Carlisle Celebrity Award

Its almost two weeks until the All-Chrysler Nationals in Carlisle, PA and I Can't Wait! I took the last two years off from going to the show and I am looking forward to meeting up with some old friends and meeting a few new ones.

The club tent is all set and my car is registered, all done well in advance of the event, so when I got an email from Carlisle Productions last week from a person I don't usually have contact with I had to wonder what was going on.

I have been invited to attend the Celebrity Luncheon on Saturday during the event. What does this mean? Other than getting a free lunch I was chosen to judge a "Celebrity Pick" for the event this year. I'm stunned, surprised and ecstatic to have been chosen for this. This is going to make the show really special for me this year.

So. I have to set some criteria for my pick. It goes without saying that for the purposes of fairness I won't be choosing an early Valiant or Barracuda. I don't want to play favorites.

So I guess it gets philosophical. What do I believe a car should be? What are some of the trials and tribulations we as early Valiant and Barracuda owners have we had to endure during the restoration or resto-mod process of getting our cars back to driveable status?  I have a very "Do It Yourself" attitude about this hobby so any car chosen must have a hands on approach by its owner and family.

The chosen car must exhibit some resourcefulness to overcome some the adversity of finding available parts, or the lack of parts. We all know how hard it is to locate that one trim piece or match the seat covers for some models. We can't just open a catalog and order everything needed for a repair and that will factor into my choice.

Does it need to be painted? No. Does it need to be driven? Yes. Does it need to be a complete restoration? Probably not as I have a soft spot for "rolling restoration" projects.  It will most likely be a 1966 or older Mopar but I'll leave a caveat for that one because you never know what will show up at Carlisle.

Will it be a modern Mopar? NO! No PT Cruisers or 2012 Challengers. Will it be a cheesy 4x4 Duster painted orange with a "01" painted on the side? Don't hold your breath! Will it be an E body? Doubtful.

This is going to be very hard and very fun at the same time. Picking a car that represents the Club's attitude of "Just Fix It, Drive It and Enjoy It" will keep me on the show field more and in the swap meet area less.

But that's OK. Because this year, I'm a Celebrity Judge representing The Early Valiant and Barracuda Club at the biggest all-Mopar show on the east coast! Its going to be a good weekend!