<VV> CONCOURS PHILOSOPHY 101

[airvair]

During a recent discussion I had with Bob Norwalk about my "infamous '69
Corsa," he stated that he'd like to make an addition to the existing
concours rules to automatically designate "model change" cars as
modified cars. He (and the previous chairman) and I have butted heads
about this for years, and I think it's time I took the issue to the
court of public opinion. I'd write the Communiqui, but I don't believe
I'd be allowed a fair discussion of the issue. For those who don't know
my car, I built it years ago using only late model stock Corvair parts,
thus creating a complete and exact rendition of a stock, air-conditioned
'69 Corsa. Yet to date, I cannot show it in a judged concours because he
will not allow it to compete in what should be the APPROPRIATE class for
it.

My position has always been that there is a philosophy to concours that
must be consistently followed. There is a reason why we separate stock
cars from modified cars, that being that it's inherently unfair to pit
stock parts (which are often reconditioned used parts) against modified
(and thus often new) parts. We also have an "update-backdate" rule that
allows stock parts from within their respective year groups to be used
in any "Street" Stock class car. Further, each car in the concours
should always be placed in an APPROPRIATE class that allows it to
compete against like cars. So for these reasons there has been nothing
in writing to date that automatically classifies model-change cars as
modified. From all this it can be fairly concluded that a
complete-and-exact model-change car, if built to Street Stock class
standards, should NOT be arbitrarily placed in a modified class. To do
so is patently unfair! Worse, Bob admits that it's totally arbitrary.

Bob said that they made that ruling because "they didn't make a '69
Corsa." So what's the problem? In concours, cars are judged only on
cleanliness and condition, and classification is supposed to place every
car in an APPROPRIATE class according to its competitive attributes with
one another, not according to some puritanical ideology. The factory
produced ONLY pure stock cars, not modified cars, nor even street stock
cars. Read the class definitions! The existing definitions were designed
to separate cars by competitive attributes only, while reserving only
the PURE STOCK class from being combined with anything else. Street
Stock class cars are only slightly removed from pure stock, and are NOT
changed enough from stock to really be called modified. Such is the case
with my '69 Corsa.

Even though he denies it, I suspect the only reason for this verbal (to
date), arbitrary, capricious, and totally unfounded ruling is because
they simply hate the idea of a '69 Corsa. Regardless of the reason, he
has never offered a rational explanation for this verbal ruling.
Certainly any explanation he has offered to date has had no foundation
in logic whatsoever. All I get are flimsy, prejudiced, opinionated,
"because they didn't make it" and "because I say so" excuses. Concours
is about judging and comparing QUALITY, not soothing someone's insulted
purist ideology. This ruling is heresy and I am justly outraged.

Thus I am requesting everyone who agrees with me to email Bob and the
CORSA board and object to this blatant trashing of the foundation of
sound concours principles, and also to demand a retraction of such
verbal and arbitrary rulings. Concours rules should be based on logical,
rational, and sound principles. And the Concours Committee should follow
the WRITTEN letter of its own rules. To do otherwise, as does this
verbal and arbitrary ruling, is to disgrace the whole purpose of
concours and of written rules.

-Mark Corbin