Spring Carlisle Wraps in a Way Not Seen in Years
CARLISLE, PA - A gorgeous weather weekend made the 2013 Spring Carlisle event an overwhelming success. From early-bird day Wednesday to half-price Sunday, Carlisle was bustling with automotive excitement. Event highlights included the return of the Hot Rodders of Tomorrow, two-day auction presented by Auctions America, the swap meet, car corral, Manufactures Midway and ARMO Hot Products Showcase. In total, the 8,100 spaces onsite were filled, including every space within the car corral and everyone who came to Carlisle left with something, either a much needed part, must have collectible, collector car or great memories.
With aisles filled all weekend, visitors walked the grounds, some reuniting with old friends not seen since Fall Carlisle 2012. Others stuck to their mission and visited as many vendors as possible, making the most of the sunshine-filled weekend. On Thursday, the collector car auction launched and about half of the nearly 300 cars went up for sale. Friday saw the remaining rides cross the block. The high-selling car for the weekend was a 1959 Chevrolet Corvette "Big Brake" fuel-injected roadster, moving for $148,500. All told, the auction saw total sales of $2.2 million. The top five selling cars where the aforementioned Corvette, a 1963 Corvette Split-Window for $96,250, a 1962 Chevrolet Bel-Air 409 for $85,800, 2007 Ford Shelby GT500 Super Snake for $74,250 and a 1999 Bentley Azure for $70,950. The final sale numbers include the buyer's premium.
Friday also saw the Hot Rodders of Tomorrow competition take place on stage. Winning for the third year at Carlisle was the Burton Center for Arts and Technology (Salem, VA). Other teams that competed at Spring Carlisle included York County School of Technology (York, PA), Franklin County Career & Technology Center (Chambersburg, PA), and the Huntingdon County Career & Technology Center (Mill Creek, PA). Burton and York fielded multiple teams as part of the competition which started at just after 8 a.m. and concluded with a 3 p.m. awards ceremony.
Saturday was the beginning of the end for Spring Carlisle. Another great weather day had the grounds packed with guests searching the facility for an array of last minute deals. More merchandise, cars and parts were found, sold and taken home. "Still for Sale" deals also took place at the Carlisle Expo Center as Auctions America put the finishing touches on their time at Carlisle and later in the day, vendors started to reorganize what was left of their merchandise.
On half-price Sunday, the day started with a non-denominational worship service then transitioned into a last chance opportunity for shopping. With multiple markdowns visible, vendors were looking to lighten their load for their trip home, while shoppers bargained for the best available last-minute sales. The weekend wasn't just visibly strong, it was documented as such.
"Record crowds ascended on the fairgrounds to find that special gem they needed to complete their restoration projects," noted co-owner and co-founder Bill Miller, Jr. "More than 8,100 spaces were filled with everything automotive including the car corral with more than 1,500 vehicles for sale. Our notary office was swamped, indicating a large amount of sales and so many cars, both onsite within the car corral and as part of the auction found new homes." Miller continued by adding, "Swap meet sales were brisk and many reported strong numbers too. In addition, Auctions America brought us a great array of cars for the auction. I invite everyone to join us this season for events running now through November, both here and at our non-Carlisle locations."
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About Carlisle Events: Carlisle Events is a partner or producer of 17 annual collector car, truck, motorcycle and outdoor-themed events. Events are held at the Carlisle PA Fairgrounds (Carlisle, PA), Bloomsburg Fairgrounds (Bloomsburg, PA), Allentown Fairgrounds (Allentown, PA), Auburn Auction Park (Auburn, IN) and Festival Park (Zephyrhills, FL). The season schedule hosts a sports and outdoors event, seven automotive swap meets of varying size, six auctions, as well as individual specialty shows featuring Corvettes, Fords, GMs, Chryslers, trucks, motorcycles, imports and kit cars and tuner and modern customs. Founded in 1974 by friends Bill Miller and Chip Miller, events hosted at Carlisle attract more than a half a million enthusiasts annually from all corners of the globe. More information is available via www.CarlisleEvents.com.
