CARLISLE, PA – Although the official beginning of summer happens on solstice day in late June, for Ford fans it begins on the first full weekend in June with the annual Carlisle Ford Nationals at the sprawling Fairgrounds in Carlisle, Pennsylvania. The country’s biggest all-Ford show here has been a staple for enthusiasts for more than a quarter-century now, which is why FordPerformance.com provides so much event coverage each year. While every single Blue Oval vehicle ever made is celebrated here, one nameplate has been expanding its footprint at the show for the past decade or more – and that’s the Mustang. It shouldn’t be surprising, with more than 10 million Mustangs sold over the car’s 61 years of continuous production – and it being the last remaining Ford car still on the American market today. That’s precisely why we’re kicking off our 2025 show coverage with “The Mustangs of Carlisle.”
With nearly 3,500 registered show vehicles on display, Mustangs have grown to more than 2,000 of that number – forcing the Carlisle Ford Nationals staff to devote a substantially large portion of the Fairgrounds to Mustangs. The main show field is divided into different sections for each generation of the iconic pony car, and then subdivided into certain years of the cars production runs during that generation, as well as stock or modified entries.
After consecutive years of setting both registration and attendance records, some very drenching thunderstorms ended the record-setting for 2025, except for perhaps a record for rainfall for the Carlisle Ford weekend. Many enthusiasts tried to protect themselves and their ponies from the heavy rain while out in the middle of the show field with ponchos, umbrellas, tarps and car covers, the heavy thunderstorms were enough to make other owners head back to their hotels. To our surprise, despite the bad weather the majority of Mustang enthusiasts stuck around until the skies began to clear to get back to the business of enjoying the show.
From the first generation of Mustang all the way up to 2014 S-197 Mustangs lined one whole side of the show field, while on the other side you had S550, S650 and more unique and special edition Mustangs. Those cars ranged from Shelby GT350s, 350Rs and GT500s to SVT Terminators, Mach 1s, and now also new RTR Mustangs as well. This year’s Ford Nationals really had a nice balance of all Mustang generations of Ford Mustang, and yes that’s including the Fox Body Mustangs and all the years for the SN95. No matter what year Mustang you liked, they were here.
Ford Motor Company and Ford Performance Parts brought an arsenal of their new Mustang lineup to display in the Manufacturers Midway starting with the RTR EcoBoost that was unveiled earlier this year at the Detroit Auto Show by none other than champion drifter Vaughn Gittin Jr., Mustang Brand Manager Joe Bellino, and Mustang Chief Engineer Laurie Transou. The RTR marks only the second time in Ford's history since the Shelbys of the 60’s where Ford has allowed third-party co-branding on a Mustang from the factory. More will come later in the year regarding the RTR factory offerings.'
Featured alongside the RTR and a couple of Dark Horse Mustangs in the midway was Ford’s new flagship Mustang – the race-engineered Mustang GTD. Partnering with a performance company called Multimatic and much like their work on the outgoing Ford GT, Multimatic helped Ford Performance create this beast from the ground up. With a design inspired by the Mustang GT3 race car that is currently competing in the IMSA racing series, the GTD is built to be a race car you can run on the track or drive on the street. For many, this was the first time they have been able to see a Mustang GTD in person – let alone two of them! One of the cars was featured in Holographic Blue with exposed carbon fiber making for a killer combo, while the other was shown in Polymimetic Gray – which is another very unique take on a darker color. Needless to say, those two cars alone drew huge crowd all through the show.
The last surprise Ford had up its sleeve was a new package unveiling for the 2026 Mustang called the Mustang FX Package. This new offering was inspired by the styling of Fox Body Mustang. Ford strategically placed a 1993 SVT Mustang Cobra from its Heritage Fleet at the front of the FX display for unsuspecting Ford enthusiasts to already ogle over that beautiful and well-preserved example of the Fox. After the Saturday FX reveal, the blue Fox Body Cobra gained a companion at the front of the display featured in a very similar 2026 blue color, Adriatic Blue Metallic. With the 2026 FX’s contrast stitching on the seats, dash, doors and steering wheel, paired with the body color of the car along with the plaid seat design, it really accentuate this special package, and white-silver accent also draws a retro styling cue for enthusiasts who really wanted a factory throwback to the Fox.
If you can’t find a Mustang that really fits what you love about the car at an event like this, you aren’t looking hard enough. Seasoned veterans who have attended the Carlisle Ford Nationals for years will tell you that you simply won’t be able to see this entire show in just one day. That is truly a testament to how large this event has become thanks to dedicated Ford enthusiasts who appreciate an extended weekend of celebrating Fords! Take a look at our gallery to see some of the coolest and newest Mustangs we found throughout the show.
FORD PERFORMANCE PHOTOS / COURTESY JOE DELADVITCH
