Back from Import Carlisle

Import Carlisle is, as far as I know, the largest multi-marque imported car show on the East Coast, and it’s a show we at Hemmings wouldn’t miss, never mind the six-hour drive from Bennington. This year, Richard Lentinello, Terry McGean, Craig Fitzgerald and I roamed the rows of show cars, hunted for deals on parts and tools and had our skinflint resolve tested by the cars for sale.

This was a genuine find: a Vanden Plas Princess 4 Litre that had been in storage since 1985, and had just 22,400 miles on the clock. The asking price was a more than reasonable $5,900. The paint and leather were original, and nice.

Even closer to my price range was this pristine Jaguar XJ6 Vanden Plas, a car sometimes referred to by its code name, XJ40. It had about 100,000 miles, but was just immaculate, and both Craig and I were trying to figure out how we could drive it home. With an asking price of just $2,750, I wasn’t surprised that it sold early in the day on Saturday.

Another Jag needing a new home: a 1953 Mark VII, with one owner since the early 1970s. It needed paint, but was tidy and ran well. Asking price: $12,000.

This year’s featured class was the cars of Japan, and one of the nicest on the show field was this 1966 Datsun 1500 Roadster owned by Martin Lind.

What’s the last time you saw a first-generation VW Scirocco? Ed Cain owns this 1977 example.

Joe Petry of the Citroen Car Club of America brought this 1970 HY van. Yeah, I want one too.

There were a good number of Opels. This sweet 1969 Kadett wagon belongs to Kevin Fier.

Club participation is always strong at Carlisle. The North American Spitfire Squadron, Fiat-Lancia Unlimited, Opel Association of North America, Renault Owners Club of North America, the National Capital Fiat Club, North American MGB Register and a bunch of other clubs planted their flags in the Pennsylvania soil.

Project cars were abundant. How about a winsome Bugeye Sprite? I didn’t see an asking price posted.

Another project: an early Spitfire (MK 2 with a Mk 3 bumper, maybe?). Lots of welding had already been done, but it needed an engine and gearbox. The asking price was $600.

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