Hey everybody out there in 300 land,
There have been some questions about Chrysler 300 Club International Concours judging. At Spring and Fall meets we always have People's Choice judging open to all letter cars attending. At Fall Meets, we traditionally have Concours Judging in addition to People's Choice. We skipped the last couple years for different reasons, so here's a quick rundown for newer members, etc:
Participation in Concours Judging is voluntary and optional. You must register your car's VIN by September 1 and there is a fee.
Letter series 300s and Hursts are judged against how they left the factory. Why? Because thanks to Gil Cunningham's diligent efforts years ago in acquiring the factory build cards we can prove to a great degree of certainty how they left the factory. Any added options, be they "era correct," "dealer installed" or whatever, will result in point deductions. Modernizations and hot rod/"restomod" items, i.e., disc brakes, electronic ignitions, etc. are deductions.
We also judge condition and appearance. We are looking for appropriate finishes, so if your exhaust manifolds are too shiny or your paint is the latest "wet look" clear coat, it's points off.
While we encourage driving your 300s and may overlook a little road grime, the expectation is cars entered in concours should be clean and restored to a reasonably high standard and/or be a well preserved original. In other words this is for "show cars." There is also a minimum points requirement to place. In other words, if you are the only car in your class and you don't make a certain number of points, you don't automatically get a first place award.
I know a lot of people find all this off-putting, but please consider two things: this is one very small aspect of Club membership that only a handful of members participate in (again, optional and voluntary.) We are not telling you how to restore your car, unless you want it formally judged. Also, I feel holding these high standards results in a Concours award from the Club meaning something.
Hopefully I haven't scared too many off. In many cases your typical somewhat overrestored car will only get piecemeal deductions here and there and can still score quite well. On the other hand, things like color changes carry rather large deductions.
Any 300 in any condition is welcome at our meets. Mine's a driver. We've had fresh barn finds hauled in on trailers to six-figure restorations - most cars are inbetween.
Also, if anyone is interested in the judging process and wants to help out or just see what it's about, please let me know. I will be assigning judges for the meet.
300ly,
Andy
In steamy Chicago
--Ray Jones. Y'all come on down an see us. Ya hear?
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