If you love Fords, you’d be hard pressed to find a better celebration of all things Blue Oval summer than the Carlisle Ford Nationals. Held from June 5 to 7 at the Carlisle Fairgrounds in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, the event features a massive car show, a huge swap meet, celebrity appearances, and several vehicle anniversary celebrations.
Of course, the foundation of the event is the massive car show, which attracts more than 3,000 Ford vehicles to the National Parts Depot Showfield. There you will find every era and iteration of Mustang celebrated alongside a variety of Ford, Lincoln, Mercury, and other Blue Oval machines on display. The event even encourages club participation by handing a Coolest Club award each year.
What makes this year’s event special are several anniversary celebrations taking place at the Carlisle Fairgrounds, headlined by the 60th Anniversary of the Shelby GT350, which will take over Building T and extend to the showfield with significant examples of Shelby GT350s from across that storied history.
Two decades after its debut, the Ford GT also earned an anniversary celebration at the Carlisle Ford Nationals featuring not one but two displays. One showcases special models, including race cars, rare builds, iconic GTs, and more, while the other is a tent that will house additional display vehicles and host special guests, seminars, and presentations that detail the GT’s storied history.
Though it has been out of production for two decades, the Ford Thunderbird is celebrating a major milestone this year, and the Carlisle Ford Nationals is here for it as they host both the International Thunderbird Club, the Vintage Thunderbird Club International, the National American Turbo Coupe Organization, which are both putting on special gatherings. The Super Coupe Club of America is part of the celebration as well, and there will be a T-Bird display tent as well as an on-property Thunderbird parade on Friday during the show.
Likewise, the North American version of the Ford Focus expired in 2018, but it’s been a quarter century since the compact ride debuted here. The Carlisle Ford Nationals will celebrate this production run with display vehicles, memorabilia, parts, apparel, and event goodies. Promoters are expecting to see several special models on display, including those from Ford, Roush, Saleen, and SVT.
For another specialty display, the event teamed up with MotorsportsCapri.com to honor the cars that mimic the pace car for the famed Motor City 100. Inspired by the Roush Protofab SCCA, 54 examples were created for the 1985 race, and several are expected to be on hand along with special guests.
Along with all these anniversary celebrations, this year’s Carlisle Ford Nationals will host some unique vehicles in Building Y with the Ford Nationals Select display. It will house the 2008 Bullitt Verification Prototype and a 2003 Terminator Cobra fitted with a rare show package treatment.
If you are excited to see rare and special rides alongside a host of special displays, you can buy tickets to the Carlisle Ford Nationals right here.
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