Here's your chance! Merkurs have been participating in this event since the 90s and we keep going back. Click here to learn more. You will not regret the experience.

7 April 2004. It takes a team to pull off a large event such as Carlisle and we are appealing for help. We need people who will staff the tent for two hour shifts on Saturday & Sunday. Tasks will consist of checking members in, handing out the 'Goody Bags', selling shirts, issuing dinner tickets etc. Most of the time it's not too busy and you will have time to chat and enjoy yourself - we won't work you too hard! Contact Brad Anesi if you would like to volunteer.

The other job that needs some help, is in judging the Merkurs on Saturday 11-3pm. It's an enjoyable task, made easier this year by a new process (more on this later). No prior experience is needed, we need people who know their XRs and Scorpios. Contact George Schults who has graciously offered to coordinate judging again this year.

7 April 2004. Check out what Carlisle Events has planned for us this year - it looks like a bumper show. Click Here to view the All Ford Nationals brochure and see the event program, details of the concept cars that will be on display, the give-away car and other activities.

If you haven't registered yet, do it now! You have missed the early club discount registration, but you can still get a discount on the gate registration fee by downloading the registration form and submitting it. Alternatively, you can register online with Carlisle Events.

Remember - you must still reserve the hotel by calling 800.692.7315.

Questions? Help Needed? What is Carlisle? Can I bring the family? What do I need to do to prepare? Click here for the Merkur Forum Carlisle 2004 Information Center.

28 March 2004. The Merkur Club of America, in conjunction with Unlimited Street Performance and TurboFord.org are pleased to announce the Spring Dyno Day. Get your car ready for the season and/or get some baseline numbers before you begin this year's modifications. Here are the details:
When: Saturday, April 10 9AM - 4PM
Where: Crazy Horse Racing, South Amboy NJ
Cost: $80 for 3 pulls; $95 with Wide-band O2 monitoring.

Free lunch provided to all registered participants courtesy of USP
Registration is limited and required: Contact Don Nase or call (732) 416-1980 to make a reservation
Prizes will be awarded for the biggest HP and Torque produced from a Ford 2.3/5 for the day

16 March 2004. You've missed the early club registration, but you can still get a break on the standard gate registration. Click here to register online with Carlisle Events for the showfield. If you prefer to register by mail, Click here for the mail-in registration form and details.

Check back here for updates and to register for the Award Dinner and prize give-away.

It looks like quite another fun-filled year with Ford Bronco, Lincoln Mark LT & Mark X and Mustang Convertible & Shelby Cobra Concept cars. The give-away car will be one of the first 1964 Ford Mustangs.

Also while you are at it, book the hotel (See details below). For some reason, the rooms are booking up a lot faster this year and rooms are in short supply.

27 January 2004. Register now for Carlisle on June 5-6 and save over 50% on the normal registration rate. Click here for details of this limited time offer.

13 December 2003. Some big news from the Merkur Club of America, just in time for the holidays!

After a considerable amount of negotiation, we are making the big step up that everyone has been asking for. Our host hotel for "Merkurs at Carlisle 2004" will be the Carlisle Clarion Hotel & Convention Center, located less than four miles from the Carlisle Fairgrounds!

But wait, there's more good news... At $95/night, the room rate will be $1 LESS than last year, and a continental breakfast will still be provided at no additional charge Saturday and Sunday mornings!

It's not too early to go ahead and make your room reservation now. Just call the Clarion reservation line at 800.692.7315, and let them know you want the Merkur Club group rate. You can arrive early or stay late and still get the discounted rate, although I imagine most of us will primarily be interested in Friday and Saturday night accommodations.

Here's the dates for your reference - yes, it's less than six months away!
Friday June 4
Saturday June 5
Sunday June 6

More details will be announced over the coming months, but I wanted everyone to be aware of the date now so you can put it on your 2004 calendar and make your room reservation.

Brad Anesi
Director of Event Coordination

Congratulations Phil!

17 September 2003.

Check out the Bottle Hill Day 'Wall' forum page if you have any questions or need driving directions.

3 August 2003 UPDATE! This great event will be held on Sunday August 24th.

It's time for one of the most memorable events in the NY Metro area - the Annual Liberty State Park BBQ organized by Erik & Taryn. Come and show your car and just hang out in this park on the banks of the Hudson overlooking NYC, the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. Lots of wonderful photo opportunities.

If your trusty Merkur is feeling down, don't worry, bring any car - no excuses!

Questions and details are on the Merkur Forum, or contact Erik directly by email.

16 June 2003 Looking for details of the 2003 Carlisle show? Need to know who won what award? Looking for over 80 images of the hotel, dinner, showgrounds & seminars? This is the definitive site to re-live all the Carlisle fun.

With an amazing 120 Merkurs on show, and despite the rain, we had a great time and lots of good stories. Thanks to everyone who made this show one to remember and be sure to check back here, or the forum regularly for other events in your area.

Click here to enter.

Click here to access the Carlisle Web Forum and tell us about your Carlisle experience, or make suggestions for future shows.

18 April 2003 The best way to enjoy our Merkurs is to take them on a back road in the country on a warm spring afternoon with the sunroof open and a huge grin on your face. To that end, it is time for the 2nd Annual Pocono Merkur Weekend in Tannersville, PA and the date is set for Saturday April 26th. As in years past, we will be meeting at the excellent Barley Creek Brewing Company in Tannersville, PA. The Barley Creek management has once again graciously set aside a portion of their parking lot for us to display our Merkurs! There will be plenty of time for socializing and discussing all things Merkur, as well as the ever-popular photo opportunity atop Camelback Mountain, and an excellent dinner at Barley Creek.

Click here for further details or email event coordinator Paul-Michael Van Hook.

Download the form now and follow the instructions to make your reservation.

Early Club Registration is now over, but you can still get the benefits of early registration. Click here to access Carlisle Production's new online registration site. For those that prefer to register by mail, we will make available the paper registration form as soon as we receive it.

Click here for the Carlisle 2003 MCA Forum, where you can ask any questions and get help with planning your Carlisle experience.

We are pleased to announce that the new Merkur forum is now online. We hope that this will provide a useful service to augment that of the IMON list. Both are valuable resources and will enhance the overall Merkur ownership experience.

Just click on the graphic to the left or point your browser at www.merkurclub.com/forum Then click on 'Register' at the top and fill in the details. Registration is quick and instant - and free! The forum provides a useful one-stop shop for contacting other Merkur owners and for getting details on events such as June's All Ford Nationals at Carlisle.

If you experience any problems, please do not hesitate to email me.

15 December 2002 The 2003 Carlisle All-FORD Nationals will take place May 30 – June 1, 2003, at the Carlisle Pennsylvania Fairgrounds.
Carlisle Events is offering early registration options, as they have in past years. As a courtesy to clubs, such as MCA, who have participated last year, a special early discount is available. Note this is only available to previously registered clubs.

Click here for further details of the pricing structure and to download the early registration form.

15 November 2002 I was recently contacted by Osvaldo Aroca who is the President of the Ford Sierra Fan Club in South America. From the pictures that Osvaldo sent me, it looks like they have a thriving club down there in the Southern Hemisphere and like us, have won major club awards. Pictures of their club cars at the 'Carburando' car show, together with member's cars are shown at this link.

The club has members in Argentina (where Osvaldo is from), Venezuela, Chile, Uruguay and has good contacts with the Vice President of the Ford Cosworth Club in Europe. Osvaldo is going to put up pictures of our cars on his website and will stay in touch. Feel free to contact Osvaldo if you have any questions or want further details of his club's cars.

10 November 2002 Nick Mannarino of Modern Performance is developing a 2.3 Turbo powered Ford

A very large Modern Performance roller camshaft and custom size valves have been machined, together with a girdle to replace the main caps. This piece was made on Modern Performance's Bridgeport mill from a solid piece of 7075 4x20x15 aircraft aluminum. Rick Byrnes & Nick, felt that this was the only way the engine could put out the planned 1,200hp and not crack the block. The turbo is a reworked T-88 type, which is coupled to an intercooler made from 2 1/2 Modern Performance intercooler cores which flow over 1,600 cfm.

A Freddie Brown 2 speed Powerglide transmission is used, with a 2 speed torque converter. Launch RPM is planned to be at 5,500 and one shift at 7,500.

With the class running 6.90s at over 190 MPH. there will be some stiff competition, but look out for this unique 2.3Ti on the circuit next year. We'll keep you informed. Here are a couple more pictures: Exhaust side, Inlet side.

Join us for a "Foliage Cruise" on Sunday, Nov.17th through the winding roads of Bear Mt. State Park in NY State with the "Snake of MERKURS"! This will be a casual gathering of MCA Members at the Bear Mountain Inn Parking Lot on Sunday morning at around 10:30AM for a "Photo Op" in front of the Inn meadow which usually is filled with deer this time of year!

We will then assemble & leave with "lights-on" at 11AM to allow for any "stragglers" to meet up with the "Snake" as it proceeds through the park along Circle Drive up Perkins Memorial Drive, to the summit of Bear Mountain for "scenic overload" and another "Photo Op" at the top. Then it's on to the Seven Lakes Drive which is filled with, you guessed it, lakes & lots of really scenic spots with plenty of room to pull off the road and enjoy the views!

Bear Mountain is easily accessible from either the NJ side of the Hudson River via the Palisades Parkway & from the NY side via the Bear Mountain Bridge. This will serve to make it possible for our MCA members from both Conn. & NY to participate. The Bear Mountain Inn is approx. 1 hr. from NYC & Conn. (at the speed limit !) & 2 hrs. from PA. & Central NJ. As far as timing, if we leave the Inn at 11AM, we should finish up "cruising" through the park at approx. 1PM and end up back at the Inn in time for lunch. After lunch, everyone is on their own to either continue to "cruise the park", leave to return home, or stop someplace along the way that caught their attention!

Join us for a wonderful day of driving through one of the NY area's best kept secrets & enjoy the camaraderie of your fellow MCA members and their MERKURS. This cruise is on public roads & all speed limits & traffic laws are to be strictly adhered to. I hear that the Park Police & the NY State Police use traffic law violators to feed the "Bears" over the winter so "bear" that in mind when traveling through the park & all the roads to and from Bear Mountain!

We look forward to seeing you on Sunday Nov. 17th to enjoy a drive through the fall foliage. For further details, contact George Schults or click here for the Bear Mountain forum.

After the show, we all retired to dinner at the nearby Elks Club, followed by Tartufo and Canollis by Nick Mannarino's special request - good choice Nick! This was enjoyed while watching the British Saloon Car Championships on video and Watkins Glen pictures on the laptops.

Thanks to Brad Anesi, Dave Weiner and Phil Dorsey for pulling this event off.

20 September 2002. This highly successful northern New Jersey gathering is being held again this year on October 5th. Sorry for the late notice, but the town made some changes in organization this year and the information was late coming out.

This show is different from the normal gathering and is a real family event. The car show is held as part of a town festival which includes a street fair, ethnic foods, crafts, a petting zoo, clowns and music. The car show has a varied selection of vehicles including early Model T, Street Rods, 60’s & 70’s hot rods, up to current 2002 models. Every car show attendee gets a raffle ticket and in past years the Merkur community has walked off with the grand prize - including two Televisions! There are car-related vendors at the show and a first class roaming pin-striper that works some fantastic freehand designs on your car for a reasonable fee. Click here for pictures of Madison 2000.

After the show Phil Dorsey has arranged a pizza dinner at the Elks Club a few blocks away. In addition if you do need that special item from Open Mind Associates, drop Phil an email ahead of time and he will deliver it to the show for pickup.

Attendees must register by filling in the registration form and submitting it by September 27. The fee is $12 for this early registration, and $16.00 on the day. When you register, please let Brad know so that we can keep a tally and ensure that we have enough spaces reserved.

Check out the Bottle Hill Day 'Wall' forum page if you have any questions or need driving directions. Accommodation can be arranged if needed.

Check out the photos (it's a large page so allow time for it to load if you have a slow connection) and participate in event planning for the next track event on the 'Wall' bulletin board.

Many thanks to Craig Madsen's friend Mark Dutkevitch who is a professional photographer and spent the two days hiking around the track with a large metal case of photography equipment trying to get the best shots of us all.

19 July

2002. The July newsletter is now available for member download. The newsletter contains a complete Carlisle wrap-up together with

Click here for download and be prepared with your MCA username and password. This is different from the password you use on the 'Wall'. eMail me if you have forgotten your password or need help.

The next newsletter is being planned, so if you have any contributions, or ideas on what you would like to see, email Richard Curtis at newsletter@merkurclub.com.

Mark Saturday, July 13th on your calendar for the 3rd annual Modern Performance/MCA Dyno day at Ida Automotive in Morganville, NJ. In the past, we've attracted Merkurs from Connecticut, Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, and Virginia for this event. For those of you who saw the Modern Performance/Don Nase Ranger at Carlisle, this will be the day to see it sling rubber off the rollers as it attempts to generate 4-figure HP numbers out of a turbo-charged Lima motor.

Bob Ida of Ida Automotive will be operating his new dyno that has been upgraded to accept four wheel drive vehicles. Bob is extremely well known by the rod and custom folks and is a regular at the SEMA shows. "Billet Bob" builds cars from the ground up, and always has interesting cars to look at including his recreation of the Tucker powered with the Cadillac NorthStar engine. His website is http://www.idaautomotive.com/

As in past years the number of reserved spots will be limited to 10-12 cars. Each car owner will have a choice of dyno programs including:
· 3 Pulls no wideband O2 sensor monitoring - $ 75.00
· 3 Pulls with wideband O2 sensor monitoring - $ 100.00
· 5 Pulls with wideband O2 sensor monitoring - $ 125.00

There will be a very limited amount of time between dyno pulls for software changes, so come prepared, should you so desire. If your Merkur is down and out, feel free to bring whatever you're driving. In the past, we've had "built econo-boxes", an LS 400, and Don Nase's street Viper turning in excess of 550 RWHP. Modern Performance and MCA will supply soft drinks and a pizza lunch to all attendees. First dyno run will start at 9:00 AM.

The last two years have been a sell-out, so to be guaranteed a slot, reserve your approximate time by contacting me off-line at brad.anesi@netiq.com. Feel free to drop me a line with any questions as well.
Brad

May 2002. The May newsletter is now available for member download. This first class, eight page newsletter was written by MCA member Richard Curtis and includes articles on:

- Attila Nyiradi's outrageous yellow XR,
- How to prepare for Carlisle
- Paul Kuettel and his ownership over the years of 49 Merkurs
- Ian Glyn-Jones and his Kwik XR
- How to install extra gauges . . . and more.

We are also planning a post-Carlisle edition in the summer so stay tuned.

Click here for download and be prepared with your MCA username and password. This is different from the password you use on the 'Wall'. eMail me if you have forgotten your password or need help.

9 May 2002. This is your opportunity to win a new air fuel meter, or an intercooler, or a set of tires or gift certificates, or Merkur artwork or a copy of the Merkur Story or many other Merkur related items collectively worth over $ 3,000.
In order to win you must buy a ticket which entitles each ticket holder to a free dinner Saturday night, June 1, 7:00 PM at the Radisson Hotel in Camp Hill. Or buy a dinner and get a free ticket in the drawing, either way you look at it - Its a great deal!
The dinner will be buffet-style and include Grilled Hamburgers, Hot Dogs, BBQ Chicken, Garden Salad, Baked Beans, Chips, Pretzels, Watermelon, Cookies and more.

How much does it cost?
MCA Adult Members: $16 per person
Adult Non-MCA members: $20 per person
Child (10 years of age or under): $8 per child

Send your checks to: Paul-Michael Van Hook, Merkur Club of America, 231 Hillcrest Avenue, Clarks Summit, PA 18411. Make your checks out to “Merkur Club of America” and make sure they are postmarked by Saturday, May 18th. As in past years, the organizers need to finalize the attendee count. This will ensure adequate food and seating for all attendees.
Please note that tickets will not be available at the Showfield or Hotel. As in any catered function the Hotel needs to know a week in advance of our final count. Sorry - no stragglers, get your money in now, don't delay! Tickets will be available for pick-up at Carlisle Saturday afternoon at the Merkur/MCA tent.

If you have any questions or comments, feel free to e-mail me at merkurscorpio@hotmail.com.

Paul-Michael Van Hook

22 March 2002 Are you ready for Carlisle 2002? The event planning pages are now online to help you make the necessary reservations, learn more about what is planned and coordinate your weekend with other attendees. In addition, a Frequently Asked Questions section will help both new and regular attendees of this great event. This site will evolve over the next few months, so please ensure you check back regularly. All changes will be easily accessible by clicking the 'Site Updates' quick-link button.

Help make this the biggest and best event of the year by planning ahead and sharing your past experiences in the Carlisle forum.

27 January 2002 Be the best dressed Merkur owner around the shows this year. I am getting ready to place another large order of 'Merkware'. Submit your orders by February 15th to ensure prompt delivery. All items are top quality merchandise embroidered with the club logo. Visit the Merkantile, place your order today, and you can proudly show off your Merk-wear at the next club event. How about a brand new MCA polo shirt to show off at Carlisle? A fleece or Polartec pullover will ward off the chill at any event!

We have merchandise in a wide range of sizes and colors for every season and every event!

Click here to download the Adobe PDF file, or visit the Newsletter Archive section of the Members Resources area. The next newsletter is already underway, so if you have any contributions, or ideas on what you would like to see, email Richard at newsletter@merkurclub.com.

19 January 2002 Yes it’s that time of year again to start thinking about Carlisle 2002. The dates for the All-Ford Nationals weekend are May 31 – June 2, 2002. As in past years, Carlisle Events has opened Club Pre-Registration. The Club Pre-Registration rate is $25 instead of the normal $40 or a savings of $15 per car registered. This represents a savings of 38% over normal registration costs. If you are bringing a second Merkur the rate drops to $20 and even lower to $15 for a 3rd Merkur or more.
This offer is only open until February 28, 2002 and then registration will revert back to the normal early registration rate of $30 until May 10th.

Carlisle Events restricts this offer to recognized clubs and their members. This has been their policy for many years. They go as far as pre-printing the club name, Merkur Club of America, on the application.

We would like all Merkur owners to take advantage of this special Club Pre-Registration offer. All that we ask, as a courtesy, is to register as MCA. This will assist us in winning the largest club trophy as Merkurs have done during the past several years.

Click here to view and print the special Pre-Registration form. Write your check and submit this to Carlisle Events to arrive before February 28th.

15 January 2002 To assist in coordinating Carlisle accommodation, travel, events, sales etc, we have made created a special area on the MCA 'Wall'. Click here to find out more about this year's Carlisle event, or post your own questions.

26 2001 To all you left-coasters, this is an event for you! On Sunday November 4th, there will be an open garage tune-up day in Rocklin, California, 30 miles north of Sacramento. There will be eight open lifts available to do work, with engine and transmission oil being available at dealer cost. Any parts needed can be delivered at dealer cost also, providing enough notice is given.

This will be the inaugural event of the Sacramento chapter and we hope there will be many more in this area.

September 28 2001 On August 20-21 the Shelby Mustang Club of Rochester extended their invitation to us for a two day instructional at one of America's premier motor racing circuits - the Watkins Glen International circuit in upstate New York. The event drew one of the largest Merkur crowds ever. Jeremy Moyler, Cliff Walton, Steve Walton, David Weiner and Dave Ziminski spent the two days improving their driving line on this high speed road racing circuit, that only a week earlier was host to NASCAR's Winston Cup race.

We'll have a photo page up soon, but here are the drivers in the 'Victory Circle.'

If you have fast internet connection, download this video of Dave Weiner taking one lap of the Glen. 3.5 miles of twists and turns on one of America's premier road circuits. Click here to download and then unzip.

August 13 2001 On August 11, we met at Lime Rock for a day of talking, watching the SCCA races and driving pace laps at lunchtime. It was a beautiful day in Connecticut's Berkshire hills as these pictures show.

Click here to view pictures of the day's events.

Awaiting to enter the track for the high speed pace laps.

August 12 2001 Check out the pictures of some Euro Fords from England's equivalent of Carlisle. Phil Dorsey, Erik Cotos, Taryn Vernon & Mohammed El Rouby attended this show and shot these pictures for us all to enjoy,

Check out the pictures here.

August 4 2001 This month our dyno session was aimed at quantifying the gains to be made from the new Modern Performance programmable computer and boost controller. This well-attended event added to the growing database of dyno data we are compiling and convinced at least one member to have the device fitted to his car.

Check out the pictures here.

August 4 2001 Filling that lull between Carlisle and the fall events, was Alex Chaney's BBQ on July 14th. It was wonderful to meet and discuss our Carlisle experience, as well as the upcoming Lime Rock, Watkins Glen and Euro Expo events. An added bonus was the visit of Mohammed El Rouby - that dedicated Merkur nut who exported an XR4 to London and has been sending us all those interesting reports. Thanks for making the effort Mohammed!

Check out the pictures here.

Relive those memories of Carlisle with the most complete collection of photos on the web. Over 200 pictures tell the story of the weekend from the convoys to the awards. Check them out, and make a date to join us at one of the other events planned for the summer.

Make plans now to attend Alex's BBQ, the Modern Performance Technical Seminar, Lime Rock, Watkins Glen, Ford Expo, the Euro Expo 2000 and more.

June 17 2001 A major milestone in the club history was reached this month when an article about car clubs and the Internet appeared in 'ON' magazine; an online and technology supplement to Time magazine which was formally named 'Time Digital'. In the article, for which Rich Franco, MCA Director of Communications was interviewed, photos appear of Rich together with Richard Curtis, Jay Moore, David Lockhart and Bob Barrett. Well done guys!

We have already received enquiries from prospective members wanting to know more about the club, fulfilling one of our goals of reaching those owners who do not have access to the online community.

5th June 2001 Incredible! Another Carlisle has come and gone - and what a show it was! For the forth year running Merkurs won the largest club award at 119 cars, beating the Fairlane club by only two! We had a wonderful parking lot icebreaker party on Friday night, great camaraderie at the showfield and a banquet attended by over two hundred on Saturday. Sunday saw a well attended autocross and the awards ceremony on the showfield.

Lots of prizes and awards were given out at the dinner and on Sunday there was the traditional Carlisle Events award ceremony at which Bill & Chip Miller presented the four foot high largest club award, as well as thirty six award plaques in a drive-by ceremony. Seeing the Merkurs line up and drive by the stage in front of everyone, getting the recognition they deserve, is a sight not to be missed.

All the Carlisle news and write-ups will be published here soon, so keep checking back. In the mean time, the Carlisle Awards are posted here. Thanks to everyone who made the effort to attend the Carlisle event and especially to those who helped out at the tent, with the banquet, icebreaker party, autocross and with the judging.

4 May 2001 Photos from last weekend's Pocono gathering are now online together with a report of the weekend. It was a great success in a wonderful area and we all agreed to try to repeat the event later in the year.

In addition to much parking lot bench-racing, a dinner at one of the area's premier brew-pubs and a cruise to the top of Camelback mountain, a charity chowder-off competition was attended on Sunday before people left for home. Look out for a repeat of this event later in the year.

22 April 2001 Just in time for the 2001 car season, MCA presents a line of quality merchandise embroidered with the club logo we are calling Merk-wear. Visit the Merkantile, place your order today, and you can proudly show off your Merk-wear at the next club event. How about a brand new MCA polo shirt to show off at Carlisle? A fleece or polartec pullover will ward off the chill at any event!

We have merchandise in a wide range of sizes and colors for every season and every event! Help support the MCA and order today!

19 April 2001 Our membership is growing fast. Most recently we have Bob Gilbert whose pristine Scorpio is pictured here. We also have Tim Bivens who is pictured here with his 16 yr son, Luke, and his son's new XR.