Carlisle was awash in a sea of fiberglass at the 25th Annual Corvettes at Carlisle on the 82-acre Carlisle Fairgrounds this weekend. More than 6,000 Corvettes of all years, body styles and colors attended the largest annual three-day gathering of Corvettes in the world. The showfield alone was populated with more than 2,700 Corvettes, plus a full car corral and tens of thousands of spectators.
A bevy of blue-and-white Corvettes made up the 10-year Grand Sport reunion. The Grand Sport was produced by Corvette in 1996 as homage to the original 1963 racing Grand Sport – only five were built. Only 1,000 of the '96 performance cars were produced. The Corvettes at Carlisle meet attracted 131 Grand Sport owners or 13 percent of the total Grand Sport population. This amounts to three times as many Grand Sports as have ever gathered together. Skunkmaster, John 'Hutch' Hutchinson was elated with the turnout, 'I've been coming to Carlisle for years, but this by far is one of the finest shows ever. We attracted people that have never been to Carlisle and I think we'll see many of them back again next year.'
The Corvette engineering team came to Carlisle in full force. Chief Corvette Engineer Tom Wallace, Corvette Plant Manager Wil Cooksey and a number of other Corvette team members attended the annual event and took part in all of the activities. Wallace even participated in the first-ever Corvette Burnout Competition.
At the Chip Miller Charitable Foundation Benefit Auction on Saturday morning, more than $22,000 was raised for the awareness, education and research of Amyloidosis, the rare disease that took Chip Miller's life. Items such as a signed guitar by Bon Jovi, an autographed Beach Boys banner and many other donated items helped to raise the money.
Saturday evening brought more than 350 Corvettes to the streets of downtown Carlisle in the
annual Chip Miller Memorial Corvette Parade. The annual tour through Carlisle was joined by 60 Grand Sports, which added additional flair to the already impressive line-up of Corvettes.
The 50th reunion of 1956 Corvettes, the Mecum Auction, a Z06 Unite! area, a wild Burnout contest, a gathering of Z06s, Chip's Choice, NCCC Judged Showfield, the NCRS Gallery, a display of the Miller Collection of Corvettes and Autocross events are just a few of the many other activities that took place over the weekend.
Lance Miller, Corvette Event Manager, summed up the weekend, 'The smiles surrounding me throughout the weekend made me proud to be a part of Corvettes at Carlisle. Everywhere I looked there were smiles and incredible cars. I had people continually thanking me for putting on a great event, every time my response was the same: It is our friendly staff and you, the participant, that make the event the success it is. I'm blessed with having the best job in the world and being surrounded by great people that share the same interest – LIFE IS GOOD! I can't wait for next years event, August 24-26, 2007. I'm determined to make it bigger and better each year with all of your support! Thank you.'
About Carlisle Events
Carlisle Events, host of 10 collector car, truck and motorcycle events, attracts more than half a million people to its 82-acre fairgrounds in Carlisle, Pa., each year. Included in the annual schedule are two huge automotive swap meets – in the spring and fall – and individual specialty shows featuring Corvettes, Fords, GMs, Chryslers, trucks, motorcycles, sport compacts and imports. Founded in 1974 by friends Bill Miller and Chip Miller, the 'Cars at Carlisle' shows attract automotive enthusiasts from around the world.
Photography by Aaron Clarke
A bevy of blue-and-white Corvettes made up the 10-year Grand Sport reunion. The Grand Sport was produced by Corvette in 1996 as homage to the original 1963 racing Grand Sport – only five were built. Only 1,000 of the '96 performance cars were produced. The Corvettes at Carlisle meet attracted 131 Grand Sport owners or 13 percent of the total Grand Sport population. This amounts to three times as many Grand Sports as have ever gathered together. Skunkmaster, John 'Hutch' Hutchinson was elated with the turnout, 'I've been coming to Carlisle for years, but this by far is one of the finest shows ever. We attracted people that have never been to Carlisle and I think we'll see many of them back again next year.'
The Corvette engineering team came to Carlisle in full force. Chief Corvette Engineer Tom Wallace, Corvette Plant Manager Wil Cooksey and a number of other Corvette team members attended the annual event and took part in all of the activities. Wallace even participated in the first-ever Corvette Burnout Competition.
At the Chip Miller Charitable Foundation Benefit Auction on Saturday morning, more than $22,000 was raised for the awareness, education and research of Amyloidosis, the rare disease that took Chip Miller's life. Items such as a signed guitar by Bon Jovi, an autographed Beach Boys banner and many other donated items helped to raise the money.
Saturday evening brought more than 350 Corvettes to the streets of downtown Carlisle in the
annual Chip Miller Memorial Corvette Parade. The annual tour through Carlisle was joined by 60 Grand Sports, which added additional flair to the already impressive line-up of Corvettes.
The 50th reunion of 1956 Corvettes, the Mecum Auction, a Z06 Unite! area, a wild Burnout contest, a gathering of Z06s, Chip's Choice, NCCC Judged Showfield, the NCRS Gallery, a display of the Miller Collection of Corvettes and Autocross events are just a few of the many other activities that took place over the weekend.
Lance Miller, Corvette Event Manager, summed up the weekend, 'The smiles surrounding me throughout the weekend made me proud to be a part of Corvettes at Carlisle. Everywhere I looked there were smiles and incredible cars. I had people continually thanking me for putting on a great event, every time my response was the same: It is our friendly staff and you, the participant, that make the event the success it is. I'm blessed with having the best job in the world and being surrounded by great people that share the same interest – LIFE IS GOOD! I can't wait for next years event, August 24-26, 2007. I'm determined to make it bigger and better each year with all of your support! Thank you.'
About Carlisle Events
Carlisle Events, host of 10 collector car, truck and motorcycle events, attracts more than half a million people to its 82-acre fairgrounds in Carlisle, Pa., each year. Included in the annual schedule are two huge automotive swap meets – in the spring and fall – and individual specialty shows featuring Corvettes, Fords, GMs, Chryslers, trucks, motorcycles, sport compacts and imports. Founded in 1974 by friends Bill Miller and Chip Miller, the 'Cars at Carlisle' shows attract automotive enthusiasts from around the world.
Photography by Aaron Clarke
