Karl, Mark, et al -
Well, we all have had our shut outs and disagreements with judges at shows over
the years and at times we've made various vows that we won't return to this or
that show or event.
But.....
In retrospect I remember my teen years when my buddy had an Olds 88 J2 and I had
my Dodge D500 and we constantly nagged each other about which car was best or
the better performer. We dragged, groaned and moaned - then had a beer and
forgot all about our taste in cars and discussed girls.
As I grew older and became more tolerant of other's likes and dislikes, the mind
torquing and gut wrenching disagreements over which attributes of different
makes became more of a discussion game than a way of life!
I have attended shows where guys would have their megabuck pride and joy trailed
in by their white suited mechanics who carefully unloaded the car, picking out
the blades of grass that had the audacity to stick in the tire treads before the
owner would show up an hour or so later (he flew in) to discuss the finer points
of his restoration to the judges.
Down the way might be a young guy with his pride and joy which he drove all
night to make the show with barely enough time to wipe the bugs off the
windshield. His beauty may have had some bondo showing and the chrome was shiny
but not near perfect yet he was proud as punch of it nevertheless!
When judging starts, the criteria might be authenticity or it may be uniqueness
or some other set of reasons for selecting a particular car. Judging may
actually be a "people's choice" event which in most cases will favor the makes
that are the most popular - let's face it there are tons more Chevys and Fords
out there than Mopars - and 59 Caddies with big fins are always crowd pleasers.
So, to keep my composure I just don't worry about it anymore!
If I really want a trophy I can buy one of those plastic and wood jobs and have
it engraved however I want. But If I have spent $10 or $20K restoring a car and
my goal is a $6 trophy - something is wrong with my priorities!
If the kid with the beater happens to have his hood and deck shaved and is in
the same class as mine but happens to have a 57 Bel Air hardtop in pink and
white with bugs on the windshield, it very well may get more attention than my
57 Dodge. Sales figures for 57 pretty much showed the same thing!!
The wonderful thing about car shows is that there is something there for
everybody! Customs, rods, rails, classics, collectors, survivors and everything
else that rolls on wheels. We just have to be considerate and recognize that
some folks - and judges just don't care for authentic original or restored
Forward Look cars like we do!
Personally, I enjoy the hunt for the parts - treasures if you will - and
driving these fun cars along with the hundreds of questions from the younger
people who never saw them on the road.....
"Do those fins really improve aerodynamics?"
"What is a hemi?"
"Is that a DeSoto? [re my Dodge] , my grampa had one just like it".
"A Push Button Transmission!!!!"
That's the fun part about these wonderful old cars, not the judge who argues
with you about the correctness of the upholstery pattern or worrying about some
little flaw in the replated hood ornament.
I agree that some of the "authentic original" cars at shows probably never
looked so good when they rolled off the end of the assembly line. But who cares?
If the owner wants a super better than built car, then that's his turn on and I
say let him enjoy it!
If the guy next to me likes his Fury in metallic purple then that's his turn on
and I wish him well!
And the kid who can't afford to do a total restoration on his "whatever it is
car" probably is getting the same turn on from showing his baby and I would
encourage him to continue enjoying it as well!
If my driver that is a great #2 sits shining in the sun but doesn't garner
enough points or votes to win a trophy then so be it! I enjoyed seeing the other
cars in the show and enjoyed talking to the folks interested enough to ask
questions.
BTW, I no longer will sit all day with my car at a show and wait for judges. I
walk the show and enjoy it along with everyone else! If it doesn't get judged
that way, then too bad!
Just my observations on shows and trophies!!
Brian
D500s in MI
Tuff Shift wrote:
> --- MARK J HASH <mjh@wanweb.net> wrote:
>
> (snip)
>
> The biggest embarrassment I felt was the day I attended a MoPar Show n Shine
> event, where I was shut out (which I have no problem with if the
> winning cars are nice cars BTW), but the car judged "Best of Show" was a '57
> Belvedere which until a year before had been a very nice
> "survivor" but had since been turned into a chopped, channelled beast with
> Frenched door handles and a blower that extended literally
> 3 feet out of the louvered hood. It impressed the show goers and won the
> six foot high trophy, while my '57 Fury, which the weekend before had
> earned 98 out of 100 points at the Forest Grove Concours, and took me 8
> years to rebuild, lost in the Fifties class to a '52 Cranbrook sedan with
> no upholstery.
>
> So, now that I finally understand that restored cars are basically ignored
> by most shows and their attendees, I mostly just drive Mr. Finzzz
> for myself and a few non-charging local shows, and the occasional visitor
> who know the significance of Exner's designs.
>
> Mark mjh
> '57 Fury in OR
>
> I can definitely relate to that, Mark! I occasionally attend some of the
> local shows around the area here and it never fails to amaze me how some of
> the vehicles which win trophies are not much better than some of the rusting
> hulks I've seen in the average salvage yard. And these are not all
> necessarily "professionally judged" shows either.
>
> And then there are the shows which are obviously biased for (or against)
> certain makes and models. For example, just a couple weeks ago out of 24
> possible awards, 22 were won by Chevvies, 1 Ford and 1 Buick. There were
> nearly 200 entrants and a fair representation of Mopars including both my
> 300G and the 64 Fury.
>
> Before that, my 300G which is a strong #2 restored Mopar where its
> uniqueness alone garners more attention than most of the other "routine"
> entrants combined, was beaten by a Cadillac which had holes in the
> upholstery, ragged paint where in one place it was cracked and the bondo was
> showing through, and rusted chrome all over. When I contested the judges
> decision, I was told the Caddy was "more original" than mine. Say
> whaaaa?????
>
> Then there was the "passionate pink" '59 Savoy that was chopped, decked and
> stripped of anything that identified it as a Plymouth, which won "best
> Mopar". I won't even talk about that atrocity.
>
> I'm beginning to get like a lot of you fellas in saying to hell with the car
> shows and just go to the cruise spots and meet with the same kind of people
> as I am.....those who are just glad to get out and drive one of these
> beauties once in a while and for a fleeting moment in time and relive a
> vibrant piece of automotive history when these finned Mopars were indeed,
> the kings of the highway.
>
> I appreciate all of those who took the time to share with me their feelings
> on this matter of overpriced car shows. Happy Moparin' and I hope to meet
> some of you people one of these days. You all seem like a great bunch of
> people. Maybe sometime WE can decide to get together some time in someones
> park and have our OWN Forward Look car show. If anyone in the Midwest comes
> up with some sort of a plan, you can definitely count me in.
>
> Karl
> _________________________________________________________________
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