CAMARO SHOW

[micky69396]

How was it??

[CamarosRus]

WCA in Columbus was good.....not great. Enjoyed 1) Seeing and "hearing" Brian Henderson's very original Yenko 2) "Larry's" newly restored very impressive ZL-1 3) meeting Tom Clary and viewing all the Yenko memorbilia.....Between short bouts of rain over the three days overall weather was sunny and NOT hot. My personal thanks to all this sites members who attended, judged, and otherwise help further the WCA show!!!!!

[Chevy454]

Dad told me all about the show, and I really wish I could have made it! It sounds like there were some really nice cars there. Bummer about the rain, though . Any word on how the 3 Supercars ('68 Yenko Camaro, '69 ZL-1 Camaro, & '69 Yenko Camaro) going for the Diamond award came out?

Any idea of what Supercars from this event are going to make it to the Supercar Reunion as well?

[bkhpah]

The WCA show was better than it had been in years. Friday attendance was down, but a lot of nice cars were on display Saturday. Tom Clary's Supercar Seminar had a small attendance but was interesting. There was no announcements for the seminars and that made knowing times very difficult. With rain during Tom's seminar I expected a full house, but without a PA system Friday it was just lost in the shuffle. Seminars that I have been with in the past were very well attended, the ball was dropped on this one. The Diamond judging was very long and difficult. The average judging sheets were over 80 pages long and longer depending on options. The cars were judged in rotating teams. The problem was there were not enough judges to handle the amount of cars. Some of the judges would not judge certain cars because of first hand knowledge of owners etc. We started judging at @8:30 AM and closed the books on the last car at 10:30 PM. With no breaks for the team that I was on this made for a terrible day. I was not able to be with my car and was not able to spend any time with all the people that attended. Without any real breaks and all the money we spent to be there it was a real problem. We missed the show and cruise Saturday night. I might as well had left the car at home. This was not the way that I wanted to spend my weekend. We packed it up and left Saturday night. I think the majority of the show was good. The cars that we looked at were nice. The final total was the 68 Yenko and the 69 ZL/1 recieved a Diamond and the 69 Yenko and 68 Z/28 had Gold awards.
In closing, I feel the club is going in the right direction, but a lot of details need to be corrected for the next one. Diamond Judging needs to have more help. That's my take on the show....

[sYc]

I agree, the WCA may be headed in the right direction, but has a ways to go. Over all, I had a good time, as I got to see several neat supercars, visit with some old friends and make some new ones. But, as Brian pointed out, people attend these events to show off their cars, visit with other owners and in general, have a good time. This is hard to do when you are asked to judge and you have a car at the show. I know judging is a necasary evil, but should not take away from the show. I do not see how the diamond judges could have had much of a fun weekend. They deserve a big THANK YOU. Some how the judging process needs to be only a small part of the show, instead of the show a small part of the judging. That is why we do not judge the supercars at the Supercar Reunion. Until we can come up with a way to put on a fun show and also have judging, we will leave the judging to the other shows. Best of luck to the WCA. Tom

[micky69396]

I dont know the Camaro club that well but do you have to sign up for their diamond judging? I know the Chevelle club will only take a certain # of cars for theirs since it is so lenthy, and they must pre register to do it.

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Micky Hale Restorations
69 L-89 Chevelle
68 Biscayne 427/425

[bkhpah]

It used to be that if you were trying to get a Diamond you first had to achieve a Gold. Now a Tech Person will look at the car and see if it fits into the Diamond criteria. If so they will take your 100 bucks and move it into the Diamond class. Some are returning cars , some are new. The way the judging is set up now it takes at least 3 hours per car. We did four cars 12 hours working time. Zero time for the show. This needs to be looked into.
BKH

[copo69]

I wish I had been able to attend as I planned to sandwich it in between the oil/gas show and the Spring Nationals but unfortunately couldn't make it to Columbus. Sounds like not much has changed with the Camaro Club. I don't understand why it takes 2 hours to judge a car. Several years ago a friend of mine accompanied me to a Camaro club show. This guy is a senior AACA judge and he couldn't believe the judging format and the length of time judging the cars (gold, silver, bronze class). These guys must attend schools which present the standards on the particular class/make they are judging. This has no standards,gold car may not be gold car the following year. Some years lots of golds, others not many and this represents the quality of the car. I think some of this micro judging has driven many away, because it's not FUN any more. Tom is on the right track, make it fun again. Even the Corvette guys are getting away from the over restored, no fluids in the car stuff. I realize it's hard cause some guys won't come unless there's some kind of trophy and I don't claim to have all the answers.... what do you guys think?

[sYc]

I feel that the WCA needs to address their whole judging process for both the Diamond and Gold/Silver/Bronze judging. The Diamond class should be held either the day before (Thursday) or the day after (Sunday) so it does not take a way from the show, to allow the Dianmond judges a chance to enjoy the rest of the show and to allow the cars to be judged without interference from spectators. A larger fee should be charged so the judges could be compensated for their time. $500.00-700.00 would not be out of line to have ones car judged to the extent that was done this year. It would cost you this much or more at any other time to have just ONE of these judges go over your car in this detail. You had to be there to really understand and appeciate the Diamond judging process. The Gold/Silver/Bronze judging should be taken out of the hands of the car owners and done by people who know the cars. A place, such as a tent, should be set up where each car is taken and judged by a team of 4-6 judges, with each judge only doing a portion of the car. This way the process would be much faster and all cars would be judged in the same manner. I understand that some other national shows do it this way. I am not trying to bash the WCA, as they put in a lot of time and effort to put on this event. It is just that instead of changing, they are doing things the same way that was done in the past, which saw two national Camaro clubs fail. They need to get a group of concerned, knowledgeable people together and start with a blank piece of paper. That is what I tried to do with the Supercar Reunion. To do things a little different then other shows, such as no judging and exibition racing. So far, I have not heard any complaints about the cars not being judged and the racing must have been a good idea, as ACES (national Chevelle club) went to the same track as we did the year following our first event. Tom

[micky69396]

Tom, I think you are on the right track. There is still the place for the ultimate restorations, but most I think are wanting to do the shows where it is a little laid back. People seem much more friendly when the competition is taken away. We do a lot of the higher end restos, and customers want to know where they stand, but I think they (most)know enough now to know if they have a good car or not and just enjoy showing it off. I know the guy whos car I am bringing to your show could care less if he gets another trophy or not. He knows what he has and is satisfied with that.

[copo69]

I was addressing the gold, silver, bronze judging, not the diamond. By participants judging it became a show & shine as the judges were instructed not to judge correctness only cleanliness and if the item was present. This was lauded as a "standard"? I mean if you cannot judge correctness at a Camaro only show then where should/could this be judged? As far as the diamond class goes I think someone having a car of this caliber should know correctness, his car's pedigree, and I understand the "trophys don't mean much", also. I agree with Micky on this count. I don't understand why that person would pay $100., let alone $700. Maybe cars of this caliber should be free, as examples for display, juried prior to the show. I really enjoyed the cars on the concourse at Indy Super Chevy a few years ago as Brian Caudill's concept of this was well received by participants and spectators.
Maybe the ACES growth and popularity could be a model for the club as the old way has failed...twice. I don't know much about the Chevelle clubs but it looks like they (ACES) are succeeding as opposed to some other national clubs.

[micky69396]

Brians deal at Super Chevy was great. We did it 1 or 2 times and enjoyed it. It would be nice if ACES would do a formal judging, but I doubt it will happen anytime soon as Chuck wants to keep it a "get together" rather than a competition. I really dont see the NCOA being around much longer either. It will either go away or start up with new leadership. Just my opinion.

[bkhpah]

The Diamond judging is for those who want to know exactly where their cars stand. That is why it takes so long to look at one. The Diamond class is not for everyone and it never will be. It takes a great amount af time and money to construct a Diamond level car. The judging at an AACA event does not even come close to Diamond. I don't think that anyone that had their car Diamond judged thought it was a waste of time. Judging is an ever evolving thing. We learn more all the time and have to apply it when things are found to be true. That may be one reason that cars do better one year than the next. Many may have thought the cars would do better, but everyone thinks that. Not only is the cosmetic aspect of the car looked at, the components are looked at as well. This is not Show and Shine. There are standards that a Camaro must exhibit to be considered. The main concern I have is the amount of work placed on so few judges. More qualified people need to step up and participate. This is a thankless job for the most part. But I feel that all the peoples cars that we judged felt that the cars were treated with respect and fairly evaluated. At least the cars that our team did. Anyone have a different opinion? I can handle critisism. The Supercar Reunion should be geared toward a fun event. I really don't care who has the best hose clamp at this event.. If you are wanting to know whats is right with your car there will be plenty of good people at the event to help you with your questions without the pressure of judging.
BKH

[sYc]

What we are seeing now is typical of the automotive hobbby. Trends. When muscle cars first appeared, the 60s-70s, you did not have national judged shows. The shows were at your local "burger place". One did not worry about correctness, your main concern was to be noticed, either through flexing your muscle(horsepower) or through your
car's looks. Then in the 80s-90s, regional and national shows became the place to be. Here everyone wanted the perfect 1000 point car. Thus, the beginning of trailer queens. One could (and can) attend a major show almost every weekend. That is the reason many owners experience burnout after a couple of years showing a top end car. They have more trophies then they can count and are tired of constantly cleaning (detailing) their car. Now, in the year 2000, we have come full circle. We are going back to our roots. At almost every show, you are seeing more and more classes for "street cars", ones that are driven on a regular basis. Almost all shows now include a cruise, and some are doing like the Supercar Reunion and are even going to a local racetrack. If national shows are to survive, then they will need to change. That is the way it is and the way it will always be. There will always be a place for the top end, perfect cars,and owners who want to see how their cars compare to others, but right now the majority of owners would rather have a car that they can both show and drive, versus just show. Tom