ClasS Descriptions
Concours LLC can help you develop Class Definitions and Descriptions for your judged event.
If you truly want to create a World Class event, and convey the correct message to car show participants, it's essential to formalize how you are going to designate your classes. Remember, World Class means attracting a global audience.
Defining your classes is what is going to determine demographic your attending audience looks like. Who do you want to attend your event? Your classes are going to determine that and set the tone for your entire event.
Once you have defined the Class Name and Years you will want to further define how YOU are describing that class. Not everyone uses the same definition. This may sound like splitting hairs, but if you are attracting 98-100 point quality cars the description is what may determine the winners.
Here's some other things to keep in mind:
If you truly want to create a World Class event, and convey the correct message to car show participants, it's essential to formalize how you are going to designate your classes. Remember, World Class means attracting a global audience.
Defining your classes is what is going to determine demographic your attending audience looks like. Who do you want to attend your event? Your classes are going to determine that and set the tone for your entire event.
Once you have defined the Class Name and Years you will want to further define how YOU are describing that class. Not everyone uses the same definition. This may sound like splitting hairs, but if you are attracting 98-100 point quality cars the description is what may determine the winners.
Here's some other things to keep in mind:
- Not everyone uses the same classes - As an example, what one Concours may name as "Brass Era 1895 - 1915" another Concours may segment into those automobiles into "Veteran" (pre-1904), and "Edwardian" (1905- 1914) eras. You'll want to be clear to your potential participants and spectators to use standard class nomenclature less it appears that your team of judges are not "world class".
- Different Concours follow different guidelines and rules. - As an example, if you choose to use the Class "Classic Cars: 1925 to 1948" where you aware that in November of 2016 the Classic Car Club of America (CCCA) made some refinement to the definition of eligible, unmodified cars that are called "classic." ? "Classic Cars cars are described as "fine" or "distinctive" automobiles, either American or foreign built, produced between 1915–1925 and 1942–1948. Meanwhile in the UK, "classic cars" range from veteran, pre–First World War, to vintage, 1919–1930, to post-vintage (1930s). Post–Second World War "classic cars" are not precisely defined and the term is often applied to any older vehicle.
- Splitting Hairs - The class "Pre-War Production Cars" seems rather straightforward at first glance. This class can go all the way back to the first mass produced automobiles manufactured by the Duryea brothers when they built and sold 13 automobiles by 1896. This established them as the first automobile manufacturer in America. However, the term “production cars” generally refers to automobiles manufactured after 1916, since earlier cars are classified as “Brass Era” automobiles. Henry Ford introduced the Model T in 1908 that true mass production of the automobile was launched. Henry Ford manufactured almost a million Model T Fords per year from 1908 until 1927, using his now famous assembly line and large numbers of workers. Other car manufacturers followed in Ford’s steps, but none produced automobiles in the numbers Ford did until 1928, when Chevrolet production surpassed Ford for the first time. So, when do you want to start the class, 1908 when the Model T production started, 1916, the end of the "brass era", or 1928 when Chevrolet sales surpassed Ford?
- Moving targets & changing definitions - In 1966, the use of the word "supercar" became an official industry trend. The use of the supercar description for the early muscle car models include the May 1965 Car Life road test of the Pontiac GTO along with how "Hurst puts American Motors into the Supercar club with the 390 Rogue"(the SC/Rambler) to fight in "the Supercar Street Racer Gang" market segment. Moreover, the "SC" in the model name stood for "SuperCar". Today, "Supercars" imply a different definition.