Car Show Participants - Judging A Ride - Yeah, I'm Whining, but It's legitimate!

[Wedg2Go]

I have been doing car shows since the tail end of '98. I have attended car shows - both participant and independently judged - and I have also hosted a fair share of judged shows with my former club (former since I moved).

I remembered one show, in particular, when I just started to get my proverbial 'feet wet' with my Mustang ('99). It was a judged show, so I thought I could get away just showing the car without having the hood opened. When the judge showed up he asked, "To see the engine if I wanted points for that aspect of the car." Of course I was polite and told him, "No!" He replied, "If my car was truly a show car, then by all means there should be no reservation to show every aspect of that car." You know something? He was right and that stuck with me thru all the years!   

Skipped to today:

I attended a local car show today that was judged by a non-car club host. It was a benefit show, so I thought what the heck, "It's for a worthy cause." The non-car club host has done this show once a year for the last twenty some years. So it would go without say, "They should knows the in's and out's of hosting this show." Particularly the judging end of it!

Wrong!

Wrong - Wrong - Wrong!

Now I know, that my ride (yeah, the '70 Challenger) is somewhat a 'little rough around the edges.' And yes, these are things I will attend to over time. However, at this time, it is my belief that it is worthy to show and in particular what's under the hood.  I have absolutely no reservations when it comes to showing either ride from the bottom of it's tires to the top of the roof. When today's show was all done and said, four - that I know of - won with...yup!...You guessed it! With their hood closed during the entire time of the show! To add insult to injury I drove home in the rain and trashed my ride. Hmmmm?

Needless to say, I held it in, drove away smiling and thanking the host and deciding whether I want to attend next year. I have concluded That I will indeed attend next year either with my Mustang or the Challenger and I will be sure the car cover is in the trunk. Because, if anyone can win showing their show car with the hood closed, then I should be able to take home 'Best Of Show' by covering the entire ride.

Thanks for letting me whine...

[Cuda Cody]

I have not entered many judged shows so I do not have the experience you do.  I have been to a lot of shows that are judged and I love to look at all the cars.  If someone is winning a judged show with the hood closed then it's really just picking your favorite car type of judging and not something I would worry to much about.  It's neat that you got your car out and went to a show.  I'm sure a lot of people appreciated getting to see your Challenger at the show.  I know I'm always thankful to see all the cars people bring to the shows and try to say thank you in person to those who take the time to clean their car up and go through all the work to show it.  I really appreciate the work you and everyone who shows a car go through to take a vehicle to a show.

[anlauto]

My business sponsors a local car show award for "Best Restored" ......It's an all makes all models all years type show on Main Street Georgetown....I'm responsible for picking what I consider the best restored vehicle.
I take a quick look at all the restored cars...usually not many, most are modified in some way.....

Then I look at two things....Tires and battery.....If your car has radials or the wrong battery ...you loose....I don't care about anything else....I've never given the award to a Mopar because I don't want to award myself

Point being....Judges have their personal criteria and usually pick cars that meet it....maybe having the hood open isn't that important if they're looking for best fit, finish, paint and trim quality......who really knows

[tman]

In the beginning when I first got my Cuda, I went to shows and it was nice receiving an award.  After awhile, awards really don't mean much to me.  I attend shows as a spectator or participant.  As a participant, I no longer feel the need to try and receive an award.  I just do it for the enjoyment.  Gotta take a break once in a while, cuz sitting around all day can get dull. 
So don't fret, I appreciate cars that show up in ANY shape.  There are lots of people that probably appreciate your ride and that's enough of a feeling on its own.
My experience is that a lot of participants received awards just cuz they know the sponsor or judges.  Sometimes its just who you know or don't know. 

[Wedg2Go]

Thanks everyone for your kind words 'n all. I have calmed down since this event.

I still stand on the fact, if you claim to have a show car be prepared to back up that claim. I know it was their call as to how it was meant to be judged. It was wrong, yet...Grrrr! I can't believe I spent that much time, under the hood, prepping for this show. LOL! Onward, ever onward!

[Burdar]

A car should be judged on how it's restored...not how rare or valuable it is. If a /6 or 318 car is restored better/more correctly than a hemi car, they should win. That will NEVER happen on the local level. The big engine cars will always take home the trophy even if they look like poop up close.

[Cudakiller70]

I prefer to see cars at shows with the hood down, I want to see the stance and lines of the car.
So many different car category's . Drivers, restored, show cars, original. Alan hit it, your going to win or lose all depending what the judge/judges like. I go to have fun, hopefully some good eats and maybe meet some good people.

[cuda hunter]

Who won the awards?

  In my opinion your mopar was by far the best there.   

[RUNCHARGER]

All my trophies are in a box and I never look at them. I try to build each car better than the last though. I came to the realization early that not everyone knows a heck of a lot about our Mopars so even winning one of those awards doesn't pack as much weight as personal satisfaction.
Alan makes a good point, to me I look at coatings on nuts, latches etc. first, overspray or sanding scratches second. I drive my stuff so an original battery and thumpy tires don't mean a lot to me. It just shows judges have different perspectives.

[1 Wild R/T]

All my trophies are in a box and I never look at them. I try to build each car better than the last though. I came to the realization early that not everyone knows a heck of a lot about our Mopars so even winning one of those awards doesn't pack as much weight as personal satisfaction.
Alan makes a good point, to me I look at coatings on nuts, latches etc. first, overspray or sanding scratches second. I drive my stuff so an original battery and thumpy tires don't mean a lot to me. It just shows judges have different perspectives.

Yup.... I'm never gonna win one of Alan's trophies....  And it doesn't bother me at all...

[anlauto]

You guys made my point exactly. As long as shows are judged by people and people have different opinions, then who knows who will win.....Even look at OE level judging, they are supposed to judge your car against a sheet and keep opinions out of it and still the owners aren't always happy with the results....

Every form of judging is flawed 

[ChallengerHK]

I've had lots of hobbies over the years. One of the things that I learned is that there are two types of competitions: those that are intrinsically measurable, e.g., racing, where you know who earned first place, and those that are opinion-based, e.g., showing a car. Those that are opinion-based, in my experience, always devolve into popularity contests, so I avoid them.

Many years ago I was building a lot of model cars. I built one for a show, a Challenger (natch). I had scratch-built valve stems, brake lines, trans lines, and seat belts. I had flocked the interior to simulate carpeting. I wired the spark plugs to the distributor in firing order. A guy with a 69 Camaro which had a big glue thumbprint of the windshield took first place. I have never looked back on competitive modeling 

[GoodysGotaCuda]

I gave up on parking trophies years ago, and will continue to even now that my car is much nicer than it ever was. My experience is obviously not in concourse correct cars, just small local events.

It's nice to be acknowledged for having a quality car, but, to me, it's not worth getting spooled up over if there is no money involved.

Have a good time, enjoy the scenery and accept that someone's buddy is going to leverage their other buddy to win something you may have deserved more. It'll be okay!


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