With the fast and furious nature of a two-day car event, the 2023 Carlisle GM Nationals came and went in the blink of an eye. From the moment the gates opened at 7 a.m. on June 23 through the time the last awards were handed out late on June 24, nearly 1,000 show cars and thousands more guests, and vendors had an experience that will no doubt have them making plans for 2024.

This year’s Carlisle GM Nationals hosted a few shows within the show, a bevy of special/anniversary displays, unique and historic rides, and of course great vending partners within the automotive flea market and Manufacturers Midway. The shows within the show included the 15th offering of the Solid Lifter Showroom, 3rd Generation Camaro & Firebird Nationals, Novas at Carlisle, and Corvettes for Chip. Anniversary/themed displays focused on 40 Years of the Fiero, 30 Years of the 4th Gens, a 50th celebration of the Buick Regal, 120+ Years of Buick, and cars from the Malaise Era.

Within the 120+ Years of Buick display, guests could revel in decades of production, including a 90+-year-old 1932 Buick 57 courtesy of the AACA Museum, Inc. and some low mileage and rare option Buick Regals, while the Fiero celebration hosted a rare prototype four-seater, along with great examples of Pontiac’s popular two-seat sports car.  In the 3rd Generation Camaro & Firebird Nationals area, a massive tent and accompanying Building R gallery gave guests a nice trip down memory lane by way of both the cars and the memorabilia on display.  One of the 3rd Gen display cars was built stateside, but immediately exported to Germany and only recently returned to the states with its German military owner. 

For the 4th Gens, a gathering of well-preserved and performance-based Camaros and Firebirds drew the attention of those on the south side of Building T and shared tent space with the 3rd Gens near Building R.  This included one-off high-performance cars, including some Callaways, and some highly modified examples.  Adjacent to T were Building Y and the Solid Lifter Showroom. As always, Brian Henderson and his Supercar Workshop team hosted well-restored and maintained Yenkos, COPOs, Corvettes, and more.

A variety of activities kept guests entertained too. With no shortage of options, there were open autocross runs with the Cumberland Valley Corvette Club, performance parts showcase rides with UMI Performance, Nitrofest with Bruce Larson, pop-up parades, a rolling exhaust contest, plus rolling donuts and burnouts presented by Atturo Tires.

The competition winners weren’t the only ones heading home with awards, a select group of car owners earned Carlisle Elite honors Friday, while dozens more cars picked up celebrity-judged awards on Saturday. Hemmings Marketplace also honored the top three largest car clubs, while Carlisle Events staff picked the coolest club too.

While this year’s event has concluded, next year promises to reach head and shoulders above this most recent offering. Planned display themes include a big move by the Solid Lifter Showroom from Building Y to Building T (one year only) for the 16th offering of their popular Carlisle display.  This display hosts an entire feature gallery of COPOs Yenkos, and other High-Performance GM optioned cars of the Muscle Car Era, Cadillac is honored, a return of the 3rd Gen Nationals, and even more Nova Nationals excitement.  With discounted spectator admission tickets available and a 10% savings on the National Parts Depot Showfield, save the date, because the 2024 Carlisle GM Nationals return June 21-22 at the Carlisle PA Fairgrounds. Call 717-243-7855 or visit CarlisleEvents.com to learn more.