Text and Photos by Steve Temple and Courtesy Carlisle Productions

We’ve been attending the Carlisle Import & Kit show for decades now, covering it for a couple different magazines. Over the years, we’ve always looked forward to seeing all the new kits and replicas, and came away with many fond memories. Upon hearing about the change in the title and format, however, to the Carlisle Import & Performance Nationals (merging two events), plus that only a half-dozen kit companies had registered this year, we had totally different expectations. This shift didn’t come as a big surprise, as we noticed a steady downturn in the number kit companies displaying since the economy went south in 2008, and heard that Cobra replica firms had decided to display at the Carlisle Ford show instead.

But we made the trek anyway from our offices out West to central Pennsylvania, partly out of a sense of editorial duty, but also in the hopes that we’d come across some interesting new cars. Which we did— but just not in the big volume of years past.

We don’t fault Carlisle’s management for this new emphasis, as the turnout of both imports and tuner cars was substantial, way up from previous years, along with much increased spectator foot traffic as well. So from a purely business standpoint, it appears to be a smart decision.

But where does that leave car builders? Well, kits and replicas are still welcome at this new event, so we’ll keep an eye on how it all shakes out in the future. As for Carlisle’s Ford show, we won’t be able to attend it personally this year, but perhaps next year, and we’ll be getting some feedback from our Cobra friends as well.

So stay tuned, and we’ll continue to keep track of all these changes affecting car builders in all corners of the country.