One reason mother and I stopped entering our cars was at a local show knowing the judges and listening to them talk about their bias,and personal reaction to certain cars.Our cars have always been drivers,we never stayed until the end,and after over hearing this conversation it sealed the deal.Knowing this we found that we look at all cars differently.Now we tend to focus on the drivers and not the trailer queens,and look beyond the obvious.The owners of these cars are most always interesting to talk to.Don't get me wrong the trailer queens are interesting to look at most of the time,just don't get too close to them.

Around here, "car shows" are more like backyard BBQ get-togethers, not beauty contests.

We all get together for a good time, not to rip each other for the frayed cuffs on our jeans or dirt on our sneakers.

I agree that if you're entering your car into some kind of competition, you should spiff it up, but if you're just parking your car amongst friends for a get together, then it doesn't need to be pristine.

they dont look like this, huh? I guess guys who are selling their cars keep their engines and cars cleaner?

Sal, I agree, a clean windshield is the top priority, but I kinda like to wash the wheels too....never have time to "detail the car." Too busy fiddling, driving and having fun. At shows, I usually spend more time in the parking lot looking at the cars that got driven there...
Ken

We have a very large show here in the summertime every Wednesday night sponsored by Beaches Restaurant at PIR. Most of the time there are anywhere from 1200 - 1700 cars/trucks there on any given night.

You can tell "most" of the Cobras there are driven daily and aren't as detailed as some of the cars. Most of the guys in our club are drivers- in fact, they seldom stay around for the whole show- preferring to go for a drive than sit around at the show.

There is one Everett Morrison owner who refuses to park next to the rest of the Cobras. He likes to talk about his $15K paint job and his $20K engine and all that, but ask him about driving the car or tracking it and you quickly learn he only takes it out to trailer it to shows and drives it very little for fear of damaging the paint or getting the engine dirty.
At the same show I saw a completely worn out 289 slabside last year. The seats were complete cracked and broken down, the engine compartment was dirty, the body had tons of "patina"- in other words it had been driven hard and put away wet. Turned out it was the only original CSX 2000 series car at the show and he is a regular. Great guy to talk to as he bought the car new in '68 and just drove the piss out of it this whole time. I think he said he has something like 200,000 miles on it.....

Bob

I never could understand why a car enthusiast would bring a beater Cobra to a car show. One of the last car shows I was at had an original 427 street roadster parked next to me and I gotta say the guy had no pride in his ride not to mention protecting his investment. Looked more like a barn find than belonging in a competitive car show. To each his own, but I just can't see showing off your car at a show when it looks like a third row used car lot hard-sell. Yes, I drive mine too...20k miles and still tickin'. Lots of nicks over 8 years of road trips all over western United States and Canada but still looks like new. There....I've said my piece.

4,000 and still riding,and it get cleaned every time it comes back home
http://www.clubcobra.com/photopost/d...s/SNC00058.jpg

Bring one old and beat up enough and they will mistake it for a Rat Rod! Patina is a code word for Jamo to post. Jamo I read the word patina on the first page of posts and thought of you.:D:D:D

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_FoXyvaPSnV...thmobile-0.jpg

My w/s card says "Display Only" when I attend 2 or 3 local cars shows a year......No judging for me,just there for the fun of it....

I give my car a decent wash job, wipe down the interior,open the hood and blow the motor off with the air hose and give the motor/engine compartment a spray of Armour All, close the hood and drive to the car show...

I did the "car show" thing for 2 years and was so disgusted I didn't do another for a number of years.The cars with the most chrome or the car club that put on the show would win the 5 dollar trophys and it wasn't much fun.
I now do a couple every year, there are "charity" car shows, more of a cruise-in than a car show, but still attract some fine machines....

Did a regional MCA event about 10 years ago,just to see what it was about, when they judged my car,one of the 2 judges couldn't believe how many rock chips were on the rear quarter panels and pointed it out to me, told him the car was a "driver" and in the "driver class", he said "where do you drive it?", told him wherever I need to go at the time, including gravel roads and one sugar cane field, he just shook his head in disbelief and said "well,at least you drive your car". He is right...........

David

Why I enter
 

We clean the car up but I do have paint chips. The real reason we enter though is to get safer parking while we look at the show.

I plan on attending a few of the Beaches events. I tried to go to a couple last year but each one was rained out. I'll be bringing my 'new to me' FFR mkII and it will be the first car show that I've ever brought a car to. I'm pretty excited. I'll probably wash my car and vacuum it out...that's about it though.

Drive the hell out of it, track it, drag it, and have a blast with it, but if you bring it to a car show it should be as clean as you can make it, that's all. When I judge a car show I want at least some effort, I have the knowledge to look past the obvious and to appreciate the not so obvious. Its pride in your ride.

I agree RET COP have pride in your car if you plan on showing it. I may not show mine but I do try to keep it as clean as I can,but if you are showing your car you show your car and represent all cobra owners. If a guy was to see a cobra on the street he will remember how good it looked with the hood open..and all the HP

...and wash behind your ears and wear clean underwear! :LOL:

I've brought my car to a few shows, but I just don't get having to detail the damn thing. I just wash it, clean the rugs and windshield, wipe the tires down and polish some aluminum and go. I'd rather spend my time driving it and keeping it running good than having it look like something that doesn't leave the garage. And I won't put chrome on it, so I guess my Cobra won't win many awards. However, it seems everyone who looks at it thinks it's just right.

I do a quick wash and drive to the show. I like, a lot of the Cobra guys, don't go for the trophies.

I have a lot of stories about car shows. Like the time Coach and I lost to a tractor in a Truck and Car Show. Long story, I will tell it later.


Dwight

I've had cars enteered in ISCA shows in a competition class and some of the competition was a car with a roll cage made of chromed exhaust tubing and had parachute packs stuffed with rags. A car entered into a ISCA or similar show should of course be spotless, and meet all the rules as to batteries, fuel,oil,etc

A car entered in a cruize nite show should be something that has a theme and good workmanship---not necessarily a leased mini cooper or BMW.

My cars have also been featured cars at the SEMA show, LA Auto SHow on celebrity nite----the worst part of that is that the camera crews want to spray them down with something to dull the reflections---we actually packed up and left the LA Auto Show once during the RED CARPET portion to avoid having all the polished magnesium parts from being sprayed down.

A cruisin show is a drive and arrive with whatever you have---its more important to be there and support these activities than it is to so wound up with a few specs of dust!!

X3, drive it like you stole it.

Keep in mind Ratdog that quite a few of us go to these events more to
"Meet and Greet" than anything. Did you introduce yourself to Brian or any of the other guys that went? Or do you already know some of the folks in Charlotte?

I had met some of them last year on the dragon,I guess I was looking at going to a car show and see cars detailed to show there best, not a RAT car show:LOL: but the corvettes ,camaros amd mustangs were ready and looked great.

...and don't forget your little doll to play 'hide and seek' with....

http://media.oregonlive.com/photogal...5292-small.jpg

...and the placard you had made saying saying your car is a Corvette Killer!!!