Carlisle 2000 Report

	June 2-4, 2000

On June 2-4th 2000, Merkur owners attended the show that they had been waiting for - the All Ford Nationals in Carlisle Pennsylvania. This annual show has for five years been the single largest gathering of Merkurs. That's a sight that cannot be easily described in words, so enjoy this photo page and get psyched for the next Carlisle, this June.

The Carlisle 2000 event was as awesome as ever! The competition on the show field among the various car clubs was fierce and once again, good old Merkur enthusiasm and camaraderie shined more brightly than every other car club on the field. Merkur owners for the third year in a row won the Carlisle 2000 All-Ford Nationals award for largest club attendance. There were 122 Merkurs (Scorpio and XR4Ti's), compared to the second place Ford Fairlane Club with 104 cars.

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Congratulations are in order for the Merkur owners who pulled together and make the show among one of the most memorable ever. Also thanks to Jay and Kate Ertl, Mike Galati, Rob Kapischke, Chris Rettenmaier, and major sponsors including BAT, Modern Performance, Open Mind Associates, and Rapido for helping promote this year's Carlisle 2000 event.

Only the die-hard Merkurites present at 4 P.M. on Sunday saw Carlisle 2000 concluded with another surprise for the Merkur Community. Craig Madsen of Indianapolis, Indiana won the 1971 Torino give away.

Craig's persistence really paid off, as the owners of the first two tickets drawn were not present and thus not eligible. Craig was a very surprised and happy winner. We think it capped out a great weekend for all of us and especially for those who attended.

The car was a 1971 Torino GT "SportsRoof" two door hardtop. It had a mere 17,000 miles since new. Craig owns a 1987 Black XR4 (and a Ford Torino now!). He had joked with his office workers that he wanted one of them to come with him to Carlisle so that he had someone to drive his XR home while he drove the Torino home! Being prepared is never a bad idea. Of interest Bill Shenk, sole designer of the 1970-'71 Ford Torino, attended Carlisle 2000. Shenk gave a talk about the development of the car.

Saturday at the showfield







Saturday Showfield Seminars


Saturday evening dinner & awards



Carlisle Awards on Sunday afternoon
Click here for the showfield judging results

Mr. William (Bill) Miller, Jr., co-owner of Carlisle Productions, went out of his way to honor the Merkur community at this year's show. He decided that because of "our continued support each year, the attendance numbers we create for Carlisle, the distance our members travel (the most enthusiasm of any group at Carlisle" to honor us with the Owner's Celebrity Choice Award. While there are other Celebrity Choice awards presented at Carlisle, only one is from the Show's owner. Bill Miller's appreciation of the Merkur Community was quite surprising to us to say the least.

Bill asked Saul Rivkin, Paul West, and Dave Ziminski to pick a Merkur for this prestigious award. After going through the show field several times and agonizing over their decision, a 1988 White Scorpio owned by Elma and Chuck Dreesen of Lincoln, Nebraska was selected. When this was announced at the Saturday night BBQ, many were surprised that a Scorpio had been chosen. But after looking at the work the Dreesens have done with their car it was easy to understand how the selection was made. Elma and Chuck's award was the first award presented at Sunday's award ceremony in the Carlisle Stadium. Bill Miller and other members of Carlisle Productions Staff personally congratulated them. We send our hearty best wishes to Elma and Chuck from the entire Merkur community.

We would be remiss if we did not mention the generous financial support that was provided by Peter Thompson and Eric Odenweller of BAT, Nick Mannarino of Modern Performance, Phil Dorsey of Open Mind, and Russ Harness of Rapido Group. Without their products and gift certificates our fun filled weekend would not have been the success it was.

Special recognition and appreciation goes to Kate and Jay Ertl for arranging Rapido Show Field giveaways and personally coordinating the free commemorative tee shirt with the Bill Hoorman graphics and Merkur caps. Also their hospitality suites were very much appreciated. Additionally the following were also instrumental in making Carlisle 2000 the success that it was. Mike Galati deserves special thanks for publishing the directory of attendees. We all know how difficult it was to get the data by print deadline. Also special congratulations and best wishes to Mike who had to leave the show field early to attend his high school graduation on Sunday back in Marietta, Ohio.

Chris Rettenmaier did a fantastic job in arranging the Saturday night Awards BBQ. Chris must have the patience of a saint to have gone through this process and continually extend the deadline for all of us that just can't make up our minds in advance. Also we would like to thank Connie Anglin, Mark and Theresa Mandrogona and others who helped at the Merkur tent in handing out pre-registration packages, assisting in setting up for the seminars, and at the Award BBQ. The Mandrogonas also brought the P.A. system.

In addition to our major sponsors the following also provided product that was given away at the Awards BBQ:

We all look forward to seeing everyone again at the 2001 All Ford Nationals which will be held June 1-3, 2001.

All Contents Copyright 2002, Merkur Club of America, Inc.
Merkur, XR4ti, Scorpio, and the Merkur logo are the trademarks and property of Ford Motor Co.

June 2-4, 2000