Variety Car Shows...

["TMasterLC@xxxx" <tmasterlc@xxxx>]

Dear Andy and list:

Although the car show circuit is fairly new to me, I did participate in 24 shows this summer and won awards at every one except for a dinky show and one cruise. (I hope to have photos from all shows up on a webpage during the winter). It's a lot of fun (and work) but I probably won't squeeze so many shows in next year.

First of all, go for fun, expect a LOT of attention with a crowd around the D at all times and be prepared to answer a lot of questions about your car! Remember to clean your car spotlessly - inside and out. It's a lot of work detailing a car before a show, but I also enjoy taking advantage of the time to clean during the show when there's nothing else to do!

Choose the category you enter in carefully because the DeLorean fits into many categories. (i.e. stock/original or custom/modified, foreign, or special interest.) The cost to enter can range between $6.00 - $40.00 but most typically $15.00. Car shows normally sponsor some type of charity, so they usually sell raffle tickets for prizes and the registration fees that you'll pay would benefit an organization as well as helping to defray the cost of trophies, etc.

One nice thing about participating in shows is that you'll receive flyers about upcoming local shows or lists for the entire season so you can plan which ones you'd like to attend and get more information about the details in advance. There's only been one time that we were handed an invitation by mistake, and not welcome because our car wasn't 25 years old. All other shows weren't looking for specific year cars and we have always been made to feel welcome to participate. It's especially fun when they ask you to park in front to help draw in a crowd, or they let you park in a special spot that's different than the other cars in a row!

The People's Choice type judging is fine when you know your car is a favorite in the crowd, but the professional judges are knowledgeable and experienced to chose the truly exceptional cars regardless of what might be a popular opinion of the general public. The judges also like to see their sticker somewhere on your car like Show World Productions or International Show Car Association (ISCA), and a fire extinguisher in the car. Sometimes they look for a unique way in which you've displayed your car too, so we're constantly changing or adding to the extras that we display with the D like the JZD autographed owner's manual and a collage of photos from Cleveland 2000! (the visitors love that stuff too!) Talk to the other participants for helpful hints or to the judges themselves to find out what you can improve for future shows. Many times you can get a copy of the judging sheets if you're interested in correcting problems or minor imperfections.

The judges and coordinators at most shows want it to be a good experience for everyone involved so that you'll consider bringing your car back for the next event. They seem to be very polite and fair, and often split up large car classes into smaller categories so more people can walk away with an award for spending their day at a show.

We've met a lot of people to share the fun and enjoyment of our car with. Feel free to e-mail me if you were looking for more specific answers. I think I've said it all except... Good luck and have fun!!!

Cheryl & Ron





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