SVT 15th Anniversary Reunion

June 6 to 8, 2008

The Carlisle All-Ford Nationals is one of the largest gatherings of Ford enthusiasts all in one area. Every year, thousands of Ford enthusiasts make their way across the continent to pay homage to the Blue Oval. Just minutes outside Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, the Carlisle Fairgrounds are transformed into a massive car and truck show with a huge aftermarket parts & accessories manufacturers' midway, plus hundreds of other vendors with a variety of parts and accessories for sale. The show also includes beauty & burnout contests, and rock crawling. It's a MUST-GO SHOW for the Ford fanatic!

To mark the 15th anniversary of the launch of the Ford Special Vehicle Team, Carlisle Productions teamed with the SVT Owners Association and Ford Motor Company to host the SVT 15th Anniversary Reunion. Club members and SVT owners from across the world came together to show their vehicles in our special display. All members of the SVT family were represented: From SVT Mustang Cobras and GT500s to SVT F-150 Lightnings, plus the SVT Contour and SVT Focus, even the SVT-engineered Ford GT supercar!

A few of our members made our way across the border and through the states of New York and Pennsylvania. On our arrival, we were greeted by Marcie Cipriani, our new SVTOA National Director, and the new staff at National (including Jerry Clor, Mike Pakoskey, and Bill & Karla Puck). Once we loaded up on stuff from the new SVTOA Store, we went off into the sweltering sun and heat to check out the rest of the show. In addition to the SVT Reunion, the show featured the 40th Anniversary Reunion of the Cobra Jet, the 20th Anniversary of the Merkur Scorpio, and a general celebration of Ford, Lincoln and Mercury vehicles made in 1958. Some celebrities also stopped by for the event, including Jon Runyan from the Philadelphia Eagles, Funkmaster Flex and his trailer full of customized rides, and KITT from the new Knight Rider series.

SVT owners and SVTOA Members were also invited to a special Saturday Question and Answer session, hosted by John Clor and Jayson Demchak from the Ford Performance Group. The session was attended by key SVT program engineers, including:

• Nick Terzes – SVT Mustang Cobra & GT500
• Jeff Grauer – SVT F-150 Lightning
• Greg Peet -- SVT Focus
• Dave Dempster -- SVT Contour
• Fred Goodnow -- Ford GT

Those who were in attendance also got a sneak peak and detailed reveal of the latest Shelby GT500 KR driven all the way from Dearborn, Michigan for this special event! Two of Ford's SVT engineers gave an informative product walkaround, and even allowed everyone to sit in the car for an up-close inspection of the latest performance Mustang. The session ended early enough to allow some of our members to check out more Fords. Some even got a chance to test drive some of the newest Ford vehicles. Others retreated back to their hotel rooms to take a break from the hot, humid weather. At day's end, everyone needed rest before the final day of the show and journey back into Canada.

Sunday was one final day for our members to show off their vehicles. Hundreds of people lined up to see how they placed in the show, while others took one last tour of the fairgrounds to see any rides (or great deals from the vendors) they may have missed. By Sunday afternoon our members' vehicles were stuffed with luggage, SVTOA merchandise, and prizes and giveaways from the many vendors. Everyone who attended this year's show had an excellent time. The sun began to set and it was time to head back home. Plans are already in the works to return for 2009.

Special thanks to everyone at SVTOA and the Ford Performance Group for putting on a great anniversary reunion. If you haven't ever been to Carlisle, mark it on your calendar for June 5 to 7, 2009. Visit the Carlisle All-Ford Nationals website for details.

Photo credits: Iain Reid, Richard Lee