If you’re a die-hard Mopar fan and love Plymouth and Dodge Muscle Cars, the Carlisle Chrysler Nationals in Carlisle, PA, is the place you wanted to be from July 9-11, 2021.
This year’s event marked the 31st annual Carlisle Chrysler Nationals epic car show and swap meet spread across 82 acres in rural Pennsylvania.
Event highlights include a kick-off party, special guests, a tribute to Mr. Norm, swap meet, cars for sale, the show field, celebrity choice judging, featured vehicle displays, seminars, parades, and more.
It was a record-setting show with nearly 3,000 Mopars on display, which is an impressive feat because cars from Canada didn’t attend due to COVID-19 border restrictions.
Carlisle Chrysler Nationals is a massive event because they curate unique and exciting experiences during their three-day car show and swap meet.
Here are some of the experiences that have helped Carlisle Chrysler Nationals become so massive.
Carlisle Chrysler Nationals Featured Events
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Featured Vehicle Displays
Every year Carlisle Events develops fresh display themes that keep the show attendees coming back year after year. This year was no exception with displays including Celebrate ’71, Dodge Demon, Old School Paint, and more.
Celebrate ’71 Display
This year’s Carlisle Chrysler Nationals celebrated the 50th anniversary of the 1971 model year, held in building Y.
1971 marked a year in muscle car history where Federal emissions, safety regulations, and high insurance premiums took an apparent suffocating chokehold on the American high-performance supercar market.
Because of these factors, 1971 was the last year of Radical engines like the mighty 426 Hemi and 440 Six Pack/6-bbl, and when Chrysler started putting 340s into B-Bodies like the Charger and Road Runner.
However, Mopar High Impact Paint Colors were still available in 1971, including Citron Yellow/Curious Yellow, Top Banana/Lemon Twist, Panther Pink/Moulin Rouge, Plum Crazy/In-Violet, Hemi Orange/Tor Red, and Butterscotch/Bahama Yellow.
Old School Paint Display
The old-school paint display featured eight Chrysler muscle cars from 1964-1971 with psychedelic paint schemes on street machines and drag racers alike.
Celebrate Dodge Demon Display
Also celebrating its 50th anniversary, the Dodge Demon was a two-year-only model, positioned as Dodge’s alternative to the Plymouth Duster. On display were four 1971 models and three 1972 models. In addition, there were 10,098 Demon 340s produced in 1971 and 10,222 in 1972, making them rarer than their Plymouth counterpart.
Dirty Birds
Seeing a Barn Find muscle car doesn’t ever seem to get old and was the premise of the “Dirty Bird” display that featured four 1970 Plymouth Superbirds that were fresh from the barn.
Celebrating the Life of Mr. Norm
Norman Kraus, aka Mr. Norm, passed away earlier this year at 87 years old. For those not familiar, Mr. Norm owned the legendary Grand Spaulding Dodge dealership in Chicago, IL, from 1962-1977.
Mr. Norm targeted young buyers looking for high-performance Dodge muscle cars with a combination of sales, marketing, and high-performance options. He was the go-to guy if you wanted a fast Dodge.
Not only did he sell new Dodge vehicles, but he would also modify them extensively. Early in his career, he was famous for taking B-body big-block engines and swapping them into A-bodies like the GSS Dart.
Later, Mr. Norm developed the GSS Demon, which included upgrades like 3 Holley 2-bbl carburetors, Six-Pack intake, and a backwards Corvette aluminum Tri-Power air cleaner, to name a few.
Additionally, a heavily documented Butterscotch 1971 Dodge GSS Demon was also in building T amongst the Dodge Demon display.
The Show Field
The show field featured all Chrysler body styles from the muscle car era from the 60s and 70s, including the A-body, B-Body, and E-Body classes.
The Sale Pavilion
The sale pavilion starred a variety of Mopar muscle for sale, ranging from barn finds to flawless restorations. It drew quite a crowd during the three-day event, with spectators looking for good buys.
Highlights include a 1971 Dodge Challenger 426 Hemi/4-speed, barn find 1970 Plymouth Super Bird, 1971 Plymouth Road Runner 360/4-speed, and a 1971 Dodge Challenger R/T 426 Hemi car.
The Swap Meet
The number of vendors selling new and rare used parts, not to mention vehicles for sale, is mind-blowing in the swap meet section—row after row, you could find virtually everything from a dash screw to an entire car.
I was able to find an impossible-to-find radiator overflow bottle that I’ve been searching for for over two years online–proving old-school methods can still be effective when it comes to hunting down parts.
What to Expect
Next year’s Carlisle Chrysler Nationals will take place July 15-17, 2022. If you’ve never attended, I can easily say it is well worth the trip.
I flew into Harrisburg International Airport and took an Uber back and forth to my hotel. If you’re flying in, I recommend renting a car instead of relying on Uber because it’s harder to get a driver that far away from the airport.
I stayed at the Super 8 hotel, which I can’t recommend. My friend stayed at the Quality Inn, which was right across the street and was more clean, secure, and comfortable. Plus, it was right next door to the Middlesex Diner.
Coincidentally, the best place to eat each day is the Middlesex Diner for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. They even sell their own collectible annual Mopar T-Shirt for those looking for more casual wear that proved you were there.
No matter where you stay, every parking lot is a car show each night. So I saw a lot of great muscle cars without having to leave my hotel. Plus, I got better photos because no one else was there to photobomb them.
Friday and Saturday are the best days to see the cars on the field and sale pavilion and scout for parts. Sunday morning is the best day for buildings Y and T because spectators are nearly gone, leaving the facilities virtually empty.
Well, there you have a synopsis of Carlisle Chrysler Nationals 2021. Be sure to subscribe if you like muscle car show coverage like this!
Ryan Wheaton
Ryan has owned muscle cars since 1986 and currently owns a 1972 Dodge Charger Rallye. He combines passion and experience to create engaging content for fellow muscle car enthusiasts. In 2018, he founded Muscle Cars Illustrated, authoring hundreds of articles on tips, history, and trends in the muscle car industry. He attends national car shows, auctions, and museums to stay current with the latest developments in the muscle car industry.
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I received the fifth 1962 Dodge Dart 413 Ramcharger from Dodge with 3.91 gears and automatic. The first race was at Vacavalley Drag Strip and made four runs. The best was 12.82 and the worst was 12.87. It was strictly stock and after adding 4.56 gears I turned a best of 12.43and was a good 12.55 car. Tom Grove drove a Plymouth with a stick called the Melrose Missile and ran 12.40s. I raced over 83 times and never lost to a Chevrolet, Ford, or Pontiac. Great car and my wife drove into work. She ran 12.80. Had to sell it to raise a family. Boy do I miss it!
Michael, thank you for the comment! It sounds like you found yourself a great muscle car project and I hope it all comes together for you. Unfortunately, I didn’t take many photos of the second-generation Barracudas at the show due to time constraints. They’re definitely great-looking vehicles and a rare sight at most car shows. Good luck with your ’67 Barracuda!
I am restoring a 1967 hardtop (not fastback) Baracuda which I found 6 months ago, right down my street. He had just posted it on FB along with a 66 Baracuda. I also had my 440/425 hp just rebuilt for sale at the same time. By a fluke, I came across the 67 for $2500 which I bought and had towed to my home the same night(cannot waste time thinking about these finds !) The 440 found a home in the 67 now, and should be quick! I want either the 66 Dark turquoise poly or a sharp red for the body, with white seats, black carpet/door panels/headliner. I only saw 1 67 in these pictures, just thought there were more of these 67,s out there! My car should be beautiful, and a blood boiler to drive. What a blast! where are the 67,s?