At least eight countries will be represented during the annual the annual Carlisle Import & Performance Nationals, to be held May 17-19 at the Carlisle, Pennsylvania, Fairgrounds.
Passion and performance converge at the show of more than 100 years of automotive history, with pristine classics faced off against outrageous customs. More than 40 car clubs display their international favorites at an event that includes exciting drifting and autocross competitions among other loud and smoky events.
Special features include a VW Jetta 40th anniversary spotlight, Subaru WRX STI 25th honors, plus the fairground’s Building Y hosts Citroen-related displays and seminars as the French automaker commemorates its 100th year. These anniversaries will be complemented by Super Cars and a display of featured vehicles in Building T.
In addition, the Renault Owners Club celebrates 20 years at Carlisle in Building R, featuring the Alpine.
Citroen’s centenary will have a large footprint during the festivities, with birthday cake (open to all), a Saturday parade of Citroen vehicles in chronological order, and special Citroen-related guests, as well as a 1950 Citroen Traction Avant 11BL owned by Brad Nauss that has been on display at every Carlisle Import show since the first one in 1986.
For more information, visit the event website.
Summer Jaguar Festival in Oxfordshire
The famous Blenheim Palace in Oxfordshire, England, will host the 2019 Summer Jaguar Festival with hundreds of vintage and modern cars on display, including a collection Jaguars from TV and film.
The 60th anniversary of the launch of the Jaguar Mark 2 sedan (or saloon, as the British would call it) will be celebrated, a car synonymous with the exploits of TV detective Inspector Morse.
“This momentous occasion will be marked by a procession of over one hundred classic Jaguars from all eras around the usually closed roads of the Blenheim Palace parkland,” according to the festival news release.
Other TV and film cars include a full range of vehicles from James Bond films, cult classics such as the E-type from the Italian Job and cars from TV dramas including the Mark 1 saloon from the hit series Endeavour. Fans of the 1970s show Minder will be treated to Arthur Daley’s very own Jaguar XJ6 as used in the TV classic.
A display of performance Jaguars and racing cars will celebrate the Tom Walkinshaw racing team, once based in Kidlington, Oxfordshire, noted for taking Jaguar to Le Mans victories of 1988 and 1990 as well as creating some of the finest supercars wearing the Jaguar badge.
For more information, visit the event website.
Vintage Americana in London
The London Concours, which calls itself the capital’s finest automotive garden party, takes place June 5-6 with about 100 cars from the early days of motoring to the latest supercars spread over the five-acre site at the Honourable Artillery Company HQ in the heart of the city.
As in past years, the concours recognizes an exceptional individual collection, for 2019 focusing on the cars of Julian Balme of London and his American classic and performance cars.
The London Concours is known for its key features, such as The Icons, Great Marques, The Innovators, The Outlaws and, for this category, The Collector.
“We always want our The Collector feature to be quite a personal selection,” said Andrew Evans, London Concours director. “Every car collector is passionate about something, and I hope it’s clear for anyone to see that Julian’s very fond of the lazy V8s and hot rod culture that took hold of America for decades, and to a certain extent still does.”
Among Balme’s collection are a 1932 Ford Model B street rod roadster, a 1950s Ford Del Rio Ranch Wagon drag-racing “gasser,” a rare 1940 Lincoln Continental Cabriolet, a 1964 Ford Galaxie 500 with 6.3-liter V8, a 1964 Ford Falcon Sprint race car and “Wooly Bully,” a 1954 Lincoln Cosmopolitan that competed in the re-running of the legendary Carrera Panamericana in Mexico.
For more information, visit the event website.
Riding high in Manhattan
Twenty-five luxury cars will compete in the inaugural Manhattan Concours on Saturday, May 18 at the Brookfield Place on the Hudson River in Lower Manhattan.
The selection at the opulent concours will range from historic to contemporary, each vehicle a stunning multi-million-dollar showpiece competing in one of five classes and for the Best of Show award presented by Chopard watches.
For more information, visit the event website.
More concours and events
The National Street Rod Association hosts the Mid-America Street Rod Nationals on May 24-26 at the Ozark Empire Fairgrounds in Springfield, Missouri. For more information, visit the event website.
The 26th annual Summer Get-Together presented by the Goodguys Rod and Custom Association takes place June 1 and 2 at the Alameda County Fairgrounds in Pleasanton, California. For more information, visit the event website.
The Greenwich Concours d’Elegance will be held June 1-2 at Roger Sherman Baldwin Park in Greenwich, Connecticut. For more information, visit the event website.
The Huntington Beach Concours d’Elegance takes place June 2 at Huntington Beach Central Park in California. For more information, visit the event website.
