Spring Carlisle 2014 Helps Automotive Enthusiasts Kick their Cabin Fever

CARLISLE, Pa. - May 6, 2014 - PRLog -- The 40^th Anniversary Season of Carlisle events continued in late April with Spring Carlisle, an annual happening since 1977, and this year’s show had special meaning for guests and vendors alike.  With the show running April 23-27 at the Carlisle PA Fairgrounds, everyone onsite was able to enjoy sunny skies and green grass - the joys of spring!  One of these joys was a two-day collector car auction backed by Carlisle Auctions which saw one of the largest successes in Carlisle Events history.  Spring Carlisle really did allow guests to beat the winter blues and buy, sell and trade all things automotive.

Wednesday started the fun with vendor set up and early bird shopping.  As the day one deals within the car corral and swap meet occurred, everyone was eagerly looking forward to day two and all that came with it, including a massive influx of enthusiasts, plus the start of the two-day collector car auction presented by Carlisle Auctions.

As the sun shined on the grounds Thursday morning, the event sped forward at a breakneck pace.  The automotive appetites of everyone who made the annual pilgrimage to Spring Carlisle also were satisfied.  Spaces were packed with vendors and the aisles were packed with shoppers.  Pieces and parts were moving so fast that the most frequent call on staff radios was for the parts haulers, designed to help customers get a purchase from point A to point B.  Within the car corral, the automotive history was evident too.  Rides for sale by owner spanned from early 1900 models to modern day, meaning that at least 100 years of history was available at Carlisle.

Another weekend gem was the collector car auction.  Backed for the first time since 2010 by Carlisle  Auctions, the Thursday and Friday offering was an amazing success.  Friday went off in front of a jam-packed Carlisle Expo Center and total sales data reached record numbers.  With 300+ cars crossing the block, the FREE UNLESS SOLD policy proved once again that Carlisle Events is a player within the collector car hobby.  72.46% of all consignments sold with over $3.2 million in sales registered.  These totals are reflective of automotive only sales and do not include memorabilia or other non-automotive consignments.  Another auction highlight included the donation and sale of a mini-van for charity.  Courtesy of William H. Wessels in Dillsburg, Pennsylvania, the van crossed the block (twice) and garnered $6,300, all of which went directly to the Carlisle branch of the Salvation Army.

Complete auction results are available via www.CarlisleEvents.com.  There you’ll find not only the top five selling cars, but photos and the complete run list, including sale prices where applicable.  With a majority of consignments selling, nearly all of the 300+ cars listed will have a sales price adjacent to it.

“In the collector car auction business, you go into each event with a certain set of goals and expectations,” noted Carlisle Events’ partner Bill Miller III.  “It’s one thing to have those goals and expectations, it’s quite another to far exceed them the first time around.  Words can’t express the incredible feeling of accomplishment that goes with a result like this,” continued Miller.  “When we announced our FREE UNLESS SOLD policy in 2013, the question was would it work.  At Carlisle Auctions, we firmly believe that the results of not only this auction, but also our previous two offerings in Florida should silence any doubters and clearly answer the ‘does it work’ question.  We are already working to make the Fall Carlisle auction bigger and better and look forward to seeing everyone back at Carlisle in October.  Finally, I want to personally thank our auction team, Tony Cline, Dave McCoy, Denny Baish, Ron Kuhn and Kim Wickard.”

The Hot Rodders of Tomorrow also returned to Carlisle for the fourth consecutive year.  Students from Pennsylvania and Virginia competed in the challenge, which sees them tear down and rebuild a Chevy small-block engine.  This year’s winner was the Burton Center for Arts & Technology of Salem, Virginia with a time of :21.23.  Finishing second was another team from Burton with a time of :34.29, while Franklin County Career and Technology Center of Chambersburg, Pennsylvania finished third at :47.59.

With Spring Carlisle complete, the Carlisle Events’ staff turns their attention to Carlisle Performance & Style, the first specialty show of 2014.  P&S runs May 10-11 at the Carlisle PA Fairgrounds.  The next such event like Spring Carlisle takes place in October with Fall Carlisle.  That event is the flagship offering of Carlisle Events, having launched in 1974.  Complete consignment information, details on upcoming happenings at Carlisle and more can be found via the Carlisle Auctions web page at www.CarlisleAuctions.com or via the Carlisle Events web site which is referenced above.