Judging is the centerpiece of a Grand Classic, therefore the success

or failure of our upcoming event hinges on it. Over the years, the

CCCA has developed a unique judging system that works very well — as

long as the judges are well acquainted with the concepts and rules of

the system. To that end, our Head Judge, Gene Perkins, conducted a

judging seminar on _____ using his own collection of cars as examples

and meeting in his own "garage." 

The event was therefore the automotive equivalent of a seminar in art

history in the Metropolitan Museum of Art conducted by the Museum's

director himself. Gene and Sally's new "garage" is to die for and

their collection of cars is nothing short of extraordinary. It spans

everything from a ‘40 Ford to a Duesenberg with just about every

Packard that you've ever wanted in between. What is so great about

Gene and Sally's collection is that it is so representative of a CCCA

Grand Classic, i.e. heavy on Packards but seasoned with Duesy and

Delage.

The spectacular nature of a Grand Classic is that all the great cars

of the era are featured, but it is a judging headache. The question

that came up most often and in different forms was summed up by Jim

Ray's question, which was (roughly), "How can we presume to be expert

enough to judge cars about which we know next to nothing." The answer

is that individually we can't, but the system as a whole does a pretty

good job of reaching a satisfying conclusion by the banquet on

Saturday night.

First of all, the judging is proscribed mainly to the condition and

functioning of the vehicle. The standard is that of the car the day it

was built. The cars are judged by a team of five, but the highest and

lowest scores are thrown out. If there is a question of authenticity,

the guidelines are to give the owner the benefit of the doubt, but if

a judge has any doubts he is to bring it up with the team leader who

in turn consults the head judge. If the question is still not

resolved, the head judge contacts experts at National who are on hand

during the day of the Grand Classics.

The other big judging problem is coming up with a score quickly and

efficiently in order to facilitate accurate tabulation. The new forms

are quite clear and succinct which makes it easy for the judges to

fill them in correctly and easy as well for the tabulating teams to

read correctly. The historic "100 point car" actually earns 200 points

divided by 2, this permits the use of round numbers in each of the

judging categories on the form. The 200 point form plus the fact that

the high and low scores of each team are tossed out result in scores

that are statistically valid as a reflection of the opinion of the

judges assembled for a Grand Classic. The system is a good one, but

the key is knowledgeable judges and tabulators.

The seminar began with the showing of the CCCA video that is shown at

the judges meeting at all Grand Classics. You know a film / video is

good if you can stand to watch it time after time. The Club spent a

lot of time and energy on the judging video and it certainly shows.

Next, Gene went over the basics of the form before we broke up into

typical judging teams or headed to the tabulating room. The only

"negative" comment about the cars, which was voiced often, was that,

"They are so good we can't find anything to gig!" This again was very

similar, in my experience, to a Grand Classic. The cars put up for

judging are usually great.

We then reconvened to discuss the results of the judging with a panel

of experienced club members ________. The discussion was lively and

cogent. Conclusions? Mine were, first of all, "Boy, Gene and Sally

sure have some great cars!". Secondly, "If, after death, I have the

choice of heaven or Gene's garage, there would be no contest." Oh, and

I also thought it was a very successful judging seminar. Everyone

involved got a good taste of what a real Grand Classic is like, but

could discuss everything out loud (this isn't permitted on the Field

as it can lead to owners becoming very upset).

Two other items of interest:

(1) The proposed youth membership category, however it turns out,

should be a winner. Shawn Miller brought his daughter, Haly, to the

seminar and it was enlightening to watch the assimilation process. I

kept thinking, "If only I could have had such an experience when I was

her age!"

(2) There is also a proposal to add another judge to the team, thereby

freeing up the team leader to spend time with both the owner and the

individual judges (all conversations must be one to one), and to also

check the team's forms before submission, without also having to fill

one out as well. This should increase the accuracy of the forms, and

therefore really speed things up at a large meet, as well as help

resolve questions by both the team and owners.

My final conclusion is that judging is the best way to learn about

these great cars, and also the best way to apply the knowledge you

already have. It is self-benefitting as well as a service to the club.