New To Corvettes and Car Shows Looking for Help
 

Hello to all. I just purchased a very nice 2001 Corvette from a member. I have taken it to 2 car shows and one first at one and second at the other.

I have some questions about the car show judging. How are the cars judged? I am sure they are all different, but there has to be certain things that they look for and certain things to avoid doing. I hear different things at every show I have been to.

The reason I am asking is because today I was beat by a car that was very nice but was doing some things that I thought were car show taboo. He had a restored/modified early '60 Vette. First, he had the trunk closed. I thought that it was supposed to be open. Second he had the top off the car, again thought convertables were supposed to have the tops. Third there was numerous items (hat, magazine) inside the car, again thought it could have been hiding stuff.

Tell me what is judged and what are good things to do and bad things to do.

Thanks and Love the Vette Life.

please tell me more was it a Corvette only Type 1 car show or was this a come 1 come all show. After I know what type of show it is I can and will help you. I have been doing all types of car shows for many yrs.

Pops

If I wanted to know why a certain car won over my car, I'd ask the judges at the show. I believe they would be happy to help you understand the criteria they used at that car show.

If you can contact a show's promoter (for example if a Corvette club were sponsoring the show) in advance of the date, you could ask them what reference they use for judging at that show.

They're not ALL different, but as Pops indicated, certain shows have different criteria, and some are MUCH more rigid than others. Some shows seem to have arbitrary rules and some even give an award to ALL entrants.

My first car show was 3 days after I bought my 'Vette and it still had the temporary tags. I entered 8 more shows the first year. Sure, I walked away with an award or two, but even better, I came home after having yet another great time looking at the cars and enjoying the camaraderie among the owners while learning a thing or two about my own car.

It's great that your car came in 1st and 2nd at the first two shows you entered, but you run into danger if you try to compare results BETWEEN car shows.

.

I knew a guy who cried foul everytime I showed up(bike shows).He even got mad and told anyone who would listen how the show was already rigged. No way will you ever be able to win all the shows....it's what makes it fun. If you let it ruin your day....best find another hobby. You win some, you lose some, but don't start whining about it.

And yes...sometimes you lose because it just wasn't your day, not because their car was better.

Edited: I even attended a large annual event once and the show organizers came up to me to apologize that they DIDN'T award my entry cause it went to another club ON PURPOSE! As dishonest as that was.....THEY ADMITTED IT! I wasn't even concerned because it was for a charity and it was just fun for me anyway.

In time you'll learn some shows you go to, the same cars win time after time. I've heard guys crying about that, but when you walk around the show, you say to yourself, hell, who else is out here that could have beat him, other times you say, how the hell did he win. Some of those cars that keep winning are the best out there, and sometimes, car shows are very subjective. I've seen guys get absolutely livid when they don't win :lol:.

I like GTG's, cruises, spirited runs/eating afterwards, and cars and coffee, as opposed to car shows. :cheers:

They vary tremendously and whether a judged show , peoples choice , a combination and even in judged it can be very subjective. Today the display can be very important to break a tie , it is not NCRS judging . We open hoods for sure and tops down for verts and have done so in 6 different southern states from Texas to Florida . One thing for certain is to clean , then clean and then clean. Wheel wells, behind spokes , inside exhaust tips, engine bay , dust and on and on. Remember first it is for fun, we are all competetive and it feels good too.

:iagree: with all the above - every show seems to be a bit different in what criteria they use. Good advice to call the organizer of the show and see what they really look for when judging.

Man I hate a whiner!

If it came off as me complaining, then I came off wrong. I felt the car that beat me should have beat me. I was only asking some questions to better myself at the shows. I plan on attending alot of shows in the future and don't want to do things that are going to hurt my chances of winning.

I was mainly hoping to get some tips and tricks from the car show guys on here. I was also trying to find an example of a scoresheet or something to see what judges really look for.

Thanks not trying to whine, just asking some questions. Thanks for the informative post.

When I was entering various car shows I looked at it as another reason to detail the vette & if I got any awards it was gravy. IMO, the shows are great to meet other car minded folks. Enjoy your vette & remember "The Wave".

I put a sign in my car in Columbia,Mo that stated No Judging, for Display only. The judges acted like it insulted them.:lol:

I don't have a problem with people being competitive and having their cars judged. It's just not for me. I'm the only one who will judge my car.

Anyway, it wouldn't do me any good because I'm way too competitive, and that's mainly why I don't really want someone judging it. I just like hanging out.

As already stated, different shows have different criteria. Some go into detail such as working signal lights & radio etc..
Presentation can go a long way towards a show winning car. Take two C5 cars that were the same. But the second one had a sign/poster board explaining details about the car and heritage/history, a magazine with a C5 with the header 'The New Gen Vette' (or something like that), a die-cast of his car, C5 hat - you get the idea... The point is that even though the hat, die-cast, mag and whatever were covering some part of the car, the winner would probably be him - not the 'plain' one. It can give a car 'the edge' over another. In the '100 point' shows, the judges will move the mags etc. to see what's underneath.

Having said all that, I show my car for fun. I do not expect to win anything. I do put my die-cast up, my book out explaining the Indy PC and am working on a sign board. I do it because it shows the story behind the car to anyone who cares to look a little closer.:thumbs:

This is why I'm documenting the restoration of my 2000 along with the upgrades I'm adding with plenty of pics. Eventually it will be a sign board showing where the car started and how it got to where it ends up. :thumbs:

I have never officially entered a car or Corvette show, however now that I'm nearing the end of my planned mods, I'm thinking about entering a few shows. I would love to add a nice die-cast of my 2004 MSG convertible, however I have never been able to find one in my color either in the 1:18 scale or the 1:24 scale. I even posted in the model/diecast section. I don't think one was ever made.

:(

Buy one and then paint to match...problem solved!

I don't have your artistic skills Rick! You're a master with a brush and spray can...:thumbs:

Like most said the shows vary in what they judge and how well they judge. NCRS dives into EVERYTHING! As far as where I am from most shows have different classes: Street Class (wash, wax, wheels, tires. Usually no interior or under hood judging), Modified ( Cars with mods and same as street) , and Super Street ( Usually the whole kit and caboodle, interior, exterior, under hood, and options/originality.

All criteria are different…..with some shows “it’s who you know” that determines the winner. Is that fair, of course not, but that’s life. Try to keep an open mind and attend the shows to see the cars and to BS with the other owners and spectators.:thumbs::cheers: If losing is going to be an issue, then stay home.:ack:

Loosing is not the issue. Just looking for helpful tips for the car shows. I do love to bs with the other owners and yes I like to look at cars also. Just wanting to know if anyone else has some tips for improving the odds at a show or if anyone knows what cars are actually judeged on, like a point system or what things are always deductions. AGAIN, not mad because I got second place, will not be mad if I dont win. Just wanting some advice from guys that have done this thing before.