What if you trailer to within 50 miles of the show and then drive
it in? Other marquees have debated separating cars by an annual
mileage limitation, (then I think u would need sealed odometer
cables). Anyways I don't think there should be a trailer queen
class - may not be enough participants and might create a bad
blood snob class. And in a strange way maybe a better argument
could be made to separate out the "wallet"queens.
I actually like competing against wallet and trailer queens, they
set the standard but often enough you get to beat them. For all
his money the guy with the wallet doesn't always have a 'correct'
car. Money sometimes does not equal brains or knowledge, so it
gets down to how well he picked the restorer. And rarely have I
seen a car where Mr. Rich effectively says to any shop "unlimited
budget - go at it".
Here's my 2 cents on specifics,
The concours system judges a finished product. If u drive it, u
have to work harder at it. If u trailer it u miss out on the
driving. Lot's of room in between.
1-Many mechanical upgrades cannot be seen, but visible numbers and
features must match.
2-Non factory colors might be acceptable if the factory was prone
to special orders.
3-The car does not have to be original down to its own heritage
certificate, but for its date of production must be factory
build/dealer option representative.
4-Overpolishing aluminum is a deduction, but there is no way to
penalize a too perfect panel or panel fit.
5-Reasonable safety upgrades can be listed as acceptable (third
brake lite or roll bars are questionable).
6-Specific allowable non compliance (ie batteries, tires) must be
debated and resolved.
7- A visible later better upgrade (ie interior or engine) takes a
flat penalty (1, 2 or 3 points out of 100) and then the upgrade is
further judged for condition. Wrong marked hardware is counted but
up to a max penalty etc etc.
8- For all the best efforts consistency between cars and between
different judges and even between same judges on the same car year
to year cannot be guaranteed. Participants can argue from
documentation or the concours guide on originality, and on
condition take their lumps. Qualified volunteer judges are never
easy to procure.
9- I prefer the gold (95-100), silver (90-95) and bronze (80 - 90)
concept as opposed to the 1st 2nd and 3rd in show and in class.
(Less friction under the tent and to make a bronze or silver is
more motivating than last in class).
10- And a separate club class on the same day that is less
rigorous & less serious & less intimidating. Here u choose
whichever class u like with no restrictions except that if u win
overall club class, the following year u are restricted to
concours class.
A final note, buyer beware - I have seen concours claimed on
advertising that is nothing more than a popular vote and a 1st
place in class awarded to a buddy with a bad car, or to some old
guy who drove all the way from Alaska. Concours at Pebble beach is
not the same as concours in Saskatoon in winter at midnite. A 4
year average in multiple locations is more meaningful than a one
time hit - ie a concours history.
As I drive my cars (and they do lose their sheen) I chase down
small originality items to keep the score from slipping away for a
few years anyway, before they turn into "older restorations". Then
like the wife, they may have a few wrinkles, but do command a
great deal of respect.
Mike L.
60A,67E,59Bug
----- Original Message -----
,From: Charley & Peggy Robinson <ccrobins@ktc.com>
So how abot the
> following:
>
> * A grouping for trailer queens of any class. Must be original
to the
> last split pin.
>
> * A grouping for drivers of any class. Handling and safety
upgrades
> allowed, but no polished fuel lines, etc., allowed. Do you get
the
> idea?
>
> These are broad guidelines. I recognize that the idea leaves
lots of
> room for nit-picking. It does eliminate the "what's original"
conflict
> from the general show, I think. "If you drove it up here then
it's a
> driver...."
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