Carlisle 2006 Wrap-up

We begin on a warm Friday morning. Although the temperatures were somewhat unseasonably cool for Pennsylvania, it was still a wonderful way to begin the 16th Annual Carlisle All Chrysler Nationals.

We arrived at 9:30 Friday morning… and what a sight to behold. Literally thousands of cars from every time period were represented. The smell of Carnuba wax filled the air as we were serenaded with the sound of finely tuned engines as we entered the Fairgrounds.

We arrived at the Allpar tent, and were warmly greeted by Bob and Theresa O’Neill. Bob had his 1986 Dodge Daytona parked next to the tent, so this was a special treat for me. I got to finally get an up close and personal look at a car I had admired since coming to Allpar back in 1999.

He has done several modifications to the car, including a hydraulic hood opener and reinforced trunk floor. He has also repainted the car himself, and I’m here to tell you… this looks as good as ANY factory paint job I have ever seen.

Sadly, Friday was the only day we got to see the car at the tent. Since this was Allpar’s first year as a group, we were assigned our individual spots according to category throughout the fairgrounds. I’m told this may change next year, based on attendance/popularity this year.

Most of my day Friday was spent in the tent, greeting people, and handing out Allpar name badges to members. I was amazed at the number of people who stopped by as soon as they saw the Allpar banner. We also created a sign-in registry for members. This way, we had something to provide to Dave, and to the Carlisle officials as a record of attendance to the event.

Greg, Mike, Bob, and Theresa walked through the fairgrounds, gathering pictures, and talking to those interested in what Allpar is all about. Greg even got to meet Bill Goldberg, and had a look at his 1968 Hemi Dart. Sadly, I didn’t get to meet Mr. Goldberg… but the picture (and autograph) Greg brought back for me was indeed a treat.

The day got even better with the arrival of Dave and Kate Zatz. This was my first time meeting Kate, and I was truly honored. They arrived with Allpar T-shirts, hats, bigger banners for the tent, and lots of other Allpar-related goodies to pass out to those stopping by the tent. I never thought a PT Cruiser could hold so much.

We had a special treat at the tent on Friday afternoon. An entire family of Allparians stopped by. They had created their own Allpar T-shirts, and we were told they wear these to every car show they attend. They are truly the All American Allpar Family. I have more on this family later in this letter.

Friday is more or less a day of walking through the grounds, taking in the sights, sounds, and food… and getting to meet like-minded Mopar enthusiasts.

Saturday was more of an event-filled day. We got somewhat of a late start, but arrived just in time to take in Bob O’Neill’s discussion on paint, and body work. He went over the various steps he took to do his Daytona… as well as provided us with a wealth of information, tips, and tricks to do the job right.

The special Allpar Event took place at about 2:30 PM. We, as a group, walked through the grounds, looking at, and talking about one another’s cars. The respective owners talked about what they had done to their car, and did a little “proud parent” showing off. We were given the judging forms (provided by Bob O’Neill), and we all voted on the various actegories within. prizes were awarded about an hour later at the Allpar tent. This was a grab bag of sorts with some really interesting prizes. I’m happy to say everyone who was entered won something.

The list of winners are as follows:

*Best Exterior- Bruce (Brewster) for his 1977 Charger (Cordoba style)
*Best Ordinary Car- Greg Henry/Matilda Patterson (Legend7016/Matilda7016) for our 1992 Dodge Shadow ES
*Best Muscle/Sports Car- Mike DeSantis (New Member Via Carlisle) for his 1993 Dodge Stealth R/T
*Best Overall- Chris DeSantis (New Member Via Carlisle) for his 1990 Dodge Daytona
*Best Daily Driver- Bob Lincoln for his 1993 Dodge Daytona
*Best Interior- Justin (Juma1998) for his 1985 Chrysler Fifth Avenue
*Best Preserved- Michael Stanhope for his 1983 Chrysler LeBaron Convertible
*Best Engine- Jim Hamby (Wannahemi) for his (Jim, I apologize for not remembering the year) Dodge Charger/Daytona
*Best Mods- Bob O’Neill for his 1986 Dodge Daytona
*Best truck- Rick Hess for his (Rick, I apologize to you as well for not remembering the year) Dodge Dakota

At 4 PM, we had the honor of havine Marc Rozman, CEMA Secretary, present a talk on CEMA, the Chrysler Employees’ Motorsports Association; he talked a little about engines and engine testing in general as well, from his perspective as a CEMA member and Charger owner.

At 4:45 PM, we discussed what we, as a group, can do to gain Allpar an official Car Club status. Many wonderful ideas were tossed into the ring, and we plan on using many of these.

What we are looking at for the immediate future is getting in touch with various (already well established) car clubs, and doing a sponsorship or sorts. Those with web pages would link Allpar, and we, in turn, will link them to our pages here. Dave is considering creating a special page specifically for this purpose. Both Bob and I spoke to some clubs which were present at the event, and they are agreeable to doing this for us.

I plan on sending out letters to the various clubs in Pennsylvania, and surrounding areas, just to introduce Allpar to them, and see if they would be willing to sponsor us. This is how many clubs grow, and gain status. I’m also going to visit as many local car shows as I can in an effort to promore Allpar.

Everyone can do their part if they wish. Contact the clubs in your area, and let them know what we want to do. Then, please send the information to Dave, Bob O’Neill, or me, and we will be happy to do whatever we can with it. Thanks in advance.

Saturday wound down with a cookout in York, hosted by Mike Stanhope at York Auto Repair (my home away from home… lol). The turnout was somewhat small, due to family, and business obligations… but a good time was had by all. What we are planning on doing next year is hosting the event in Carlisle, right at the show. The Carlisle Officials provide tents for such purposes, and we feel this would be better for those attending.

Sunday was a short day as the weather did not co-operate with us. We had rain about 2:15 PM, and this led to a lot of people packing it in and leaving early. Greg, Mike, and I stayed for the announcement of the Giveaway Car.

Now remember I said I had more to report on the All American Allpar Family? The winner of the 1968 Fury was Chris, a member of that family! Greg and I got pictures of this, and he did in fact have that Allpar shirt on at the time of winning the drawing. He chose to take the $5000 prize instead, stating he has a 1972 Charger he is restoring, and this will go a long way to make this happen.

All in all, this was a wonderful weekend, and I am looking forward to the next Allpar gathering… no matter where it is located.

I want to take this opportunity to thank Dave, Kate, and Bob for making this happen. Y’all are the best.

I hope you have enjoyed my accounts of the 16th Annual Carlisle All Chrysler Nationals.