screwed at a car show

[6bblgt]

Go buy yourself a trophy.

I think you completely missed the point.   Certainly i could go buy myself a trophy for less than the $20 registration fee....DUH.    That is not why we drive our classics to a car show and enter.   I don't do it often as i have three trophies for my Challenger sitting on top of my book case.   I did it to support the Marching BAND.   However, if your going to do a yearly car show as a fund raiser, do it right !!! The point is that when a show advertises trophies for best Dodge then they should award one...end of story.   To change it at the last minute during the show to best BPOand Dodge is utter bullshit.   I don't care if i was the only Dodge or one of 50.
I guess i should have known they don't know what they are doing when they even listed best Dodge instead of best Mopar as that left out any Plymouths or Chryslers that might have entered.    Hmmm   maybe that was the reason there werent any Roadrunners or Chrysler 300's there.   Stupid on their part.

Tomorrow Saturday the 19'th my car club Piedmontccc is having our annual car show.   See Piedmontccc.org     There you will notice best Mopar and best Chevy but not best Mustang or Camaro.   Instead in addition to car brands there is also best paint job, best interior, best other.   Also notice that it is an AMERICAN car show...Rice burners are not welcome.  Also, notice that it says While it doesn't say it our trophies are different...instead of plastic trophies our trophies are made by one of our members throughout the year by taking old car parts and mounting them on the plaques making them unique...   the people love them !!   Also, everybody gets something for their effort...We advertised first 150 for picture plaques, but, we gave out over 200 of them...beautiful plaques about 8x12 with wood base and an embossed picture of their car taken as they entered on it, and everyone got a goodie bag.   

Our judges are ourselves..  last year we had a member with a 66 chevy convertible judging the best chevy award, and a Mustang owner judging best Ford, and a Roadrunner owner the best Mopar.   Their instructions were simple...judge based on the look and desirability...no point system whatsoever !!   Not one of the awards went to "trailor queens" but instead to people who enjoy their cars and don't care about the resale value.   

Lastly, its for a great Charity...  The Hilltop Home for children.   Now the economics.   It costs money to put on a large show, last year we had over 300 cars enter and all of them were 25 year or older American cars.   We rented a local 1/2 mile racetrack.   The $20 entry fee didn't even cover the cost of the track, insurance, and other expenses.   The money we raise comes from the sponsorships from the local businesses.    We raised about $6,000 from the show.    The 50/50 drawing went for $525 to the winner, which the winner immediately gave it back to us !!   In addition our club yearly works the Good Guys show and we get a share of the proceeds which this year was another $2,800.    You will see on the website that we donated $10,000 to the Hilltop Home for Children.   I went with several of our members to the home to present them with the cheque.   

This is how to put on a car show !!

maybe you should've offered your show expertise to assist your grandsons' cause

[torredcuda]

And I am beginning to hate car shows.

The IMO you are going for the wrong reasons. I went to a show yesterday, I had the choice of two different ones, both fairly large, and well run. I chose to go to the one further away for a couple reasons - it was a nice drive, just over an hour, down secondary and back roads thru Maine and secondly due to the fact it was further away there would be a lot of cars I don`t normally see every week at local shows and cruise nights. I had a great time meeting a couple other Mopar owners I was parked next to and saw a bunch of other Mopar guys I already knew and talking cars with them. Trophies were to be announced starting at 1:30 but just before 1:00 I decided to leave as the show was winding down and I had been there since 7:45am. I had a nice drive home with the windows down on a nice 75 degree day, I enjoyed driving my car and hanging out and having a good time talking cars all day with fellow participants and spectators. I am always thrilled on the rare occasions I do get a trophy but that is never the reason I drive my old car to a show.

[chargerdon]

LOL...   Well our car show went off without a hitch.   I helped our photographer by holding traffic as each car that registered got their picture taken for the custom plaque that they get of their car.   By doing this i had a great look at each car as it drove in and also how their engines sounded and a word with the owner.    During this process the Mopar that i liked the absolute best was a 70 Roadrunner in FC7 Plum Crazy (my favorite color) with white vinyl top and white interior with bucket seats and the 4sp Pistor grip shifter shifter.   It also had the Magnum 500 wheels that i love.    I thought to myself, well here is the Mopar first place winner as later i was to be the judge for best Mopar.

Then after all the cars had registered, around 11:30 i began the official process of picking the 3 Mopar best cars along with a fellow Mopar owner Mike who has a 70 Challenger in top banana.  He also mentioned that he loved that Plum Crazy Roadrunner.   But then when we got to that car the owner had put in front of his car on the ground 3 huge trophies that he had won, and a custom sign telling that he won a total of 18 trophies.    Mike and i looked at each other and we both said...well this eliminates him...he sure doesn't need any more trophies and is arrogant.   We didn't even give him 3rd.   Instead we picked a different Road Runner that was in Top Banana...lol   

[torredcuda]

The other show I could have gone to yesterday was the NH Muscle Car Club show, probably 3-400 cars at that event as well. Last year a member was miffed about not getting a trophy for his newer Challenger, some "limited edition" model he bought and drove to the show. He posted how upset he was about not getting first on the FB page and was roasted by all the other members, the club president then explained they are NOT expert judges and simply have people  from the businesses that sponsor the club and trophies to pick their favorite car in that category, they also make it a point NOT to pick the same cars at every sow and instead make sure they pick different winners every show. This year my deceased friends son won an award with the car his dad gave him before he died, I helped  with the bodywork and paint and his dad built it mostly himself on a very tight budget - it is no show car but I was thrilled to hear it won a trophy, I know his son was very happy.

[JH27N0B]

But then when we got to that car the owner had put in front of his car on the ground 3 huge trophies that he had won, and a custom sign telling that he won a total of 18 trophies.    Mike and i looked at each other and we both said...well this eliminates him...he sure doesn't need any more trophies and is arrogant.   We didn't even give him 3rd.   Instead we picked a different Road Runner that was in Top Banana...lol   

Whenever I see a car at a show or cruise with trophies displayed either in front of it or in the back seat, I always am reminded of a classic South Park episode where they ripped on Phil Collins, and the Phil Collins character in the show always walked around clutching his Oscar award he was so proud of. 
One trick I've used at local shows where I really don't need to win a trophy, but know I'll feel a little slighted if I don't win, but a lesser car in my class does, is write "DO NOT JUDGE" or "DISPLAY ONLY" on my dash information card.  That works like a charm, I don't risk getting another $10 trophy to clutter up my garage. And after looking at the other cars in the show, I can tell myself I certainly would have won had I been in the judging! 

[anlauto]

He also mentioned that he loved that Plum Crazy Roadrunner.   But then when we got to that car the owner had put in front of his car on the ground 3 huge trophies that he had won, and a custom sign telling that he won a total of 18 trophies.    Mike and i looked at each other and we both said...well this eliminates him...he sure doesn't need any more trophies and is arrogant.   We didn't even give him 3rd.   Instead we picked a different Road Runner that was in Top Banana...lol   

Although I agree I don't like seeing all the trophies displayed with a car like that....but this is fundamentally what's wrong with "judged" car shows...
YOU....being the "judge" and automatically eliminating this guy because he's won other shows....inserting your opinion on the guys display is just wrong.  There's likely a reason he's won other shows, he's probably worked hard to make his car the best, even you were drooling over it when it arrived....then he doesn't even place in the top three? Unless there was three cars a lot better then his, it's just wrong....

...and like the original poster of this thread...I could see being pissed off over that...

[RUNCHARGER]

I learned early on that most show "judging" and trophies are more of a reflection on personalities and friendships than the quality of the car. I never take them seriously, ever. That includes not taking seriously the trophies I do have to be honest. I have a few that I won because I had a Hemi and won over a better wedge engined car so it goes both ways. Don't lose any sleep over it.
The trouble is you start wondering why you are paying an entry fee so people can get in for free and rub the side of your car with their baby carriage or dog chain while killing time on their Sunday.

[7E-Bodies]

Screw'em. You drove away with a trophy they'll never own.

[torredcuda]

He also mentioned that he loved that Plum Crazy Roadrunner.   But then when we got to that car the owner had put in front of his car on the ground 3 huge trophies that he had won, and a custom sign telling that he won a total of 18 trophies.    Mike and i looked at each other and we both said...well this eliminates him...he sure doesn't need any more trophies and is arrogant.   We didn't even give him 3rd.   Instead we picked a different Road Runner that was in Top Banana...lol   

Although I agree I don't like seeing all the trophies displayed with a car like that....but this is fundamentally what's wrong with "judged" car shows...
YOU....being the "judge" and automatically eliminating this guy because he's won other shows....inserting your opinion on the guys display is just wrong.  There's likely a reason he's won other shows, he's probably worked hard to make his car the best, even you were drooling over it when it arrived....then he doesn't even place in the top three? Unless there was three cars a lot better then his, it's just wrong....

...and like the original poster of this thread...I could see being pissed off over that...

I agree - eliminating a car from even being considered for a trophy because it already won a number of them is wrong, if owners knew that befiorehand you would lose a lot of cars from ever entering shows again.

[anlauto]

It's like being a judge and saying..."I only like red cars, so that's who I'm giving the trophy to"  ...LOL

[tparker]

I'm going to go out on a limb and say car show judging is highly subjective unless your at one of the top tier places that have score sheets or what not. I'm new to the whole judging thing. I participate in my clubs shows but never judged because I figured I don't have adequate knowledge. I know a little, but not enough to Judge. The problem is, it is getting tougher to get judges. We have a rather large Mopar group in town and a pretty big ford/mustang group. I volunteered to Judge at their show because they volunteered at ours in the past. People in club want to participate in the show, but if we are also judging it brings of conflict of interest. So we help each other out. But regardless, you are judging a cars based on some loose criteria which are always going to be subjective. And there is always someone that complains. Which is why I earlier said I am beginning to at these things. I have heard a few complaints and was just so turned off by it. This car was "paid for" or that car had this issue, or that car really didn't belong in that class, or the judges just didn't appreciate these type cars, etc. Some of that may be true, some of it may not be. It's a local show ran by people that take the time out to plan, provide, and participate over long hours so the public can enjoy it, perhaps to raise money for a charity or other stuff. Over the years I have seen people get bent out of shape because they didn't get this spot, or that spot, its to hot, or not under a tree, or is under a tree, or what have your. Lots of grumpy angry folks in this hobby, lol.

You pay a few bucks, get to hang around some great people who have the same hobby as yourself and a few get a trophy. That is enough for me. I know I will provide some feedback to our car show committee to hopefully alleviate any potential issues.

[torredcuda]

From the club page -
...AND A FEW THOUGHTS ABOUT OUR TROPHIES
We hope that everyone is enjoying the pics from our CAR SHOW: 2023 "Granite State Season Opener" at Deerfield Fairgrounds and we again want to thank everyone for sharing pics and posting about your experience at our show. Your responses have been overwhelmingly positive and we appreciate each nod! Dave has done a GREAT job of compiling all of the trophy photos and matching the winners to their vehicles...No easy task. Thank you Dave!
As I looked through the trophy winners and the vehicles, a few things really struck me: The broad range of quality of vehicles from "drivers" to "concours," vehicle eras from vintage to modern muscle, and owners from young to old timers. This seems to me to embody what the "hot rod vibe" is all about.
We all go to a lot of shows and quite frankly, more often then not, the trophy process at a minimum doesn't make sense, is a popularity contest, left up to "crowd vote" (we all know how this goes) or worse case, is just a total mess. Then there is the "why didn't I win" scenarios and people getting upset or downright angry.
We have said for years that we do trophies for fun and that cars are not professionally judged at our shows (you'll find the banner below next to our trophies at our shows). There have been some bumps along the way, but I think that we are finally hitting our stride. It makes me very proud of our club and our membership.
There is no stuffy "my car is better than your car" vibe anywhere to be found. I think this is what "hot rodding" is all about...car people getting together to celebrate cars. Not just our own car, all of the cars. And even more so, the ability to get excited about someone else's ride and to let them know how cool THEIR ride is.
We thank you for keeping this vibe of the hot rod hobby alive.

[chargerdon]

He also mentioned that he loved that Plum Crazy Roadrunner.   But then when we got to that car the owner had put in front of his car on the ground 3 huge trophies that he had won, and a custom sign telling that he won a total of 18 trophies.    Mike and i looked at each other and we both said...well this eliminates him...he sure doesn't need any more trophies and is arrogant.   We didn't even give him 3rd.   Instead we picked a different Road Runner that was in Top Banana...lol   

Although I agree I don't like seeing all the trophies displayed with a car like that....but this is fundamentally what's wrong with "judged" car shows...
YOU....being the "judge" and automatically eliminating this guy because he's won other shows....inserting your opinion on the guys display is just wrong.  There's likely a reason he's won other shows, he's probably worked hard to make his car the best, even you were drooling over it when it arrived....then he doesn't even place in the top three? Unless there was three cars a lot better then his, it's just wrong....

...and like the original poster of this thread...I could see being pissed off over that...

I agree - eliminating a car from even being considered for a trophy because it already won a number of them is wrong, if owners knew that befiorehand you would lose a lot of cars from ever entering shows again.

We had a total of 175 registered cars.   Here in Raleigh its Chevy country, Only 8 of them were Mopars..   Hell even our name is Piedmont Classic Chevy Club, tho it has been opened up to all American makes.   No rice burners allowed unless it has an American engine in it.   

Our instructions in picking the top 3 mopars was simple...no point system, just pick based on appeal...and that means of course what appeals to the judge.   We eliminated the Plum C Road Runner for three reasons.   1) Mike my co judge likes originality and this car had the 3 deuces sitting on top of the 440 engine.   However, the Vin number had an H not the V code needed.    Also, the fender tag had been removed...   To Mike this was cheating.   2) The trophies displayed to me shows arrogance...also they were 3 feet high for first place at major shows.   No way the owner would have even appreciated a 8" trophy.   So lets give it to someone who would appreciate it.  3) I talked with the owner and found out he did none of the work on the car...simply opened his fat wallet and payed for it...i don't think that is fair to give him a trophy because he is wealthier than the others.   Again, yes, my personal bias...to me this is a hobby to work on, not to buy.   

[Bearcuda]

Don't feel bad, I just went to the smallest, weirdest show I've ever been to at a Catholic Church this past weekend. I was the only Chrysler there, 71 cuda 340, 4 speed car, and there were only 21 total entries and 12 trophies. In my opinion, about five of the entries didn't even count as they were modern mundane things, including a 90's suburban that they didn't even bother to wash and literally had mud slung past the rear tires on to the back panel. Not only did my sweet Cuda not get an award but the kids choice went to a mediocre 69 Ranchero. 😳
Oh well, no skin off my back, it was just weird. The guy that parked next to me got FOUR trophies but he deserved it. It was a gorgeous 58 impala, red on red that he did all himself and I couldn't find a flaw on it. He was embarrassed but we all tried to reassure him it was well deserved.
I don't have room for any more trophies anyway. 😂

[Bearcuda]

If you go to the lengths of blotting out your number why register at all? Your car will still be sitting there