Judging is really a game. You present your car to the judges as the most pristine Porsche in three adjoining states and then a PCA judge will attempt to prove you wrong. The PCA mantra is “I will find dirt on this car.” PCA judges will find dirt in places that you never even knew existed.
In an effort to help beleaguered Porsche owners the Miami region of the PCA runs an annual Concours College. Some very experienced judges take the group through the judging process with a Power Point presentation. They then proceed to judge a car to demonstrate how it is done on a real Porsche.
A word of caution here. You should never volunteer your car for this informal judging unless you have a very strong heart and stomach. I watched a 930 owner have an anxiety attack by the time the judges were only half done. While the rest of us were learning about judging he was consuming Xantac at an appalling rate.
This leads us directly into the second aspect of Porsche judging. Cars are judged against one another. It’s the same as being on the race track One car wins and everyone else loses. Not all marques use this approach but it’s been the PCA approach for decades. PCA concours judging has always been, and always will be, a competitive activity.
At the annual PCA Parade this whole process turns deadly. Many refer to the PCA Full Concourse competition at the annual gathering as blood sport. One of the judges at our Concours College stated that you cannot win at the national level unless you bring your car to the judging field in a hermitically sealed bag.
Presenting Your Car: You must be present to have your car judged. Judges will not open a door or a deck lid on your car. If you’re not present to open the door you can expect a full deduction on the interior. The second basic rule is to present your car with everything that came from the factory with your car. This includes the owner’s manual, the jack, and the spare tire. Nothing else should be in the car. Most novices fail to clean the glove box. The only items that should be in your glove box are the items that came from the factory.
Don’t obsess on the exterior finish. Too many novice entrants obsess on the quality of the wax job. The only time judges are even aware of your wax job is when they first walk up to the car. The time you spend waxing your car might be better spent on cleaning the rear surface of your brake pedal.
Don’t spend time talking to the judges while they examine your car. “Owners tend to give us too much useless information, while others can be very tight-lipped about any work done on the car. If I’m out there judging a class, it’s because the chief judge thinks I’m competent to do so.”
Know Your Judges: In the NBA every coach works the referees. In the PCA everyone works the judges. You need to be aware of what each judge obsesses on. Follow the judges around as they judge other cars. Observe them but don’t speak to them. Watch them judge and learn their quirks.
You often encounter the same judges as you enter different events. Make sure that you never antagonize a judge. You will most certainly meet that judge at an upcoming show. Never forget that PCA judging is ridiculously subjective. You want all of your interactions to be positive. Judges do remember.
Classes and Groups: The PCA operates on the theory that you can never have too many classes. They begin with three groups.
- Restoration Group
- Preservation Group
- Preparation Group
Once you have the classes figured out you need to select one of the three divisions. I never said this was going to be easy.
- Full Concours
- Touring
- Street
The head judge determines the increments that will be used for point deduction. Some shows deduct only full points while others deduct in 0.25 increments. As an example if a judge finds dust in your a/c outlet they may only deduct 0.50 points. The Northern New Jersey region of PCA goes all in with a 0.10-point deduction. Now that is truly obsessive compulsive.
How to Stop the Insanity: One way out of all this insanity is to have a racecar. Generally racecars are judged using something called the French system. French concours rules rate cars on the visual impact they make. Some call it the Wow Factor. The car’s style and attractiveness is the only thing being judged. The judges form an opinion as to which racecar they feel looks best. It’s the most subjective of all judging standards but also the most interesting: It’s also the judging approach with the least amount of stress.
