2017 Carlisle Import and Performance Nationals – Photo Gallery is LIVE

This is now the 4th year in a row we’ve been to the Carlisle Import and Performance Nationals in one format or another, and easily we have to say one of the best from our own perspective. Formally known as the Carlisle Import and Kit nationals, we’ve noticed the VW based Manx buggies will show up in force regardless of the name. They also seem to be mostly comprised of early risers, judging by how those air-cooled engines all fire up at the crack of dawn every year. I digress, camping out at Carlisle always adds to the whimsy of the show. If you’re into it, remember we will be having eEuroFest June 10th with the Lime Rock campground open on June 9th, we wonder if the Manx buggies will show up to that.

Under the tent at the Saabs@Carlisle show-within-a-show, we were able to witness first hand what the bulk of our customer base was up to over the winter. With BMW clubs to the left and Volvo clubs to the right, we were in the thick of it, and couldn’t be happier. To celebrate the introduction of Nokian Tires to eEuroparts, we were able to raffle off a set of tires, which was very exciting for us. The ultimate winner on Sunday was actually there, so with a few swipes of the Facebook app (yes, creepin’) we were able to put a face to the name entered into the raffle and find our winner out of the crowd. Enjoy your set of Hakkapeliitta R2’s Todd!

The Carlisle Campground is a huge melting pot of European car enthusiasts

That’s always one of our favorite parts of the Carlisle Import and Performance Nationals, being able to meet the people we ship (often loads) of parts to throughout the year, as well as talk to and help out in forums and on social media. This is an opportunity to give back to the crowd, which we were able to accumulate by live streaming our Saab racing car’s progress straight from the cockpit to our kiosk. You can read more about how the weekend went for the eEuroparts race team and the new Saab 9-3 race car by clicking on this link.

Unlike last year, the weather was fairly good. Friday was definitely the big day to be there, with the sun out and temperatures passing into the upper 80’s complimenting the downright sweltering weather on the drive up on Thursday, at times nearing 100 degrees Fahrenheit! Saturday and Sunday were much cooler, so we double hoodied up our eEuroparts sweatshirts and chilled out, continuing on with a great show, just under overcast skies.

When it comes to a car show, we always have a favorite automobile that we come away with in our minds. While we gave away site credits and chatted with some of our customers, we were on stage to witness everything from 2-stroke Saabs to 3-wheeled Citroens rolling by. However, this year was a little different. We are going to give our favorite-in-show award to our own hauler, lovingly referred to as ‘The Pulverizer’, and Kyle from catalog who did some recent work before the big trip (headgasket dun dun dun). The 2008 Fusion Blue Metallic 9-5 wagon was put through the ultimate trial, hooked up to a trailer brimming to capacity with Nokian sample tires, displays, camping gear.

The back of the wagon was also stacked to the roof, making the 600+ mile drive an adventure. Even on some of the biggest highway hills, the Pulverizer sailed up with nary a hickup with the AC on in nearly 100F weather. The fuel mileage readout averaged around 6mpg for about 10miles of the biggest hills on the trip, however.

Check out the photo gallery below to see some of our favorite moments from our trip to the 2017 Carlisle Import and Performance Nationals. To everyone that attended, see you next year!