More on Car Shows

[Ernie]

Another person disappointed with Car Shows:

http://www2.dothaneagle.com/news/2010/oct/26/letter-disappointed-car-show-ar-1013391/

Edited October 26, 2010 by Ernie

[Gunslinger]

Interesting and quite similar to what I see as well. In my area at least, the hobby seems to be tilted more and more towards modified cars rather than original and stock appearing. Most cruise-ins and car shows tend to be allowing more and more modified and rice rocket tuner cars since they're getting fewer original cars. Maybe the stock car owners are retiring or passing away and the younger crowd isn't into them. At a recent car show there were classes for original cars, modified, street rods, etc. I would guess the modified class was somewhere near 75-80% of the cars present. To see any significant numbers of original type cars, including independents, it takes a show that specifically excludes modified cars...and they don't occur too often each season in my area, though the ones that do get significant numbers of such cars.

A close friend who owns two '57 Chevy Bel Airs...one modified and one world-class correct convertible, has considered selling the show car. He feels the value has dropped, not only due to the economy in general, but the pool of potential owners for the car are at the age where they're no longer interested or are dying off and the younger crowd only wants cars for modifying, not for originality. His thinking is that he should sell it before the value crashes altogether. He may have a point.

Just a sign of things to come I guess.

[J Boyle]

CAUTION Rant Ahead.

I can relate, many of the shows here are focused on modified or high dollar street rods.

There is a expensive show in a nearby resort town, when I've been there, they only give awards to street rods, I've seen a mint V-16 Cadillacs go home empty handed. I think the Chamber of CCommerce and mayor decide the winners. I won't be going back, especially not at the $45 entry fee.

At some shows, the rat rod guys come and show off making too much noise, raising too much dust.

My favorite show is one that claims to be "Stock only"...of course a few cars sneak in that look stock but have Edelbrock engine parts or chome air cleaners or silly lake pipes. But 90% are stock...though often with incorrect interior materials and or colors.

This year there were no Avantis, buy the year before there were two, neither of which were stock...(one had a horrendous Grant GT steering wheel, oven range-top burner trim rings arouns the headlights...so get out your GE catalog if you don't want to pay S-I...and the whole car needed restoring).

I'd hate for folks to think that was representative of all Avantis.

Rant over...

Edited October 26, 2010 by J Boyle

[Gunslinger]

CAUTION Rant Ahead.

I can relate, many of the shows here are focused on modified or high dollar street rods.

There is a expensive show in a nearby resort town, when I've been there, they only give awards to street rods, I've seen a mint V-16 Cadillacs go home empty handed. I think the Chamber of CCommerce and mayor decide the winners. I won't be going back, especially not at the $45 entry fee.

At some shows, the rat rod guys come and show off making too much noise, raising too much dust.

My favorite show is one that claims to be "Stock only"...of course a few cars sneak in that look stock but have Edelbrock engine parts or chome air cleaners or silly lake pipes. But 90% are stock...though often with incorrect interior materials and or colors.

This year there were no Avantis, buy the year before there were two, neither of which were stock...(one had a horrendous Grant GT steering wheel, oven range-top burner trim rings arouns the headlights...so get out your GE catalog if you don't want to pay S-I...and the whole car needed restoring).

I'd hate for folks to think that was representative of all Avantis.

Rant over...

I feel for you...much the same in my area. Like I said, it seems to be the way things are going. A show or cruise-in for resto-mods or customs is fine, but in a show where there are no or ill-defined classes, stock or stock appearing cars are pretty much left out in the cold. My '70 Avanti is mildly modified, but generally only someone knowledgable about Avanti's would know. The main tip-off in my car is the Edelbrock fuel injection and many people look at it and think it's a carburetor due to its appearance. Actually...at one show this summer with stock and modified classes, a judge didn't even notice the fuel injection...he said the Magnum 500 wheels should place it in the modified class as they're aftermarket wheels...I said I had the build sheet to show it came originally with them but with the EFI it did belong in modified...he just didn't notice.

Again...most are clueless. Must be something about those "Canadian" cars that confuses people!

[cobrajoe74]

Had my 82 at a well attended (500+) car show last year (at John Staluppi's "Cars of Dreams" museum in WPB, FL-check out the museum's website...oh to be a multi-millionaire!!!)...something like 30 awards & most went to rods, GTOs, Vettes etc...I was sitting by the car late in the day (not just the only Avanti-the only (sort of) Studebaker)...the usual people who acknowledge the Avanti are older than me (54)...had this twenty-something guy walk up & really study the car...looking for badges/emblems...then just standing back & taking the whole car in...he walked up to me & said: "I'm not a car guy and I don't know what this car is but it's the absolute coolest car here!!"...I can't tell you how good it felt to expose a youngster to the uniqueness & style that is our cars' compared to the standard Ford/GM/Mopar fare...makes me wonder if any 30 & under car people will collect/lust for any independent make in the near future (and "lust" is what I had for the Avanti for >40 yrs before I got mine)!!!...Joe

[ken1007]

Studebaker is not eactly a household word. I went to a recent car show consisting of about 100 cars and they did not know Studebaker and wanted to put me in "foreign car" category. A couple of weeks earlier at a 200 car show a 63 Avant won top award. I understand the concern for modified cars, but my pet peeve is when a "Kit" competes with a car decades old and when I broght this up at the show, the kit owner told me that state police wanted it registered as the old car it pretends to be rather than as the Camaro VIN used as its platform and that seems to be the national trend.

[garyc]

I have owned 3 Studebaker Avanti's. My first was in '65 a transition R2 car built in Augustof '63. My second was also an R2 in '75 a June of '63 Car. I bought my last two years ago a Feb. '63 R1. I have never shown these cars only because the car was my interest. I have gone to many shows to admire other peoples dreams. It's my understanding judging of cars is not an exact science and judges use as much of their own opinion when judging as trying to follow the known rules. I have tried to keep my cars as original as possible but do embellish them with my own personality. An example would be adding some '64 details to a '63 car or updating the AC unit and or the brakes. Bottom line is, to many The Avanti is the most beautiful car ever manufactured. Add the end of Studebaker to that and you have a wonderful ($$$$) hobby and have made many friends. The car lived on for years with the II. I for one am reliving my youth. I graduated from high school the same time the first Avanti rolled off the assembly line.

[okc63avanti]

I'm glad the SDC and the AOAI has plenty of room for those who want to maintain originallity and for those of us (myself included) who love taking an original and don't mind doing a resto-mod on it because we want a car with more performance, safety and comfort than it had orignally.