What Kind of Car Shows do you really enjoy?

[hls30.com]

All of these assume that there is plentiful refreshment, and relief available, in the form of snacks, seating, and well maintained restrooms!

Will

[26th-Z]

Don't talk to entrants when you are judging their car. Talk to them after you have finished judging. Your first obligation as a judge is to judging the cars you have been assigned to in the time you have. I always write comments on the judging sheets and sign my name to them.

Then I grab a rum and tonic and go tell them what's wrong with their POS!

[Ron Carter]

Hmm, I have gone to car shows for 20+ years with several types of Datsuns. Most of the shows I enjoy are the simple and basic shows. Not the glitzy Monterey want-to-be shows.

There are a couple of types of people that show up to a car show, and that seems to be the difference. The shows I enjoy often have the most eclectic cars and entrants. Cars and Coffee here in Southern California comes to mind as a great show. It's two hours long on a Saturday morning, there are no classes or awards, just show up with your car. I have run into every one from Steve Saleen to Chip Foose at this event.

The shows that I dread are often due to the participants and not the show itself, as I wish I had a dollar for everyone who asked me how fast my car is in the 1/4 mile. I would hope that the public at large was a little more educated, or courteous enough to read my place card regarding my car before asking a dumb question.

I went to a show recently, where the public could walk amongst the cars. I was amazed to watch a Japanese lady walk up to my friends roadster, open the door (its a convertable and the top was down) look inside and then SLAM the door as hard as she could. She then proceeded to walk up to my car and started to reach for the handle, and I got her attention and told her in no certain terms that she was not to open the door, or even touch my car.

What I enjoy the most from a car show are the kids. The expression on a little kids face when I seat him in a real race car, put the belts around him and hand him the steering wheel is just really cool....

[TomoHawk]

I come from a streetrod/musclcar/aviation family, but I've always liked vintage Italian/ European since I startred driving or cycling. New cars just don't get my attention, they're so cheap...

So when I go to a car show or cruise-in, I walk right past the Corvettes, tuners, and chrome-mobiles :tapemouth to the cars with more character. I can really enjoy a well- assembled rat-rod or an old Nova or F-1 truck, even if it gets washed with a Brillo pad.

Another thing that can make a show more enjoyable is the kind of people that go. You get some people that will gawk at anything with a 20" subwoofer or 22 inch wheels or shimmer-paint, and the use the work 'sweet' for every one of those cars. The same kind of people use their CELL PHONE CAMERAS to take 'awesome pictures' of the front headlight (the typical, boring, quarter-on shot.) Then, you get a better class of people (mostly anyway) at the concourse- or streetrod- type of shows. Most of them know something about how cars are built or painted, so they only say 'sweet' when the entire engine is chromed & polished.

thxZ

Edited September 5, 2008 by TomoHawk

[hls30.com]

Tomohawk,

I don't know the last(or the first) time I said "Sweet"

I really enjoy looking at cars. The effort involved is what gets me. I will admit the design in older cars attracts me more to them than most newer cars, and I would expect an older car to last longer than a newer car(other than paint). On of the strange things to me is that Amelia Island had around 30 MGs, Several examples of the same models, and yet the only Japanese car I remember was the BRE 510. Every direct competitior of the Z back in the day was well represented, but No Z. Carls car will be there next year, and I hope that some of our Gold Medaillon winners and more of the Historic Zs will register for an invitation for the following year-that would make for a great car show!

Will

[TomoHawk]

Will,

I wouldn't expect you to use the word 'sweet' unless you had an ice cream cone.

IMO, you won't be seeing the japanese cars at the more notable shows or concourse events because people still don't believe that 'real cars' didn't come from Japan until about the 80s.

thxZ

[hls30.com]

Will,

IMO, you won't be seeing the japanese cars at the more notable shows or concourse events because people still don't believe that 'real cars' didn't come from Japan until about the 80s.

thxZ

There I have to disagree with you. My local Z club has been invited to participate at this years Hilton Head Concours as the First Japanese representation. http://www.hhiconcours.com/

My '72 is registered for this show, and we have several others models of Z registered as well. Though the blurb does not spell out we will be there, we will. Add to that Carls invitation to the Amelia Island Concours, and his showing at the St. Pete Speed Show, and there will be Zs in "The" most prestigious South East coast shows starting this year! This years Amelia Island show was said to surpass the Pebble Beach show by everyone I spoke with that had gone to both.

Will

[Arne]

There I have to disagree with you.

Me too. The area Datsun and Z clubs here in Oregon had a big presence in the big Portland hot rod show last year, and the 510s, roadsters and Zs (including Mike's yellow beast) were VERY well received by the hot-rod/muscle crowd.

In fact, my conversations with other car people is exactly backwards from your claim, Tomo. Most car people I know have plenty of respect for the innovative, fun and value-laden Japanese cars from the late '60s and early '70s (Zs, 510s, Celicas, etc.). They also acknowledge the value and competence of the more modern Japanese offerings. But with a few exceptions the Japanese cars from the '80s are generally considered to be unimaginative and nothing special.

[Zulaytr]

There I have to disagree with you. My local Z club has been invited to participate at this years Hilton Head Concours as the First Japanese representation.

I mentioned in my earlier post the challenge of being a pioneer for Concours events. Hopefully his30.com and his fellow Z club members will take the offer to display at the Hilton Head event. It will interesting to see what class they are placed as from what I can remember from looking at the show information that a Z could be placed in the "Orphans" class. Hopefully they are changing their class layout to a more favorable one.

I firmly feel that before a Z can be invited, with any consistency, to a "more notable" concours, Z's must participate at any and all concours that will recognize the changing times and invite them. I have participated in 5 different concours events, from Florida to CA, often the only Z in the show. This year I will miss the ZCON because I have the opportunity to once again be a pioneer and take my Z to the the Louisville Concours at Churchill Downs in early Oct. This is the first year for that event so hopefully in the future, as it grows, so will the recognition of a Z in the sports car class. More and more concours are indeed opening there doors to us. Carl's participation in Amelia is paramount for future of Z's to be included. Kudo's once again.

Edited September 5, 2008 by Zulaytr

[TomoHawk]

I have firmly feel that before a Z can be invited, with any consistency, to a "more notable" concours, Z's must participate at any and all concours that will recognize the changing times and invite them.

That's the whole point. Even though there are Zs going to certain events, these are more or less isolated, so you can't make a claim that the Zs are getting popular. I've been to a number of car shows for the last several years, and even though people say they're neat sportscars, there's been no acceptence yet. Even when my whole club goes, only the 350s get any attention, and people will just walk by the S30s.

And don't forget the weak showing the Barett-Jackson auctions. There was only one Z there. When you see 3 or 4 there, especially with some commentation, then I think that will mean things are changing.

Things will take time, and a great meny of us will need 300-point cars to make a real difference overall, so I think it will take a while...

Edited September 5, 2008 by TomoHawk

[hls30.com]

TomoHawk,

You are missing a serious part of the equation.

As ZULAYTR said, the key is getting the cars seen. In having the cars at any show and having them accompanied by an enthusiastic and well informed owner, the cars will become more popular, along that vein, When was the last time you saw any of the cars in the Amelia Island Concours Album in my gallery live and in person? In all likelihood you might have seen a few, but most you probably have either never seen in person, or have seen only at a high end show. How popular is the brown Packard pictured earlier in the thread? How may gold medallion Zs could you buy with what it would sell for? A car does not have to be popular to be valuable, it simply has to be valued by at least two people with more money than sense! Getting the cars seen by and creating interest in the people with serious automotive budgets is what will drive the values up in a big way, just as they have for the Muscle cars. Carl has exercised a healthy budget in his car, and Racing expenses aside, I am sure Ron has a good starter house or two in his. Look at the writeups in the car magazines, a few are on cars that just happen to be lucked into, but most are about cars that are enthusiastically and habitually shown.

Will it take time, sure, but the more enthusiastic Z owners that enter their cars in any and every show available the less time it will take(given the cars are show worthy).

Serious Value is a popularity contest, but only within a comparatively small group of people.

Will

[TomoHawk]

Will,

There are 8 gold-medallion cars in my club, and even when we go to events as a club, the cars aren't getting the attention you would like to see. The attention that they do get is is right kind, but just not enough from enough people.