Is Your Car A Winner? Peoples Choice Judging Guide To Car Shows -A guide for judging and showing your car-

If this is your first car show, or you are a seasoned car enthusiast, the information contained here will be helpful to ensure that you do not overlook anything at your next show. For the car owner, this material will help you get the extra point needed to beat the car next to you, and if you are judging who should get the extra point. Depending upon the type of car show there are a variety of things to consider. Car shows fall into many different categories depending upon the show promoter and any themes. General car shows are open to any and all makes of cars as well as years. These shows can be quite difficult to judge since there are so many variables to be considered. This guide will provide you with some helpful information.

The guidelines that are presented here will give you insight into judging or participating in any of these different shows. The display portion of this book is for all car classes from daily drivers to trailer queens and everything in between.

One of the most challenging parts of going to a car show is appreciating the cars that are not your favorites, and stopping to take a look, versus just walking by with a passing glance. The designers of automobiles are artists. From the initial idea to final production, the creativity, ingenuity and vision required are all characteristics of an artist. Close your eyes and think of the last automobile that really stuck in your mind for its elegance, style, and beauty. It seems that no matter what age you are chances are you think of an automobile from your impressionable teen years. The intent of this section is to open your mind and think about the elegance, grace, and styling of cars before you were born, to the present. If you have not been to one of the large automobile shows that cover all classes of vehicles and years you must do this.

It seems that many automotive enthusiasts have at one time encountered a similar dilemma. There are the Mustang specific clubs, the Ford Model A clubs, even the Orange Colored Car club. Everyone has their primary interests, but if you look beyond this, you can see the elegance, style, and beauty that was finely crafted by the automotive artists. Imagine looking through the viewfinder on a camera as you focus on composing the perfect image. With your naked eye, many of the details may not initially jump out. However, when you see the image as the camera does, you notice the shadows, the lighting, and the elements of the vehicle that appear to be magnified and stand out. This focusing forces you to not only look at the complete vehicle, but down to the individual details that make it up. These details are the core elements that the artist creates. Like each stroke of the brush, each curve in the chrome makes up the masterpiece

Use of a fantasy art picture adds that personal touch. The owner of one car I did wanted to add a bit of color to their racing theme garage. There were many diamond plate toolboxes and cabinets against a white wall. His white car would have been lost, so to make it stand out on the picture, the coordinated diamond plate was used as a background, and eye-catching flames were added to give it some color.

First impression weighs heavily on your judging decision, but how do you decide between your top two choices for who should get that extra point and be in first place? Remember that we are assuming that these are high quality show cars, so you must be picky to help break a tie. The approach is to start with your first impression of how the owner is presenting the car. The next step is to inspect the exterior, and then focus on specific areas of the exterior such as the engine and trunk compartments, the underside, and finally the interior. The handy checklist at the end will guide you down the path.

The main question is what makes one display stand out from all of the others? At a car show, how a vehicle is displayed and presented is the key to differentiate one from another, and attract more attention. The owners