Thursday, March 6, 2014
As Carlisle Events celebrates its 40th Anniversary season, the 2014 schedule will host some additional milestones, including 110 years of Ford and the 50th Anniversary of the Mustang as part of the Carlisle Ford Nationals. By combining the season-long Carlisle celebration with the Ford honors, the annual summer gathering, June 6-8 at the Carlisle PA Fairgrounds, will wow enthusiasts like never before.
One of the special displays as part of the three-day wowing session is a special display dedicated strictly to Special Edition Mustangs which were built for specific purposes, promotional agendas, events or even regions of the world. Dozens of cars will be on display and while not every one of them can be singled out in print, the following will be "must see" rides for attendees of the Carlisle Ford Nationals.
Olympic Sprint Mustang: With the Winter Olympics just ending and the summer games on the horizon, this Mustang literally has Red, White and Blue all over it! Produced between March and June of 1972, this car was designed to promote the Munich, Germany summer games and the Sapporo, Japan winter games and only 9,383 were produced. Of that total, three are planned to be onsite and of those three, one was part of a lot of 50 that was specifically designed to be part of the Washington, D.C. Cherry Blossom Festival and Parade. In addition, the third of the three also sports Red, White and Blue but instead of the Stars and Stripes, it hosts the Canadian Maple Leaf as it was produced to show support for Canadian Olympians.
Branded Special Mustang: Created by dealerships on used 1965-1968 Mustangs as a way to spiff them up for resale, the branding kit was available directly from Ford. The kit included a choice of colored vinyl tops (in 15 colors), side stripes (in five colors), quarter panel chrome and special branded emblems. Once completed, these cars were a sight to behold as every aspect of the branded package took the car to a completely new level. Countless kits were sold and applied and while it's unknown how many of these branded cars exist today, at least one is planned for June.
Going Thing Mustang: Two are coming and once onsite, they aren't going anywhere. Produced in the late '60s/early '70s, the Going Thing Mustangs were made as a replica to the Ford Drag Racing Team Mustangs and only 103 total were ever made. “Ford, It's a Going Thing” was the company's marketing slogan of the time and these special Mustangs were just as popular as they were limited. One of those 103 joined Carlisle Events as part of the Philly Face-Off at the Philadelphia Auto Show in February and Carlisle Events is happy to welcome it and another to the first of Carlisle's three Summer of Muscle events.
1964 Pre-Production Mustang: With the Mustang celebrating an historic 50-year run in 2014 and with the brand ready to turn the page on its next generation, the 2015 Mustang, the Special Edition display welcomes an excellent pre-production blast from the past. Somewhere between 150 and 180 of these cars were made so that enthusiasts at events and local dealerships could see what exactly this new car called the Mustang was all about. What makes it even more special is the fact that it's still available to be shown today. During its era of production, most cars like it would be destroyed after their intended purpose was complete, kept strictly as a show car or transformed into race cars.
In addition to the aforementioned cars, many more are slated for display. Also confirmed and in no particular order, is a 1969 Ford Mustang 4.1 Litre Special, 1979 Ford Mustang Indy Pace Car, 1993 Ford Mustang SSP Police Package, 1985 Ford Mustang Twister II Special, 1969 Ford Mustang Shelby De Mexico, 1968 Ford Mustang California Special and many more. Each car has a unique story behind it and those that are part of the Building T showcase can be seen online today via the Carlisle Ford Nationals’ event page (click the Invitationals tab).
Furthermore, this special display would not be possible without the help of enthusiasts Don Hughmanick and Fran Cosentino. Without these two great friends of Carlisle, this display simply would not exist. Don hosts a web page specifically dedicated to Special Edition Mustangs (www.limited600mustang.net) and it's a good read for any and all Ford enthusiasts. Anyone who sets foot on grounds at Carlisle in June and sees Don and/or Fran is strongly encouraged to thank them both!
Finally, while the display is shaping up nicely with many spectacular Special Edition Mustangs, the phrase "The More the Merrier" most definitely applies. Any enthusiast who owns a Special Edition Mustang is encouraged to contact event manager Ken Appell directly for further details on how to be involved. Ken can be reached via phone at 717-243-7855 x116 or via e-mail at KenA@CarlisleEvents.com.
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Journalist note: Information about Carlisle Events, its event listings, auction offerings and the Carlisle Expo Center is available to journalists by phone:
Michael Garland
Media Specialist
717-243-7855 ext. 133
michaelg@carlisleevents.com
- See more at: http://www.carlisleevents.com/carlis....PKOWg6MT.dpuf