Platinum Award

Definitely the best way to determine what needs to be done is to subject the car to FCA judging and get the score and comments back.

I did that at Concorso Italiano last year. I got dinged for condition of the engine stickers and a cracked warning light bezel in the instrument cluster among other small things, although I got an award. That is another value of having it judged as-is; you can prioritize for next time; there is room to take a few points for stuff you don't want to or are too expensive to fix. (I am wondering right now how much of a deduction having pushed in bumpers would be, because I really want to push them in.)

The FCA judging guidelines encourage usage not trailer queens and it is not a clean car contest. The car needs to be complete but does not need to be "like new" (in fact it is possible to have points deduced for over-restoration). New paint is acceptable (as is a few chip repairs and war wounds). They judge wheel paint condition. All the tools, books, carpets etc much be intact.

Search this site too; there are several threads with commentary by FCA judges. Links to the Judging guidelines are also posted there too.

 

Originality is the KEY point. I agree the best way to know is to enter a concours, get judged and learn. Regional events are more lenient but judges sometimes lack the knowledge to judge accurately which can for and/or against you.

The FCA National is, IMHO, where you will get your car judged correctly. Good Luck

 

I agree with BrianA and cmt6891 and would add that "Originality" means that repairs were conducted with factory authorized parts and not "aftermarket parts" such as wheels, exhaust systems, lights, valve caps, etc. Paint chips are only a problem if they "look old" say with rust or bad touch up paint. You can always say it happened on the way to the show. Tools and manuals are important but a small percentage of the overall score. My suggestion would be get your feet wet at a regional show before going to a FCA National or Cavallino Classic. Once you get the hang of it it a lot of fun and you are really only competing against yourself. Each car starts with 100 points. Its a great way to learn about your Ferrari.

 

Agree here, but don't try to go too far. A few chips might happen on the way to the show, but not widespread road rash.

I asked a senior judge at an event a while back what I should have done about the new chips I actually did get just before the show. He suggested I get a pen type tube of touch up paint, and just dab it so there was color. He said don't bother trying to make it perfect then and there, do that when you get home "but at least I want to see that you made an effort."

And I second the comment that there is no better way to learn about your car than to just jump in, and enter it for judging.

 

Bob,

PM me your email address and I can forward the FCA judging sheets that I received from Jeff (another FChat member).

 

I believe that it all comes down to what level of judging you are looking at.

At a regional FCA judged event, points taken off mine were all for non-original parts. Fire extinguisher, Aluminum Billet pedals and SS hoses. All easily reversible for the next judging. Everything else on the car is original and clean. It's not a showroom queen and has 70,XXX miles on her but still scores in the 90's+. At a concourse like Monterrey, the scoring would be different.

At the same FCA event, on my 355, they couldn't find anything "wrong" so they took off a point for a rusty exhaust bolt (I should have painted it) and called it done with a Platinum.

 

Unfortunately sometimes there is politics involved at some shows....

 

Not cat on mine. It wasn't noticed!

 

Attaining Platinum on a car that is driven regularly is totally attainable and is not the domain of the trailer queens. The FCA encourages cars to be driven and as such do not pursue the ultimate in perfection when handing out awards. That said the concours does place an emphasis on accuracy to original delivery and generally even condition of the car. As such if your nose is re-sprayed and the rest of the paint is tired then you will likely get a deduction. If all of the paint is more or less even in condition regardless of its originality then you should be ok.

Same goes for the engine bay, compartments, and interior. All of the items should be in nice clean condition but singular items that are too perfect make everything else look worse and conversely one rusty bolt or clamp stands out in a sea of quality.

It is also worthwhile to note that there are maximum deductions for each category so for instance books and tools are essential because the most perfect car can't score platinum without them because the total deductions equal more than 5. Paint for instance has a max deduction of 5 points meaning that a PERFECT car with horrible paint could 'theoretically' score platinum.

Higher mileage, driven cars regularly score platinum at FCA concours provided that they are well maintained and correct in the details but are not necessarily showroom perfect. That said if you want to score nearer to 100 points it is exponentially more difficult and staggeringly more time and resource intensive. It is far from a linear scale and those last 5 points easily DOUBLE the cost of even a full nut and bolt restoration.

 

+1
Very good information

 

This might be a good situation to use nail polish, which is a lacquer and therefore can easily be wiped off again later with lacquer thinner.

Good luck at "Lulu's Nail Salon" while you search for your perfect nail polish color. I doubt Revlon makes anything named Rosso Corsa.

 

Make sure stuff works properly. Does the antenna switch work? Do the heater and airflow levers work smoothly? Look for the little bits and pieces that you might not even be aware of - plastic cap for the mirror base, rubber grommets for the rear side window after they are unlatched.

Clean the engine compartment and make sure the finishes are correct.

Your judges will know the 308 well and what one was like when delivered new.

Have both manual pouches with all the items that should be in them. Have the dealer listing sheet that listed the service locations across the US. Complete tool rolls and jack with the spare belt.

Leave all the aftermarket stuff back at the hotel room.

If the car was delivered with something then make sure to have it with you.

There will be 3 judges for each car. Each judge will be looking at a different portion.

Make sure to ask for the judging sheets. You may not get them until after the event but it will give you a good indication for the future. Look at the other 308s in your class before the judging starts you may learn something you can quickly address.

Jeff

 

This is a terrific source of information. I am also preparing my car for showing and preparing it for Classiche certification at Ferrari of Atlanta. I am excited to get the car prepped and am working through my lists now...next up is installation of my three rear black exhaust grills, sending my clock to Palo Alto and having my wheels repainted.

 

This, plus correctness and condition. Original seats that look like beef jerky aren't going to fly. My ex-328 was a platinum car, and won two major awards at Concorso in 2007. At that point the interior had been redone, but in the original color/pattern. The car had mostly been repainted prior to my ownership, but in the original color and to a very high standard. Etc. The coolant expansion tank was fine but had some corrosion around the edge seams, so I replaced it and the sticker - looked like new. Details like that really help. I left a Tubi exhaust on the car and lost a point for that, but not much else.

It had almost no rock chips and had been professionally detailed the week before Concorso. FCA doesn't penalize for a few rick chips, but if it looks sandblasted then you probably will lose points.

Also, everything worked.

But ultimately I think what brought the major awards was that the car was black metallic (and had the original PPG sticker attesting to this), and the other 9 328s being judged were all red. The judges loved the color. Having something different/special about your car is priceless. (A 308 I just sold had the optional brown leather dash and seat piping - I've never seen that before, and I bet the next owner could get the car to platinum level and have a unique car to show.)

 

Platinum is awarded to all cars that have a minimum of 95 points.

 

It's actually a Glasurit paint sticker, Jon. . Won another platinum in July, too. Got the point back using a stock muffler, but lost it right back due to the SRI hoses. Ah, well.
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This should be of some help and guidance:

http://www.cavallino.com/PDF-CavallinoClassic/2014-Forms/2014-IAC-PFAGuidelines.pdf

http://www.ferrariclubofamerica.org/resources/DocuWorks/file_display.cfm?id=68

 

Glad you lost the Tubi. A previous owner had installed it -- not sure why. The OEM exhaust actually projects a bit farther and looks better, IMHO.

 

Agreed. Sounds just like it should.

At our last concours here in the NW region, I did get dinged 1/2 point due to a missing book, though: Turns out the pouch for the 3x8's should have 3 books in it: Owners manual, Warrantee book, and Service and Dealer Directory. I was missing the latter (didn't come with the car when I got it). Happily, I've sourced a very good condition one correct for the model year.

I was complimented on the completeness of the tool/jack kit. Still has all the right bulbs, fuses, belts, the original champion spark plug, and all the tools. Judges even checked if the little trouble-light actually worked (it did).

 

What show? My advice - go for one of the major shows. On the east coast that would be Cavallino in West Palm which happens January Cavallino Classic - A Convention Of Automotive Enthusiasts and most important work with an experienced detailer. One of the country's best is Fiuza Auto Detailing https://www.facebook.com/FiuzasAutoDetailing and Home . Eddy is super passionate and has had many Platinum winning cars. Start now is wise.

 

Let me know if you have any other questions
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A big congrats, MREUS, your 328 GTB is stunning!