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Back from Import Carlisle

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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

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

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

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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.

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

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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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Original Owners: Are there any older?

Yesterday I met with and photographed the original owner of a 1946 Mercury. Roll that around in your head for a second: if the car were a person, it would be ready for Social Security any day now. (The owner is 82 now.) It’s shown around Southern California Ford events, and the owner tells a compelling tale; it’s also rolling proof that car show judges don’t know everything, as his early ‘46 is marked off for having both 1941 and 1942 components that it came with from the factory.

'48 Merc with its original owner

This is the fourth compelling original-owner piece I’ve photographed in the last month. We already told you about the ‘52 Buick Super in Glendale, CA, but we haven’t yet mentioned the original-owner no-option ‘65 Chevelle SS four-speed we shot last week, or the second-owner-who-drove-his-’48-Chrysler-to-be-reunited-with-its-first-owner-400-miles-away story. Watch for the Buick, Chrysler and Mercury in Hemmings Classic Car, and the Chevelle in Hemmings Muscle Machines in the months to come. I’ve got one I’m cooking up for Hemmings Sports and Exotics too, but one of the owners is refusing to get back to me.

Meantime, how many other original-owner stories are out there? How many owners don’t turn up at car shows, their babies left to collect dust in the carport or garage? (And how can we find them and do stories on them if they’re not brought to our attention?)



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