The drivers vs. concours discussion seems to be a never ending story. I can
relate to both sides, however I have some aversion to trailer queens. I do
photography on the side and have shot the Pebble Beach Concours for a
number of years. There are cars there that never turn a wheel except on
the show field? I call them the worlds most expensive lawnmowers. I have
heard that some of the tricks of the trade for the high dollar show cars
are no coolant/water in the cooling system, suspension bolts not torqued
to spec to avoid damaging chassis paint, tops that are never folded down,
having the car resprayed just prior to the show so that the paint is
fresh and buffed and not waxed, fitted plastic covers for convertible tops
to keep dust off during transport, plastic booties to go over the tires
so grass and dirt don't get into the treads.
An idea for the National would be to institute a special award, a big one
people would really want to have. To qualify for the award contestants
would have to participate in two driving events and the concours. Points
from the driving events would be added to the points from the concours
and the car with the highest total would win. Each event would be weighted
equally and minimum points could be awarded for just participating. You
could call it something impressive like "The VTR Cup" and have a REALLY
big trophy and maybe a gift certificate for $$$ to one of the big vendors.
The cars with the biggest shot at the trophy would be nice drivers, which
probably represents the core group of VTR best.
Just a thought.
Cheers,
Kurt Oblinger
Redondo Beach, Ca.
c394829@is6.mdc.com
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