Re: [DML] Re:1982 DMC is concours?

[Mike Substelny <msubstel@xxxx>]

THIS IS A LONG POST. IF YOU RESPOND, PLEASE TRIM QUOTES!

Marc A Levy wrote (to James Espey):

> I just re-read this message, and do not
> see a definition of "Concours", but I do
> see you talk about your experience with
> Corvette shows.

The original American Concours that spawned all others in this hemisphere is the
Pebble Beach Concours d?Elegance?. Info is available here:

http://www.pebble-beach-concours.com/

This is not necessarily the perfect benchmark for the DeLorean, since original parts
are not available for many cars made in the 1920s and 1930s, but it is a starting
point. The Pebble Beach website has an enlightening page on "What it Takes to be
Best of Show" by Paul Woudenberg. Here are a few choice quotes:

"First, no matter how good the cars
appear at first glance, they are not all
perfect. The intensely focused inspection
of learned judges often uncovers slight
errors in the historical accuracy of a
restoration. Body parts, interiors, high
tension cables, spark plugs, radiator
caps, and hose clamps are all scrutinized
carefully. Overtly visible errors, such as
the use of modern fabrics or materials,
are spotted instantly. The substitution of a
replacement part not quite like the
original in the engine compartment is
fatal."

"Overrestoration (another fatal mistake) is
difficult to define directly, but it generally
involves an attempt to make something
into something more than it was
initially, an attempt to better it."

"A good restoration takes this into
consideration; it rests on attention to
accurate historic detail. And good
judging ferrets out the errors of detail
that defeat many potential winners."

The Pebble Beach Concours d?Elegance? is perhaps the most prestigious collector car
event in America, maybe the world. The fact that the DeLorean Marque has an event
that aspires to a similar character can do much to enhance the cachet of DeLorean
automobiles. I am proud to drive a car of such significance that it merits a
Concours. Nobody runs a Concours for my neighbor's Honda Accord.

No offense, but the judgeing standards that Marc proposes would be like that for
cars of lesser consequence. That is not a Coucourse d?Elegance.

Fortunately, as of last June, Ken Koncelik runs an event at which both types of
DeLoreans may be judged. Trailer queens and daily drivers alike may win prizes,
although they may not compete for the *same* prizes.

FWIW, at the Saint Louis DOA Expo two of the Concourse competitors were daily
drivers that had a few of the minor modifications Marc mentions. They did not take
first place, but thanks to the dedication and hard work of their owners those cars
held their own. If you got a close look at them you would have seen that they were
in good shape overall, and pretty darn clean.

> Mike made a good point earlier in this thread
> that a Porche concours expects that the owner
> has made improvements on the car, and that a
> perfectly original car would not be a winning car...
> So who is correct?

The Porsche Club of America defines Concours d'Elegance as: "An event where cars are
judged for cleanliness and or ginality. There are several levels of judging and many
classes."

http://www.pca.org/pca/tech/terms.htm

I also found a website that discusses Porsche Concourse competition here:

http://www.pcasdr.org/concours/concours.shtml

Perhaps the idea of modified Porsches winning concours competition comes from this
sentiment:

"Most experienced concours judges
will tell you that a new car never
driven may, on average, score half
the points of a concours winner! In
this type of competition, the entrants
trailer their prized possessions to the
site, unload them to be judged, and
then load them back up to go home."

Just because a Concours winner looks better than showroom new does not mean that the
Coucours car has been modified.

In defense of Marc, I have to agree slightly. My wife is a former PCA member and we
attended a few Porsche events together. They judge Porsches in several categories,
and the "Performance Modified" Porsches seemed to carry much more prestige than the
"Factory Original" Porsches.

However, my late fater-in-law was a Mercedes Benz Coucours d'Elegance judge, and in
those events the perfectly original cars got all the glory.

- Mike Substelny
VIN 01280, 7 years