concours classification, was: <VV> Classics

[Mark Corbin]

CORSA concours classification was originally set up to be a "committee"
job, but it seems to me that it's always been a "committee of one", namely
Larry Claypool. I say that in all due respect to Larry's overall knowledge,
and without any certainty as to whether that's his own doing or CORSA's.
But in all honesty even he doesn't know everything, and is also quite
humanly fallible. He's even called on me at times for information or
verification, when he didn't know the answer to something. And, yes, I've
seen him make mistakes. (Don't we all?)

In my own field of expertise, at least, I have been aknowledged by numerous
people (and NOT at or by my request) over the years to be THE expert. And
though I am a "CORSA Certified Master Judge" and  a "Master Generalist"
certified judge, I have never been asked to serve on the classification
"committee" for CORSA concours. It may be that Larry doesn't want
competition, or that CORSA doesn't want but one "expert" making the final
determinations.

But there is hope in the future, and that lies with the Stock Corvair Group
and our efforts to document everything we can concerning what is stock and
original. Eventually this data base should be used as it is in the Corvette
Restorers Club (title not accurate) where they have entire manuals for each
year of Corvette, containing all that is known about them. The manuals are
the basis of the Bloomington Gold and are continuously revised for accuracy.

The amusing thing about this all is that classification per se in CORSA
concours is meaningless because of the "gold, silver, bronze" award system
that is now employed, instead of a "first, second, third" system. For all
practical purposes, CORSA could eliminate ALL Concours classes except for
two classes, "Stock" and "Non-Stock" classes, and this only because of the
"Preservation" award.

Therefore, I recommend (and CC the Board) that CORSA do just that.

-Mark Corbin,  Past National Concours Chairman (5 years), Past Concours
Committee member (7 years), and original author of the CORSA Concours Rules
and its Revision 1 (and a judge in the National Concours since almost
forever)


> [Original Message]
> From: henry kaczmarek <kaczmarek at charter.net>
> Subject: Re: <VV> Classics
>
> Smitty's right about one thing: People who think their car original, find 
> out differently at the National Concours Classification.  I've made a
habit 
> when I'm there on classification day to stand as close as possible
without 
> interfering  when lclc is making the calls, you can learn an awful lot by 
> osmosis.
>
> I've seen many a PO'ed corvair owner after their car was classified.
>
> Hank