Concours Judging?

Did you try a search on this?

There's a set of rules.....but to summarize they want the car as CLOSE as possible to stock, so lose the Logo floor mats, plain caps on tire stems, attention to engine compartment labels....stuff like that!

Have fun and good luck!!!
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Hello Steve,
If I had sum it up in one word it would be "Original" While only having 2 entered events under my belt and several as a spectator, I can say that having the car in its original state is key. Items certainly can be restored, to their original appearance. (Correct license plate frame? Courtesy lights on inside of doors, the rubber "O" ring dry rotted?)

Sure, condition matters even though they say "Ferrari's should be driven". Driven yet immaculately cared for both cosmetic and mechanical. (Detail the hell out of it, no wheel weights on outside of wheel or glue residue.) (Everything work?)

Keeping in mind that interpretation will vary due to different judges,moods,etc,etc..
So all you can do is......

Have FUN, have more FUN... Meet, mingle with your fellow enthusiast. Watch, listen and learn. It may be your first and it may be your last or it may be a labor of love.
Ultimately, enjoy your experience and have FUN with those that are Enthusiast.

Good Luck Steve,

John.

ps: post pics

 

as everyone has said it must be completely origional, however the car must also be presented as if it were still brand new, things like paint chips will result in low scores for condition of paint, every thing must be so clean you could eat of it, no oil leaks, the leather must be presented like new, as in a couple of shows I have been in my unrestored much loved Mondial was always beaten by other cars that had $30,000+ restorations, in my opinion they are no longer origional but thats just my 2c, the only thing to do is a full resto or just clean clean clean and replace what cant be cleaned

 

Having won 1st place in the early V8 category at Bella in 2008 and 2009 with my 328, I'd say Easyrider is right about originality. People give lip service to "they should be driven", but realistically the cars that win look pretty close to new. And yes, I always had my wheel weights attached inside the rims. And no, don't redo that interior fabric with easy-clean aftermarket vinyl -- the original wool tweed is the proper stuff. Etc.

They do not ask you to start your car at Bella Italia (or at least they haven't the last few years), so it's not as rigorous as Concorso Italiano, where we had FCA judging standards (my 328 won a Best V8 there as well, in 2007). Also they don't check the engine bay -- Bella is more of a casual beauty contest than a hardcore concours.

This event is this weekend, so if your car is a "decent driver" you should probably not count on a trophy. The paint has to match, door gaps have to be right and any deteriorated trim (warped bumper trim, chipped rear quarter window grilles, oxidized anodized grilles and louvres) should be corrected for a concours.

You will want to start with a thorough exterior detail -- that means buffing out any swirlies. If you aren't experienced, get it done at Symbolic or by another very good detailer. Zero swirls and vibrant paint color are table stakes for competing at Bella. Stone chips aren't supposed to be penalized, but realistically the best cars won't have noticeable chips.

Next, make sure your carpets and upholstery are excellent. That means replacing the carpets if you have spots or staining (beige carpets look ratty after a while; black carpets last much longer). If your upholstery has wear spots in the color, get it professionally touched up -- no Leatherique or off-the-shelf stuff. Again, it's late to be planning for this stuff at this date. A good vaccuming is probably all you can do in a couple of days.

Wheels need to be cleaned back and front, including around the valve stem and especially around the lug recesses. Griots sells some neat detailing tools, but a bunch of Q-Tips will also work. There should be no spatter in the wheel wells, although I never "dressed" them with any chemicals. If you don't regularly clean the backs of your wheels, it's sometimes worth having a professional detailed remove the wheels at his shop to do it properly -- brake dust bakes on. You should see clearcoat shine when you look through the wheel spokes to the inner back part of the wheel. You should not see old dried lumps of tar.

If you have aftermarket stuff on the car -- logo valve caps, logo mats, chrome shift knob, stuffed animals on the dashtop -- remove it. All of it costs points.

Remove everything from the cockpit -- jackets, sweaters, cups, maps, girlfriends, whatever.

Windows have to be perfect -- clean them inside and out, and check them out in the sunlight from different angles.

Replace your wiper blades or darken them with vinyl dressing. Wiper arms should have no chips or scrapes -- Rutlands has replacement arms, IIRC.

The dash vinyl, vents, armrests, etc., can be lightly dressed with something like Griots vinyl dressing, but be careful not to overdo it. If it looks dressed, it looks bad. Ditto for the targa top. And the bumpers on U.S. 308s are massive rubber surfaces -- those need to be uniformly black. If there's rust on the exhaust "diaper", get it refinished as original. If it's missing, replace it.

If your lights have wax residue in the lettering on the plastic lenses, remove that. It's a quick way to tell a driver from a concours car.

308s have cheap a/c switchplates that should be replaced immediately if there is any chipping, and a fresh shift knob is important. The QVs also have a center console design that sags in the middle and looks bad -- a good thing to fix.

Lots more, but that's what I could recall right now.

If this is your first time, approach detailing as a learning experience and spend a lot of time looking over professionally detailed cars for ideas. Bella is a good, forgiving show, so it's not like taking your car up to Monterey, which is more like an automotive rectal exam.

Good luck.

 

The interior could do the trick almost by itself. Most 308s and 328s are either faded or else sad redyes at this point.

Tell Bill Pierson to get your car into detailing there and give you a massive discount.

 

+1 to Bullfighter's comments. Just imagine your car in 1985 on the showroom floor. That's what you should be shooting for. I lost 1/2 point at the last FCA Nationals for having wear on my gas pedal. (I considered repainting it before the concours, but figured a nice wear mark where the foot rolls over from the brake onto the gas wouldn't be a bad thing - and I was wrong.)

I'm not sure about the San Diego concours you're going to, but I did alright by FCA standards at the last FCA Nationals and originality is the key.

Also, before you consider an expensive repaint, consider polishing the paint yourself (I recommend Griot's 4-step method, and don't be alarmed with how much red paint will come off onto your cloths) or try a highly recommended detailer. The original lacquer paints from the 80's are phenominal when polished correctly, and you'll be hard pressed to get the same quality with today's paints.

Good luck - but most of all - just have fun!!! Enjoy your beautiful car!!!

 

Don't forget to have everything in your tool bags in the trunk

 

That includes the trouble light. Lots of folks are missing theirs by now

 

Wow, thats a pretty impressive list of what is required for that kind of show. I thought I was doing good having a pretty good set of tools and such for mine.


PDG

 

I always have a disposable foam brush and a can of Wurth's Satin Black spray paint with me at shows to touch up the inevitable wear on the accelerator pedal. I just dab it on before the judging starts.

My '86 just turned 30K miles after 10 years of ownership and close to a dozen platinum awards. I've also been judging at shows during this time and agree that originality, completeness, and presentation are key.There are going to be inevitable 1/4 point deductions for minor things like road rash and leather imperfections, but incorrect shift knobs, aftermarket speakers/amps, missing books/tools, incorrect exhaust systems can easily knock 10 points off a score. One easily rectifiable issue is cleanliness. Nothing says "I don't care" more than a dirty interior—stains on the carpet and headliner, dirt in the leather, etc. This applies to the engine as well. Even an hour spent cleaning the prominent details will result in a better overall impression.

Obscure parts like the storage pouch key, emergency light, and road safety triangle can usually be picked up on eBay or ordered from a Ferrari parts supplier. I'm lucky because I ordered a factory rear license plate frame from Ferrari UK about six years ago, and I'm told its NLA. I've never seen another 328 with the correct frame...

 

One word of advice -- when you bring these "more precious than gold" items (tools, manuals, etc) to a show, STAY WITH YOUR CAR and keep your eyes open. Things like this have been known to disappear, much to the owners' dismay.

 

Hasn't happened to me yet, and if it did it would be pretty pathetic...

 

I've used Leatherique for leather and vinyl, and Zaino for paint, rubber, and vinyl exclusively now since 2001.

 

It may be new, but the leather still needs nourishment, otherwise it will, over time, dry out and crack. Don't think of Leatherique as just a reconditioner, its also a great conditioner...

 

Interior looks great, by the way!