Concours Restoration success rates

[Paul of MO]

My dad sold a Boss 429 service block and heads to a customer doing a concourse restoration.

The car is a 100 percent / perfect / trophy winning / down to the smallest paint dab and is the most correct Boss 429 in existence.

No pistons in it.  No valves or valve springs. No clutch or pressure plate. No guts in the 4 speed.  No acid in the NOS - date correct battery  No fluids.........

It gets pushed out of it's heated and air conditioned trailer - gets a trophy - and gets push back on.  

We fooled around with MCA in Florida and just got tired of it.   20 years ago 71 - 73 got even less respect than they do now.

They used to have a big show at Cypress Gardens each year that my dad would take me to.

 

[Mach_One]

My dad sold a Boss 429 service block and heads to a customer doing a concourse restoration.

The car is a 100 percent / perfect / trophy winning / down to the smallest paint dab and is the most correct Boss 429 in existence.

No pistons in it.  No valves or valve springs. No clutch or pressure plate. No guts in the 4 speed.  No acid in the NOS - date correct battery  No fluids.........

It gets pushed out of it's heated and air conditioned trailer - gets a trophy - and gets push back on.  

We fooled around with MCA in Florida and just got tired of it.   20 years ago 71 - 73 got even less respect than they do now.

They used to have a big show at Cypress Gardens each year that my dad would take me to.

Wow, that's sad.  The point of owning the car (for me anyhow) is to DRIVE it.  No pistons?  Nuts!  I took my 'stang to a small show today, and it sure gets a lot of attention.  Drove it there and back, that's the FUN of owning these rides!

 

[Spike Morelli]

Years ago, I owned a beautiful 1930 Model A Coupe, and was an active member in the San Fernando Valley Chapter of the Model A Ford Club of America. I drove my car everyday ,although it was as clean or cleaner than most, but no show car. At one point, I actually worked at Thee Antique Ford Shop, in Reseda, for a man who owned four himself, and did concourse restorations, to radiator flushes, on A's and early V8s .  

Interesting point, is that during this time, the judging standards changed from allowing Cad plated engine hardware, to saying that Black Oxide was now the appropriate fastener finish . This, many, many years, after Henry Ford had passed, and 42 years after the cars were first built. It was easy enough to comply, but I call Bullshit! Remember, that you can take a 100 point award car from one show, one set of judges, and go to another show with a different set of judges, and not get 100 points. It happens all the time. Such is the heartache of show cars.

Don't get me wrong, Show Cars are bitchin', and I've been lucky enough to go to Pebble Beach 3 times with a car, and I have many Gold, Silver, People's Choice, and Best of Show awards for restorations at various other shows I've been a part of over the years, but no more. Now, if I enter a show with some vehicle, I post a sign on it saying "Not In Competition", I go to show, not compete, even though I worked my Ass off to present it. Everybody has their own threshold, and passion level for this hobby, but today, I'm happier just being another gearhead out on the field, drinking a Pepsi and talking nuts and bolts with some other gearhead I just met. Maybe it's age, maybe it's wisdom, maybe a bit of both.