50 Years of the VW Golf Celebrated at Carlisle

We're about three weeks away from the annual WrestleMania for rare foreign cars that is the Carlisle Import and Performance Nationals, with the venue itself celebrating 50 years of hosting automotive events.

And when it comes to big, round anniversaries, 2024 will also celebrate the half-century mark of cars like the Volkswagen Rabbit/Golf, Volkswagen Scirocco, Volvo 240, Citroën CX, and the Tatra 613.

"We're calling all Rabbit and Golf owners to bring their cars to Carlisle in May 2024, which will be exactly 50 years since the Rabbit/Golf went on sale in May 1974," the show organizers say, adding that Caddy and Cabriolet models are also welcome.

A special indoor display area will be dedicated to the Rabbit/Golf, in addition to the outdoor section that normally hosts VW cars.

When it comes to other 50th anniversary cars, we've certainly seen one or two tidy examples of the Fiat 131 at Carlisle over the years, in addition to plenty of Citroën CX models.

And yes, there has been a Tatra 613 at Carlisle, though rarely since the early 2000s. Overall, their appearances have been rare, even though there are dozens of Tatras stateside (most of them seemingly in the basement of the Lane Motor Museum in Nashville).