I am expecting that this topic should result in a lively discussion.
Lets hear your input
I'm a veteran (with my car of course) of a number of Concours d'Elegance. With the exception of the MBCA Concours d'Elegance, that were once held to a bit more rigorous and ordered standard than they may be today (when there were regular national events, and our friend Peter Lesler was usually the chief judge) most of the Concours were employing "French Rules". An excerpt from a recent Boca Raton Concours for an explanation:
The Boca Raton Concours d’Elegance has changed the style of judging this year to French Concours Rules. This means that we rate the cars on the visual impact they make - the so-called "wow factor". Other criteria such as the car’s condition, authenticity, restoration, rarity, and historical importance are also considered. The main factors are the car’s style, beauty and elegance. There is no such thing as the perfect car, so Concours judges form an opinion of the car they feel is the best at the show on that particular day based on a set of criteria. The French term Concours d’Elegance means “competition of elegance.”My car has been shown at Eyes on Design, Concours at Cranbrook, Meadow Brook Concours, Concours of America, and the Cincinnati Concours d'Elegance, all notable Concours events. It was invited to an early Hilton Head Concours, but did not attend. All of these Concours employ the aforementioned "French Rules", and because of the class of entry in each of them, I never expected to "earn" anything but a participation ribbon. In the various classes my car would be entered in, typically some version of "Post War European Open Sports" or something like that, it would be unlikely to beat a Gull Wing or 300 SL--
ever. In ones without the European designation, I didn't expect to win anything when up against, say, a very rare Porsche (only 26 made), a BMW 507, or the last big-block Corvette to roll off the line. Though anything is possible and times do change, my opinion is that a Pagoda isn't going to win much of anything in a high end, French Rules Concours. So, be thankful if you are merely invited to one, and enjoy the experience. I enjoyed each and every one, met wonderful people of all kinds and saw fabulous cars. If you go to such an event with the expectation of "winning" something, you will, in all likelihood, be sorely disappointed. Have an attitude adjustment and just enjoy the day!
You may love, hate or be totally ambivalent towards the MBCA, or the equivalents in other countries, but it is these entities that produce the marque-specific Concours, generally as part of a larger event. In a Mercedes only Concours, with trained judges, that's where you will perhaps learn more about your car if you haven't done so already here on the forums. My car was entered in a number of them, and has earned first, second, third places. Dan Caron also took my car once (unbeknownst to me!) to a Mercedes-Benz Club of Canada Concours, where it won First Place. My car has also won Best of Show in at least one event, maybe more.
When the MBCA would plan national events, they were done 18 months in advance. Part of the planning was always properly planning for the Concours event, generally an event held on a Sunday. Months before the event, the Concours committee got together some model specific experts from the local chapter or adjoining chapters (for example, people from Cleveland judged events in Michigan) and a Concours judging class was held. I went to two of them, taught by Peter Lesler with assistance from others. There was minutia on models to go over, and rarely was the club short of an expert on the Pagodas, the 107s, Gull Wings, etc. Guides were prepared and the judges worked in teams. I worked with Joe Alexander and Jon Bernardi at some events, both of whom were judges as I was. (you never judged your own car).
As time has passed, the national events have all but disappeared; the Concours judging training with it, seemingly at least. The expertise has gone with it. In all cases where my car was judged, I was there, and had the ability to explain things to the judges (even on the French Rules events).
Now that I have my car back after a nearly 2-year vacation while I moved and work was done on it, if I see some events to participate in, I probably will. I doubt that there will be any MBCA events worthy of my attention, and I'm not a member any more anyway. They'd have to be events with significant European presence, as cars like ours get lost in events rich with American Muscle.
One thing I can tell you--French Rules, or Mercedes-only: detail and cleanliness. If you haven't been through the process, it's challenging. Everything--each nook and cranny needs to be spotless. Chrome needs to shine, paint needs to glow at its best. Everything must work. Remove all the non-judging items from the car, including mats and almost everything in the trunk. Chrome polish, detail spray, swabs, compressed air, various cleaning and treatments are all necessary to make your car shine. No dust, no dirt, no corrosion, no rust--these kinds of things need to be addressed. If you don't like that level of detail and cleanliness, a show isn't for you. If you don't mind that level of work, and can enjoy the day without going home with a prize, you'll have a great day.
And if you think the MB-only events are too nitpicking for your baby, be thankful you don't have a Porsche or Ferrari and are not attending the PCA or FCA national events with their Concours. Those marque-only events make the Mercedes events look like a cakewalk. Their expertise doesn't seem to be fading away; there's a LOT more people with a LOT more in-depth knowledge than can be typically found for Mercedes.
All my trophies and prizes? These dust collectors are in boxes somewhere in my office...
