Concourse cars - great, or a waste of time?

[BenzBoy]

It was Top Gear that got me thinking - when the Porsche club guys were inspecting their cars and frowning upon the mods that were made.
Personally I think concourse cars are a waste of time - it's OK if you just want an ornament sat in your garage, but I think cars are machines that should be used for the purpose they were designed for, and not just wheeled out a couple of times a year to show off how little it's been used!
Fine for museums, but in my opinion it's a waste of a decent car!

[antdat]

I like my car to be nice and clean, but if i had a concourse car i would be to scared to use it, yes it's nice to see a car that you could eat you dinner off.
But for me driving the car is half the fun and making the car fun to drive is even better

[ImpJimbo]

Some people like concours cars and good for them. But Ilike cars to be driven. Theres a couple of guys at work with Beetles and one of them is pretty rough but it looks cool. There is something about cars that have that used look.

[Benmarina16v]

Trailer Queens drive me bonkers! Fair play if you want to spend thousands of ££'s on a car and then make a shrine to it in your carcooned garage and only take it to two INDOOR shows each year. Just think about the running costs after all the money you have shoved into it!
Grrr Sorry.

[iRocco]

What's the point in having a car that you're to afraid to get dirty - what a waste of time.

[nickb]

Complete waste of chops in my book.

Especially the buffers who rope their cars off so no-one can get within six feet of it. I mean, my bimmer looks sweet from six foot, it's only when you really get up close you could nit-pick about stone chips etc.

So what is the point of a 30k resto that no-one will ever see how good it is.

Cars are for driving, polish obsessed foo's!!

[HytestA]

Its ok if you want to get your car to complete perfect condition, but drive the bleeding thing. You wouldnt spend umpteen thousands on your home then think "cant get the carpets dirty' and end up living in a caravan in the garden would you. Theres a warmth and comfort that comes with things having that 'Lived in / Driven in' feel.
I like to see a car thats loved and cared for, but there is a line i think that most of the concoursers go over.

[wagoneer]

Fields of perfect replicas of factory original cars. So what. Those two Porsche nerds made me laugh. 'ooh look, original stickers under the bonnet'.
I bet they deduct marks for having non original air in the tyres.......

[Ratters]

You gotta admit some ALL of the concourse stuff gets me drooling - it is mint & top marks for the money, effort, time, etc that these people put in.
...I would love one of these cars [esp Mk1/2 RS ] but as said above, you wouldn't want to use it & what is the point in that?? I would much rather have a Mk1 with a 2 litre & RS stripes that I could thrash about in & not worry about as much ;D

[DerbyDan]

I think I agree with the general concensus of the replies in this thread.

Generally I do like to see clean shiney cars - indeed I like to keep the outside paintwork and the interiors of both my cars nice and clean & to a higher level than most of my mates deem necessary (& rib me for it!) However I realise that the important moving parts of our cars get dirty and a bit oily - thats how they are and how they should stay.

I don't quite get the whole 'chrome everything' school of thought either In my eyes some 'actual' well machined performance components in their natural finish or protective paint are far more appealing to my eyes - I mean how nice does a proper 'Tilton' pedal box look?

I also love the patina which old cars accumulate over time - the various scuffs, dings & the smells are all evidence that the car has 'lived' Something which often gets lost when a car gets restored.

[impmann]

Concours makes me seeth. Waste of time, space and effort. I mean who the hell cares about it really?

I was at a race meeting during the summer and was sitting in the paddock trying to keep out of the sun. There was a distant rumble and into the paddock came a Ferrari 250SWB, enough to get any petrolhead dribbling. The owner parked up next to our raggle-taggle bunch of Imps and wandered off, leaving the car unlocked and the keys in the ignition. Respect.

I then had a wander around the car - it had a dent in very panel, the Borrani wheels were dirty and (horror of horrors) had a little surface rust, there were roundels on the doors with scrape marks from where the last set of numbers were removed, the leather seats were cracked with the patina that only comes from enjoyment and use and there was a set of Willans belts slung casually on the floor. In short the guy used this beast properly.

About an hour later, after watching scores of car nuts dribbling over this vision of loveliness, two old grunters wandered over with their noses in the air. They then proceeded to tutt-tutt and comment loudly at the "appalling condition" of the car. As they wandered away (no doubt back to their waiting 1.6L Mundano) one of them said "he can't even fit a numberplate straight, he shouldn't have a car like that."

I really felt moved to go over and tell these morons that the owner of this car was using it EXACTLY as Enzo Ferrari designed it and in fact I'm sure the great man would have told them himself if he had been there (and not dead!).

The concours scene ruined people's enjoyment of modified classic cars, by pouring scorn on those of us that tinkered with our cars for years. I was once criticisied publically for having "the wrong shade of silver" on the wheels of my MGB Roadster (they hadn't noticed the Konis, 1980cc engine, Weber etc) by a high-ranking bod in one of the MG clubs. I was so peeved with that and other comments, I sold the car.

Thankfully the worm has turned and most car enthusiasts think that concours is just a scene for anoraks, beardies and people with more time than sense (polished brake pipes - I ask you!). Its just a shame that the mainstream classic car mags still continue to promote this drivel.

Apols for the length of this rant. Its something I'm rather passionate about!!
Cheers
Tim

[guz]

anyone seen Will Holman's Piston Broke
page at the back of this month's
Practical Performance Car ?

have a read next time you go in WHSmiths.

;D

[Revolution 9]

Not a fan of councours myself, I think a car loses it's personality when it's turned into a perfect replica of itself with no part left unrestored. Besides, it's not good for a car to never get driven other than to be parked in place at shows, and for f*ck sake it's a car after all, it was built to be driven, if you can't drive it what can you do?!

I like to see a tidy car, but at the same time I like to see a tidy car that gets used as well, and as I said, little imperfections and modifications that make the car more suited to its owner give a car more personality than if it was a perfect replica of when it was new, with the original wheelnuts and such restored/polished and refitted etc etc.

[Bocjohn]

Does anyone know where I can get some original wheel nuts for my Renault 5 ? ;D (runs for cover)

Bores who go on about minor details being wrong etc need to get a life.

Some owners treat their car better than their spouse, then wonder why they end up divorced.

[WillCarter]

The only time a Car should be trailered is when its too powerful for the roads and would vere out of control and the nearest corner or if its an ultra rare car (i.e some kind of prototype or something) that is priceless.

[Revolution 9]

SuperSport1987 said:

The only time a Car should be trailered is when its too powerful for the roads and would vere out of control and the nearest corner or if its an ultra rare car (i.e some kind of prototype or something) that is priceless.

You're right there, or else if it's in the middle of restoration and is at the time unable to drive on the road or not at the time taxed or something, since it doesn't do any good to have DVLA creeps throw the book at you for driving an untaxed car, even if it's tax exempt (another subject that gets me a lot, ie how come a 74 Imp like mine is not a historic car in the eyes of the Swansea branch of the Gestapo, sorry DVLA, yet an identical Imp made before 1/1/1973 would be classed as one?)

[CR500Dom]

[quote author=impmann
There was a distant rumble and into the paddock came a Ferrari 250SWB, enough to get any petrolhead dribbling. The owner parked up next to our raggle-taggle bunch of Imps and wandered off, leaving the car unlocked and the keys in the ignition. Respect.

, two old grunters wandered over with their noses in the air. They then proceeded to tutt-tutt and comment loudly at the "appalling condition" of the car. As they wandered away (no doubt back to their waiting 1.6L Mundano) one of them said "he can't even fit a numberplate straight, he shouldn't have a car like that."

[/quote]

LOL
Theres a Guy over on Visordown Supermoto Forum, called Ducati Pete.

There used to be a great bike meet just outside Ongar at a Pub called the White Bear...1000+ bikes on a Wednesday night till the Police closed the Pub down to stop the meet

Anyway, Sunny warm evening wandering around having a look and this 748 Ducati rolls in......
Red 20+000 miles on the clock and looks like its never seen a sponge ;D
You should have heard the people.... I thought they were going to lynch him

Turns out the bike was meticulously maintained, used year round, dispated on in London and trackdayed all round the country...... but never washed and polished...

Just to offend those people that would be offended ;D
Big Respect

When he sold it, the layers of road filth must have protected it, cos it cleaned up a treat

[ImpJimbo]

I think I migt set up a buisness selling 1960s air to put in concours cars tires. I could make a fortune. ;D

[MWF]

Concours is awful, absolutely terrible I should know, I made the mistake of buying a concourse car.

Where is my car now? In a garage where it will stay until I deem the weather suitable to bring it out.

The money I have to spend on just car cleaning products, various degrees of polish, specal cloths, wax imported from the the states.

I can't enjoy the car through constanf fear of something being drawn to coming in contact with it. When I drive it I am planning the cleanest route to were I am going, when I park in a car park I have to buy two tickets and use two spaces.

It's a nice thing to have but also a burden and the paranoia is too much. I have a neighbour in the same boat but he uses his car everyday of the year!

Thank god I have my honda sh*tter to abuse all winter.

[ImpJimbo]

Thats the trouble with concours you cant use it. Same with the old cars that are found with only a couple of thousand miles on them. As soon as you start using them there you add the miles and it isnt such a low milage car anymore.