Here Come the Judges (Post #172)

The Alfatross on her way to the Arizona Concours

The Alfatross just returned from the Arizona Concours d'Elegance with another "Class Award". It has been in 3 Concours now, competing with other cars in Classes such as "Classic Coachwork by Carrozeria Zagato", "Alfa Romeo Sports Cars", and the "Art of Aerodynamics: Sportscars 1948-1960." Being neophytes, we never expected to win any recognition, so did not pay much attention to how the whole judging thing works in Concours events. But now,after this show, we are thinking that if we did, maybe we could place higher in future events. Fortunately, in the latest issue of Sportscar Market's Insider's Guide to Concours d'Elegance there was a roundtable discussion by three judges on how it works--from their perspective. Three pieces of advice stood out:  

Caveat 1--Keep discussion with the judges short and sweet. Be alert, interested, sincere, crisp and brief and thank the judges. Practice it. 

It never occurred to me to engage the judges immediately and steer the conversation, but we all noticed that the guy next to us did his "romancing the stone" routine masterfully--and his Ferrari won the class! Obviously, this was not his first rodeo. A car's personality matters--and so does that of the person representing it on the field.

Talk fast, they'll be gone in 15 minutes!

Caviat 2--Fix any issues in advance. Know how to operate the vehicle. Everything must work.  

Having been The Alfatross' steward for 53 years, I know the car intimately so for us it was a breeze. I was surprised that all three of the judges in the Guide expressed their surprise at how often entrants are woefully ignorant of how to start their own vehicle or operate basic functions like the lights, horns, or turn signals.

Yellow fog light: Asset or Liability?

Caveat 3--Be prepared to authenticate deviations from what the judges might expect.

The Alfatross has a number of features that deviate from those of its closest relatives. One that is most salient is the Marchal 640 fog light on the passenger's side. When I acquired The Alfatross 52 years ago the driving light on the driver's side was a Marchal 642 spot light, but the one on the passenger's side was a Marchal 640 fog light with a rippled lens and yellow bulb. So that is the way I restored it. Judges find this combination unsettling and are put off by the asymmetrical appearance it presents. Changing a bulb's color is a simple fix, but is it better to change your car to suit judges' notion of what is "right" in order to place better in a Concours, or is that doing your car's history an injustice, and perhaps even helping to perpetuate a misconception?

The enigmatic MM B22A coil.

A feature in the Alfatross' engine bay that judges also ask about is the presence of two ignition coils. I understand their consternation. The big Magneti Marelli B22A Superpotente ignition coil bolted vertically to the firewall and painted a bold red, is impossible to miss. Neither is the fact that it isn't even connected to the live ignition circuit. Meanwhile, the "standard" coil, a Magneti Marelli B5 mounted horizontally below it, is doing all the work. From a judge's perspective this needs some explaining!

The MM B22A coil is clearly a high-end item typically fitted to Ferraris, Maseratis, Mercedes, Alfa Romeos, etc. (I found a pair for sale on eBay for $2,500!), but I still don't know why The Alfatross has one, or which of its previous owners installed it. Best guess is that it was used when high performance was needed, as when racing or rallying, but usually held in reserve. From a judge's standpoint, this is not an acceptable explanation. A simple solution would be to remove it when the car is being shown, at least until I can verify that it is part of a racing history we have yet to discover. On the other hand, it has been on the car for at least the last 53 years so why remove it now?

The Jaeger Chronoflight and Burg Dynometer.

The Alfatross also has other unusual accessories that for some reason do not trigger negative reactions from judges. The Jaeger Chronoflite Chronometer set into the dash is one of these, along with the Burg Dynometer mounted under the dash. Both strongly hint at a racing or rallying past. 

We know that The Alfatross' 6th and 5th owners were not racers and for them the car was just a "daily driver". In any case by that time it would not have been competitive. We know nothing of its 4th owner, but its 3rd owner, Will Henderson, raced various cars at Waterford (Michigan), Nelson Ledges (Ohio), and Kent Fields (Virginia) in 1963-4. If the 1st and 2nd owners raced or rallied the car it would have been in Europe, but we still have no evidence of that.

My impression is that being a judge at a concours event is like being an umpire at a Major League game: you have to make a decision based on many disparate factors and you have to make it fast. Not everyone will agree, but someone's got to do it or the game won't work!