This year’s Corvettes at Carlisle extravaganza brought a record 2,586 Corvettes to the Carlisle Fairgrounds over August 26-28. The 24th annual show saw 54,932 guests attend, and there were 1,305 vendors selling all sorts of Corvetterelated items.

“The entire Carlisle team gave it 100 percent to keep Corvettes at Carlisle the very best event of its kind,” said Lance Miller, Corvettes at Carlisle event planner. “Carlisle is all about having fun, meeting new friends, buying hard-to-find parts and enjoying the weekend with others who have the same interest. I never saw so many smiles in one weekend; those smiles put an enormous grin on my face – thank you!”

The Chip Miller Charitable Foundation raised an astounding $58,000 at Corvettes at Carlisle, with $25,000 of that coming from a very generous match from Bob Patrella of Guernsey Bank. Mecum Auction sold more than 100 Corvettes during the event, including a white 1967 convertible for $102,500 and a silver and blue 1958 convertible for $71,500. “I think our total dollar value was $3.4 million, it was encouraging to know that the Corvette market was really hot,” said Dana Mecum, owner of Mecum Auction. “I think everyone who participated in and watched the auction had a great experience. People really had a lot of fun with the charity auction. The rain didn’t seem to dampen the sales.”

Special exhibits included a 50th anniversary celebration with select 1955 Corvettes; a Corvette Race Reunion, featuring C4, C5 and C6 race cars and drivers; and 10th and 15th anniversary ZR-1 reunions. The Chip Miller Memorial Parade to downtown Carlisle took place even in the drizzle, with many people watching and waving to all the Corvettes driving through town. An amazing moment at the show occurred at noon on Saturday, when thousands of enthusiasts revved their Corvettes’ engines for 15 seconds, followed by a moment of silence, in tribute to Chip Miller, cofounder of Carlisle Events.

Visitors were invited to meet GM executives including Dave Hill, Corvette chief engineer; Wil Cooksey, Corvette plant manager; Karen Rafferty, marketing manager; Harlan Charles, product manager; and Dave McLellan, retired engineer, and learn about all GM has to offer, including the new Z06. Lance Miller displayed his Carlisle Callaway Corvette which now has 477 rear-wheel horsepower, up from the stock 347 hp it started with last year. It also won best in class at the Autocross, showing that its handling and braking work just as well as its power.

The National Corvette Restorers Society presented its unique Corvette collection in a gallery. Sponsored by West Coast Corvettes, the NCCC judged show field was hosted by York County Corvette Club. Many Corvettes participated in the autocross, sponsored by Cumberland Valley Corvette Club.

Donna Miller of New Freedom, Pa., a member of York County Corvette Club won a low-mileage 1991 ZR-1 on Sunday. The Corvette Enthusiast Magazine Dyno Challenge proved whose Corvette had the highest horsepower. Rick Purdy’s 2005 coupe won on Friday by putting out 463 hp. Saturday’s winner was Doug Connorton with his 2004 coupe that produced 482 hp. On Sunday, Ray Wood got a reading of 497 hp with his 1997 coupe to become the overall winner of the weekend.

Next year’s Corvettes at Carlisle takes place Aug. 25-27, 2006. Visit www.carsatcarlisle.com or call (717) 243-7855 for more information.