Share your FCA judging stories...

I think judges need to have a bit of flexibility with such specific points like that.

 

I want to judge for the FCA and even spoke to Ahlgrim about it a few times years ago.

It is something I am very interested in doing but is has to be in the 70-80's category for the very reasons you became frustrated. I need to be where I belong and not in a class I have no idea about like the new cars.

 

I’ve entered my 1983 US-spec 308 GTS Quattrovalvole in two concours over these last 5 years of ownership. Both times have been at Concorso Italiano in Monterey during Car Week, which is a Ferrari Club of America concours and follows the International Advisory Council for the Preservation of the Ferrari Automobile (IAC/PFA) guidelines.

I scored 94 points (Gold award) in 2014 and 98 points (Platinum award) in 2016.

My decision to enter concours was motivated by a comment I read in FerrariChat shortly after I bought my car 2013 about buying an extremely low mileage car. The comment really hit home for me. The comment was “if you buy an unused car, you get to put on your own patina.” All the minor little issues I could spot on my car really crawled under my skin and I wanted to erase the prior owner's patina.

Prior to my first concours, I would never have considered myself a “concours guy” and frankly, now that I have achieved Platinium level, I am probably done with it for a while, but I found it to be a very positive experience.

In the work leading up to the 2014 Concorso Italiano concours, I had to do a lot of research about what was “right” for my car. That is a valuable effort. I had friends, including an FCA judge, look over the car several times to see what they noticed. I got advice about engine paint scratches, front spoiler chips, stereo issues, condition of stickers, cleaning stuff such as door latches, etc. I took many notes.

At judging in 2014, I got dinged for basic stuff like having paint chips on the red ignition coils, airbox sticker wear, plenum manifold chips, non-OEM amplifiers in the trunk, wrinkles in the vinyl trunk cover, etc. The judges were friendly and helpful. They spotted lots of stuff that I had become blind to seeing. As I was told, the first concours experience was very helpful in identifying what I needed to do next.

That experience really helped me prepare for 2016. I scoured the car for paint chips, I became fanatical about the sticker quality, and fanatical about getting "everything" to the same undamaged appearance. An example of my work prior to the 2016 concours was how I replaced the white plastic fuel line blocks holding the fuel lines from the CIS unit. They were browned and cracked although the judges in 2014 didn’t call it out. One thing I did NOT do was put the patina out of balance on any of the items; I made the whole car look “intact” but not glistening shiny showroom new.

In the 2016 concours, I took a half point for paint (don’t know what they didn’t like), a half point for (small!) chips on the wheels (I knew about it; just decided to take it on the chin rather than pay for a repaint), a half point for my red intake plenum (which I like, but, if you look closely is really a 1,000 shades of red) and a half point for “bent radiator fins” (like the paint, I didn’t see that one coming).

The banter was again positive with the judges in 2016. I had factory advertising photographs of the QV engine, which I was prepared to show to defend some of the stuff I did. In fact, I proactively made unsolicited comments about how hard I worked to get those fuel line blocks and factory zip-ties looking correctly.

For me, the bottom line is that this is all supposed to be fun. The judges are volunteers and they are trying to have fun doing what they are doing and the entrants have voluntarily entered their cars and are trying to have fun. It is too easy to take this all too seriously. Yes, it is terribly subjective and the judges overlook stuff and hyperfocus on stuff, but I really appreciate that they try. It would be really hard to be a judge. I am probably now an expert on 1983 US-spec 308 GTS Quattrovalvoles, but no other car. The judges, on the other hand, have to know a lot about a lot of cars. It sounds too hard for my little brain and I love them for trying. I am very thankful for the folks that are willing to suffer through the trials of being a concours judge.

 

Well said. The judges are volunteers and it is all supposed to be fun. Hard sometimes if you are competitive and emotionally invested in wanting to do well. So on to my concours story...

Two years ago I entered a Dino 246GT in the FCA National Meet held in Monterrey CA. A few days earlier was Concorso Italiano where our judge was Keith Blummel, Matthias Bartz, and Marcel Massini. Fair to say that there was no shortage of knowledge in those three men and it was an honor to have them evaluate our work. In that event we managed to score Best Restoration and had our car grilled for almost 2 hours after the event looking for anything they could find. It was all good fun and I enjoyed the process as there was an open dialogue with the judges (mind you I had brought an entire case of documentation for pretty much every part on the car).

A few days later was the FCA National Meet where there was a really strong turnout of very nice (and some incredibly original) Dino's. Unlike normal concours events where the judges only have a few minutes to look at a car, mine had already been grilled and was really gone over thoroughly a second time. Every light, switch, and horn was checked and the judges really went to town. In the end we scored 100 points (platinum), and were awarded Best Dino. To those who think this is only the domain of trailer queens think again. That car had at least 2K miles from completion of the restoration and after the event we loaded the trunk and drove it down the coast to Southern California.

 

I was somewhat disappointed to get points deducted for a coated exhaust. The judge was most apologetic, saying that the coating looked much better but the correct finish is brown corrosion.
Its impossible to back this out! But fortunately I did win best in class and platinum anyway. (UK FOC concours)

 

Had it coated.

 

maybe have it coated with "simulated brown corrosion" coating

 

Brown powder coating?

 

And Brian A just responded thus:
https://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/posts/145836506/

 

You should also seek the 'flip-side.'

Rifledriver is/was a Judge.


And he knows more about these cars than the average Ferrari EMPLOYEE.

 

I am not questioning Rifledriver's talent, but it is important to beware of how the internet builds heros and villians. Unless one has personal experience with a person, service or product, it is important to use great caution when replaying what one has read on the internet. I would expect Rifledriver would agree with this.

 

I meant nothing more than he (Rifledriver) is highly knowledgeable and also probably has some great stories from being a judge.


And 'YES' I have done business with him and would NEVER hesitate to do so again.

As long as 'they' are knowledgeable and honest, my personal feelings never enter into a business decision.

 

This is a useful thread. I'm having my 21k mile 1983 308QV GTS judged at the FCA National meet at Watkins Glen in September. Hoping for a Patino.

 

Any judge that thinks that what came out of the factory on a given model is absolute is dead wrong. This story is a perfect case in point.

 

I heard of a 288 GTO dinged half a point because the exhaust bolts under the car were discolored due to heat cycling. Hilarious. A lot of it is political with many factors such as depending on who restored the car and their affiliations etc.