, the Galaxie Nationals, plus rare race cars, and as always, the Saleen and SVT contingent was endless.

The Carlisle Ford Nationals is truly a must-see event, so if you couldn’t make it this year, check out our highlights and full photo gallery below. And, if you are feeling inspired to attend, mark your calendars for next year’s event from June 5-7, 2026, so you can start planning your trip.