The 2011 Import and Kit Nationals are coming up in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, on May 20-22, and if you’re a fan of French cars, this is one show you won’t want to miss. This year, the organizer, Carlisle Events, is featuring the cars of la République. There will be an invitational display of 19 French cars in Building Y, ranging in age from a 1897 De Dion Bouton board track racer to a 1984 Renault R5 Turbo II.
Marvin McFalls of the Renault Owners Club of North America, which is helping to organize the display, is predicting a big turnout. “We are expecting to have over 150 different models from Alpine, Citroen, De Dion Bouton, Rene Bonnet, Breese, Peugeot, Renault, Simca, and others,” he said. “On Saturday, May 21st, we are planning to display all French cars on the show field by year.”
This year marks the 20th anniversary of the 400-member Renault club, and they’re pulling out all the stops for their celebration. The club will unveil an R8 Gordini that’s undergone three years of restoration; Jonathan Burnette will give a seminar on his recent 10,000-mile trip by Dauphine to Alaska and back; and Kirk Gibson will drive his 1907 Renault Vanderbilt Cup racer on the Carlisle race circuit, weather permitting. There will also be scenic driving tours on Friday and Saturday afternoon, among other activities. The very first Alliance ever built, up until recently a part of the Chrysler museum, will be the centerpiece of a display of all of the R8-based cars.
As always, the Carlisle import show will feature some 1,500 cars from the U.K., Germany, Italy, Sweden, Japan and all the other corners of the globe on its extensive show field. There will be a swap meet, vendors’ spaces, and the popular car corral – hey, just because you arrived without a foreign car doesn’t mean you have to leave without one. Hemmings editors will be walking the fields, so please be sure to say hi if you spot us.