How are the vettes judged in the various vette shows, do they use a point system? What are the different classes, corvette gen, stock, mod? Any tips would be appreciated, thought id enter a local show, see how i do.

Thanks in advance,
Steve

 

every show seems to be different, sometimes you can get a judges sheet before the show, and some shows will give you a copy of the judges sheet for yor car to let you know how your baby did

 

Some have a point system. Some are just for looks and peoples choice. One thing the shows have in common no matter how they are judged is that your car has to be very clean.

 

you got that right,, totally clean is about all they look at around here,, dont make sense,, what about carizma,charm, the personality of the car things like that,, but no,, lets see how clean she is,, odd to me,, but thats life in the car show scene..rj

 

Present the car in the right class with the spectators in mind. They like to see the interior, engine, and trunk. Then spend allot of time going round and round to make it spotless. It works well to take home allot of firsts.
Laurie

 

Very nice having your own home grown detailer

 

As mentioned each show is different, points, participant judged, (can't vote in your class), spectator judged/ favorite, but like above your car needs to be cleaner than new. This is a pic of my car waiting to be judged, door opened, windows up, trunk, and hood opened. I tied for first place with a total of 99 points out of 100.



It also helps to have a basement full of this stuff, my little vendor table at the show.

 

All Car Shows are different!

 

Very clean, yes.

But it doesn't hurt to have a gorgeous car like yours Laurie, and yours, Bill!

They are both attention getters!

Very nice rides, both of you!

 

They are all political

 

Thanks Bill, you know how hard it is to win with a white car

 

They all seem to be different but it'll help if you know one of the judges. IMHO a clean car should not be the main focus for the judges. The guy who rebuilds his ride in the garage should be the winner but in all fairness to the judges they have maybe 150 cars to judge in a couple of hours, noway is it always going to be fair.

 

For sure!

 

Go to your local show with the idea to have fun, visit with other enthusiasts, and maybe make some new friends. Don't count on going home with a trophy. Then if you do win, you'll be pleasantly surprised.

We attend several Corvettes events each year, most have a show-n-shine, and I have found the following to be true:

Participant voting - the winner will be a member of the largest club.
Public voting - the winner will be the cleanest Red Corvette!
Judging - the winner will be the cleanest Corvette in each class.

And here are some tips for making your's the cleanest - clean the inside "barrel" of your wheels, clean your brake calipers, clean your exhaust (mufflers too, not just the tips), make sure all glass is spotless, no wax residue in body panel seams or around emblems, clean dust out of air conditioning vents, and some new floor mats couldn't hurt.

And, no, green cars don't win trophies

 

Participant and Peoples Choice shows are nothing more than a glorified gathering at the local night spot. Most of the people in participant shows have no idea how to judge a car even though they brought one to the show. Not worth much effort.

At judged shows cars are judged on Interior, Exterior and the Engine compartment in Concours classes. In wash and show classes they are only judged on Interior and Exterior.

At judged shows you do not prepare your car for the spectators, you prepare it for the judges.

As far as cleanliness you need to clean every nook and cranny in the car. For example as a judge looking at a C5 Z I would look in the seams where the rear quarters meet the top to see how much dirt was down at the bottom. I would also look around the rear plate to see if all of the dirt was removed from around the plastic bezel. Another place is the door hinges and door panels where the weather stripping is located. Any place that is hard to get to and is visible by just looking is fair game. Glitz doesn't count as anybody can add glitz. Attention to detail is what counts. I would also check out the wheel wells, the back sides of the wheels that I can see through the spokes and I would check the body fit lines. To do this I have the owner close the doors, hood and trunk and install the top. Should be that way when I walk up to the car.

In the interior places that are judged are the glass and dash at the base of the windshield, the defroster duct on the dash, etc. Seat bottoms are places where a lot of dirt gathers and people forget to clean. Do not put floor mats in a car that is going to be judged. The judge is going to have you pull them out and if you forgot to clean under them you are going to get dinged.

As for how much effort you need to put into cleaning the car you can use this as a guide: If you drive your car less than 2500 miles per year and wash it every week it will take you about 40 hours to clean it for a judged show. Develop a procedure that you follow when cleaning the car and always follow it.

The first time you do this you will be lucky if you place third. By the Seventh or Eigth show (depending on whether you get your judging sheets from previous shows, insist on them) you will be placing first with a shot at Best in Show. Judging sheets are important as they tell you where you messed up.

Bill

 

If you want clean, just buy a new car, car shows based on how many hours you spent cleaning are a waste. Who cares how you detailed it, if it is stock who wants to see it? There are 10 more C5s in line beside you. "detail" should be applied to custom touches, not eating off the underside of a trailer queen, who can honestly enjoy cleaning more than driving?