BryanPendleton
New member
Silly question:
What does "concours" mean? And how do you pronounce it?
What does "concours" mean? And how do you pronounce it?
"Concours"??
- Thread starter BryanPendleton
- Start date
imported_Luster1
New member
To further explain, Concours car show events are usually for cars that are completely stock or restored to stock condition, in perfect condition, and detailed to the max (showroom new - inside, outside, undercarriage, engine, everything!!!). In other words, no mods. Cars are usually original.
Many cars that are entered in concours events are never driven. They are kept in a garage or trailer and travel from one show to the next.
Because of the perfection of these cars, they are critically judged.
Some, however are "daily drivers" and the Autopian owner is simply a FANATIC (like me)...who loves to clean and detail his or her car to perfection.
Many cars that are entered in concours events are never driven. They are kept in a garage or trailer and travel from one show to the next.
Because of the perfection of these cars, they are critically judged.
Some, however are "daily drivers" and the Autopian owner is simply a FANATIC (like me)...who loves to clean and detail his or her car to perfection.
Luster said:
Actually concours cars can be better than showroom condition. The ideal concours car is much more like the sort of car that the manufacturer would have put into one of the big car shows when it was launched - in other words the perfect example of what the car could look like.
:shocked
Damn, I must be worse than I realisedPorsche has a slightly different take on Concours events (at least on the West Coast)
1. Originality is not judged. Porsches are often modified, so it makes sense not to disqualify so many cars from competing.
2. All they judge is cleanliness and preparation.
3. The only cars you can trailer to the event are the ones entered in "Full Concours". The division that typically sees the most competitors is "Street" class. Here they judge everything EXCEPT the under carriage.
...as for the lining up of screws....hhhmmmm? If thats what the factory did, then OK....but who really knows for certain on older cars?
1. Originality is not judged. Porsches are often modified, so it makes sense not to disqualify so many cars from competing.
2. All they judge is cleanliness and preparation.
3. The only cars you can trailer to the event are the ones entered in "Full Concours". The division that typically sees the most competitors is "Street" class. Here they judge everything EXCEPT the under carriage.
...as for the lining up of screws....hhhmmmm? If thats what the factory did, then OK....but who really knows for certain on older cars?
On some of the older Porsches the headlight screws are quite prominent......so maybe if its known the factory lines them up...then OK. It really depends on how obvious something like that looks.
But I AM a Porsche concours judge and I wouldn't judge that....but thats me.
As I said, out in Zone 8 of PCA we judge prepartion and cleanliness....I doubt the screw alignment things is covered by this definition.
Personally if you have to ping someone for screw alignment, then I don't think you have looked hard enough elsewhere.
Two further comments.....
Professionally prepared? Unless its a team that professionally prepares cars for concours events and that team competes the same car week after week in concours events.....they would not fair too well (at least in Zone 8).
A professional detailer just does not have the time availble to clean the car properly. Sure the car will look clean, but will they for example pull the dash instruments apart and air clean all the gauges?
Also you can prep your car all you like and be as anal as you can (I use a 42 page checklist), but you really need to have the car judged several times. Judges will always find something or stick their fingers some where you never dreamed of.
Secondly a car straight from the paint shop will have great looking paint work. But almost all the cars I judge have great paintwork. The problem with a car straight out of the paint shop is that their will be dust, poilish residue and water marks in every crack and corner of the car imaginable. I recently had some paintwork done and the car was delieverd back to me fully detailed. I then spend another 20 hours cleaning stuff up!
But I AM a Porsche concours judge and I wouldn't judge that....but thats me.
As I said, out in Zone 8 of PCA we judge prepartion and cleanliness....I doubt the screw alignment things is covered by this definition.
Personally if you have to ping someone for screw alignment, then I don't think you have looked hard enough elsewhere.
Two further comments.....
Professionally prepared? Unless its a team that professionally prepares cars for concours events and that team competes the same car week after week in concours events.....they would not fair too well (at least in Zone 8).
A professional detailer just does not have the time availble to clean the car properly. Sure the car will look clean, but will they for example pull the dash instruments apart and air clean all the gauges?
Also you can prep your car all you like and be as anal as you can (I use a 42 page checklist), but you really need to have the car judged several times. Judges will always find something or stick their fingers some where you never dreamed of.
Secondly a car straight from the paint shop will have great looking paint work. But almost all the cars I judge have great paintwork. The problem with a car straight out of the paint shop is that their will be dust, poilish residue and water marks in every crack and corner of the car imaginable. I recently had some paintwork done and the car was delieverd back to me fully detailed. I then spend another 20 hours cleaning stuff up!
Magellan498
New member
Man... I'm getting a hankering for an all night detailing session! 
As I understand it (from my guru Brad), the screw thing isn't because the factory ever did it. IIRC, he explained it more like it's a little thing you can do that no judge even notices explicitly, but creates a subliminal impression of careful-prep -- the sort of little thing that nobody really notices, but can give you a subtle "edge."