What’s new this year? That’s a question frequently asked by guests, vendors and even members of the media. Carlisle Events is prepared for
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What’s new this year? That’s a question frequently asked by guests, vendors and even members of the media. Carlisle Events is prepared for a south to Florida and its annual Winter AutoFest Lakeland offering, spotlighting a cornucopia of new and fresh things. This includes displays, themes, guests, seminars and more.
Winter AutoFest Lakeland runs February 21-23 at the aforementioned SUN ‘n FUN Expo Campus and the facility’s spacious footprint allows for a lot of variety. That variety offers the addition of guests like Lou Santiago and Herb McCandless as well as GM Certified Technician, Paul Koerner.
You’ve seen the names, but who are these guests? Lou Santiago is the host of Car Fix on the former Velocity Channel (now Motor Trend TV), but he’s more than just a TV car guy, he’s a real-life car guy. Lou is the kind of guy anyone can talk shop with for hours and the type of guy that anyone would want wrenching right next to them in the shop. He’s an encyclopedia of knowledge and he, plus his knowledge, will be at the event Friday and Saturday (2/21-22).
Another great guest is Herb McCandless. Herb is a racing legend and yet another encyclopedia of car knowledge. He’ll bring three of his most famous cars with him, too; a ’68 Hemi Dart, a ’70 Hemicuda and a ’72 Pro Stock Demon. These cars have an amazing pedigree…just like Herb himself. If cool cars and car stories are your thing, then an interaction with Herb’s a must!
Paul Koerner has been a GM service technician since 1997 and has been specializing in Corvette care and service since 1999. He’s obtained the classification of GM World Class Certified Service Technician. In a nutshell, is fully tested and trained by GM to repair any system in any GM vehicle (sans Saab and medium-duty trucks). His passion and knowledge run deep, in fact, at the 2019 Winter AutoFest event, Paul was found in the parking lot helping a patron whose car had broken down. He’s that kind of amazing!
These three guys will do their own thing throughout the event, including seminars and tech talks, but they’ll also converge for a special seminar on Saturday (2/22) called “Ask the Pros.” This panel will include Lou, Herb and Paul, while welcoming writer and industry expert Randy Bolig. More names may pop in, but these are the four confirmed at this time.
While Herb and Lou are fresh guests in 2020, Winter AutoFest also offers three all-new displays. One display honors 50 years of 1970 cars, with a display hosting a dozen or so rides from 1970. In addition, another new display showcases race-inspired cars. Within this display will be a $4.5 million dollar 2015 Ferrari FXX-K and a couple of million dollar L88 Corvettes. The final all-new showcase is focused on the Mopar brand. By popular demand, the Fun Field options at Winter AutoFest have expanded by one, adding Mopars in with pre-existing displays of the Corvette and Mustang.
Carlisle Events isn’t the only entity offering something fresh during Winter AutoFest. Carlisle Auctions, a star player during the weekend as well, presents its two-day auction on Friday and Saturday (2/21-22). During this time, a handful of ultra-low mileage consignments will cross the block. This includes a 2005 Ford GT with under 1,500 miles and a 1978 Corvette with less than 250 miles. In addition, as a nod to the Corvettes on display, Carlisle Auctions presents an all-Corvette hour on Saturday (2/22) starting at 1:30 p.m.
A complete rundown of this event, the auction and more are available online at www.CarlisleEvents.com or www.CarlisleAuctions.com. Further, the auction will offer a free web stream for it’s daily 10:30 a.m. event PLUS online bidding. In addition, anyone who registered to bid for this auction receives a FREE bidder’s pass for the fall Sunset-Carlisle auction in Sarasota, Florida. For spectators, single day admission tickets are $10 online or at the gate while a weekend spectator admission for everyday of the event can be purchased for just $15. Admission also allows for spectator access to the auction. As always at Winter AutoFest, parking is FREE.