Mopar fans are some of the most dedicated people you'll find; they'll stop at nothing to score the most elusive of parts, they'll comb through acres of machinery to find the right project car, and they'll travel to the biggest, most important shows to present their pride and joy when it's finished. On the flip side, those who admire vintage Chrysler iron will trek hundreds or thousands of miles to be in the mere presence of a Hemi car or a winged warrior. These cars are nostalgic, and bring back tons of memories for those who remember them in their heyday, but they are also inspirational for a younger generation. Whether you're a current Mopar owner, or just wish you were, the huge spread of classic Chryslers at Carlisle is the main draw, and there's plenty to see.

See all 256 photos This 1970 Dodge Challenger R/T was part of a Carlisle-sponsored reunion of "FM3" code cars, designating the colors Panther Pink (Dodge) and Moulin Rouge (Plymouth). Invitees displayed indoors in building "T."

The 83-acre Carlisle Fairgrounds venue is home to the Chrysler Nationals and has ample space to hold over 3,000 display cars. Most are organized outdoors in rows by body size (A-Body, B-Body, C-Body, E-Body, etc. ), but some cars are grouped by special designation and placed indoors. This year, there was a special indoor collection of "FM3" cars, designating the color code for Panther Pink (Dodge) and Moulin Rouge (Plymouth). This one-year-only color (1970) is especially prized and brought a lot of attention. Also indoors was a grouping of Hemi Super Stock drag package cars from 1967—now at their 50th anniversary. Outdoors, there was a "survivor" tent, for vintage Chryslers still in their original preserved and unrestored condition. We're always amazed to see how well some of these have been preserved, and that most of them tend towards being the more typical family machines.

See all 256 photos The burnout competition is always a highlight at Carlisle and this customized 1958 Dodge Custom Royal was the nicest car (by far!) to attempt the feat. Fins are coming back and these cars continue to climb in popularity.

Attendance typically peaks on Saturday, when judging occurs and when special events such as the burnout contest and Daisy Dukes beauty contest are held at the main stage. As Saturday winds down, show-goers settle into the shaded grandstands to view crazy Mopar men incinerate their tires to the sound of a driving music track. We captured the whole thing on our Facebook Video feed (31,000 views and counting!) as the finale peaked with an excellent winning performance by a Super Gas 1972 Dodge Demon. Our personal favorite, however, was by a sweet 1958 Dodge Custom Royal with a healthy Wedge under hood!

See all 256 photos We did a double-take at this 1970 Dodge Charger 500. Beautifully patina'd the old fashioned way, it had been sealed with a flat clear and featured a message hand written right on the fender: "please touch me and open the door."

The Mopar hobby is ever changing, and one of the trends over the past few years is the artful preservation of patina. While some cars designated "survivor" get much of the attention due to doting maintenance by loving owners over the years, other machines are used hard, put away wet, and get little cosmetic relief. When that happens cars can fall rapidly into a state of corrosion, but other rare times, the resulting patina is only on the surface. We saw several cars whose owners had elected not to restore them, but to preserve them in their existing state, freezing them in time, in a matter of speaking. This is typically done to cars with chalky original paint and some percentage of rust scale. Preservation is by means of a clear satin sealer that stops additional corrosion while showcasing what's already occurred. The result is a classic auto that can be driven and parked fearlessly, and with minimal prospect of further decay. One such 1970 Dodge Charger 500 blew our mind with a label that read "please touch and open the door." We don't think we've ever seen that at a car show!

See all 256 photos Saved from the crusher back in 1980, this 1969 Dodge Daytona has just undergone a complete restoration by Mike Mancini and crew at American Muscle Car Restorations. Given Mancini's talent for sweating details, this car is destined for certified gold status.

See all 256 photos Prior to the burnout competition, Dodge pulled the 2018 SRT Demon from behind its velvet rope display for a captivating product walk-around by spokesman Steve Magnante. The Demon's handlers, however, refused to heat the tires for the crowd, even with chants of "burn out, burn out!"

Dodge has long used the Chrysler Nationals as a stage for new product introduction, or at least their first public introduction in face-to-face customer contact. Such was the case for the 2018 SRT Dodge Demon. Chrysler spokesman and Mopar Muscle contributor Steve Magnante did a very nice product introduction on the main stage just prior to the burnout competition, which gave the crowd the overwhelming impression that the B5 Blue SRT Demon would do a smoky burnout, but in a major PR gaff by Dodge, it was not to be. When the Demon motored off, chants of "burn out, burn out!" by the large crowd were replaced with loud, persistent boos. Intel from our Chrysler contacts reported that Dodge brass had specifically forbidden a burnout to be done in front of the assembled crowd. A small bit of trivia may be the culprit: In burnout mode, the Demon's PCM limits the total number of rear wheel rotations to 400, at which point the computer shuts of the line lock and kills power. Such a performance would result in either catastrophe, or extreme embarrassment for the unlucky pilot!

See all 256 photos This sweet 1969 Dodge Coronet R/T belongs to Lisa and Pete Marshall. They won our Muscle Motors giveaway Hemi that we chronicled in a 2016 build-up series, and that we gave away on this very stage exactly a year ago. A four-month thrash by Pete got it installed just in time for the Chrysler Nats.

On display on the Carlisle main stage for most of the show was the 1969 Dodge Coronet R/T of Lisa and Pete Marshall of Malone, NY. If the name sounds familiar, it's because last year at Carlisle, Lisa won our giveaway Hemi built by Muscle Motors, and sporting a nicely ported set of Edelbrock Hemi heads. Back then, Lisa and Pete vowed to put the 856hp pump-gas Hemi in their Coronet, and that's exactly what they did—and just in time for 2017 Carlisle. It was great to see Lisa and Pete again, and Pete reports that he even bought a smartphone just so he could stay in touch with the interwebs and such. Yay Pete! (And "like" us on Facebook while you're at it.) In all seriousness, Pete thrashed to get the Hemi installed, and a little tweaking by the Petty's Garage crew present at Carlisle got the tune on the dual-quad carbs just right. The result was a mellifluous rumbled that was pleasing to all.

That's a lot of stuff, and we haven't even scratched the surface! For that, you'll have to dive deep into the huge extra 249 picture gallery using the link below—or just plan on coming next year!

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Want to see more from the 2017 Chrysler Nats? Here's highlights from the Swap Meet and Car Corral with over 200 photos! Click here! [www.hotrod.com]