Vette-tacular Highlights from Corvettes at Carlisle 2020!

Bowling Green has nothing on Carlisle when it comes to Corvette displays. The show features every generation, in every configuration. 

Each year as many as 5,000 Corvettes flock to the Carlisle Fairgrounds in Pennsylvania for the largest gathering of Corvettes anywhere. 2020 was no different. Well, it was a little different. There were masks and social distancing guidelines to follow. Also, the remnants of hurricane Laura dumped heavy rain on the show field Friday afternoon into Saturday morning. That may have kept the crowds below record attendance levels, but it did not deter the diehards. Everything from the earliest C1 to the latest C8 convertible was on hand for the 2020 event. If you were brave enough to take on the weather, which turned out to be beautiful from Saturday morning onward. You were rewarded with the opportunity to see the best cars with fewer people surrounding them.

Walking into the show grounds is like seeing a pile of freshly wrapped gifts under the Christmas tree on Christmas morning. You don’t know what to grab first, it is stimulation overload. Is that an all original C1 sitting over there? Wait, is that the new convertible? Is that a C7.R? Oh, I gotta see that Corvette dragster. No wait, I must see all the vendors. OK, deep breath, we will get to it all.

The New Stuff

The C8 made its debut at this show last year, but with production delays for various reasons, the car is still a rare bird. I have seen a total of one out in the wild so far. There were too many of them to count at Carlisle this year. This includes the hard to find convertible. If you were unsure about what color you want to order your new Corvette in, this was the opportunity to see just about every option under the sun. For me, I was surprised at how good the Zeus Bronze Metallic looked in person. I tend to like unusual colors anyway, and I think this looks awesome on the new Corvette if you want to stand out from the red Corvette crowd a bit.

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If you are holding out for a convertible, you got a chance to see one at the Carlisle event. A lovely Accelerate Yellow Metallic with the full-length dual racing stripes was on display.

If you are a fan of yellow the fun didn’t stop with the new convertible. Up on the main stage was a C7.R GT Le Mans series tribute car. Armed with nearly 1,200 horsepower at the wheels this is a serious machine.

Want something a little less serious? No problem, a Corvette wearing a mask should bring a smile to your face.

In case, you were in any doubt as to how hot the C8 is, there were a couple of them offered for sale. This Torch Red example is a 2LT package car with Z51, magnetic ride control and front lift. New, it would sticker for about $75,000. This car with 2,000 miles was offered up for $117,000 or best offer.

The Classic Stuff

As hot as the C8 is, it would not be here without the C1 that started it all. A stunning 1954 model was on display and was one of the first vehicles you would see as soon as you entered the front gate.

True love. Look at the state of this 1956 Corvette when it was found. If you undertake a project like that, you must really love the car. The end result was well worth the effort.

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A family that Corvettes together stays together.

Speaking of staying together. Some folks love their Corvettes so much they never want to be far from them. Even if they have passed on, they can still be near their prized Vette.

Sunday! Sunday! Sunday!

If you are a fan of drag racing, there were plenty of racing Corvettes to hold your attention

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Beautiful Paint

This exquisite 1971 LS5 coupe has only 21,500 original miles. It looks spectacular in War Bonnet Yellow. If ever there was an award for coolest paint color name, War Bonnet Yellow would have to take the prize.

These pieces are simply rolling works of art. The amount of time and effort that went into this piece that will rarely been seen is impressive.

The opposite of the above. This art work you can’t miss. Stunning art work and what makes it more impressive is it is done on a drag car. Rarely do you see this level of effort put into the paint work of a race car.

This one is a wrap but the end result is no less striking. This camouflaged C7 Z06 will not be hard to spot at all.

And More

Scoping out the cars is always fun but Corvettes at Carlisle is a lot more then that. There was a live auction, and a raffle to win a brand new C8. There was an autocross shootout, and a rolling exhaust contest. There were mechanics tents setup for drive through diagnostics. Vendors are everywhere selling everything you would ever need for your Corvette or anything else you may drive. If you missed this event, mark your calendars for 2021. The Corvettes will be back at Carlisle August 26 – 28, 2021. What will we see next year? The new Z06? An electric Corvette? We will find out in less than 360 days.

Images: Joe Kucinski

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