History of the

Part I:
At this past Spring Grand Classic I began hearing some grumbling about all the changes in CCCA Judging. As there have been some recent changes concerning allowable items, mandatory deductions and the form itself, plus the fact that there are more changes in the works, it seemed that this may be the time for some historical perspective: How did this all begin; what happened along the way; and where are we going?

As I have observed and participated in judging at non-CCCA events with various types of judging methods, I have become more convinced that the CCCA judging methods are just about the best around. Not perfect, mind you, but generally fair and accurate. My seldom-humble opinions are echoed by the high esteem in which CCCA awards are held throughout the Collector Car world. That does not mean our system cannot or should not be improved. As will be seen, there have been many changes to the CCCA system, most, but not all of them successful. While these procedural alterations have been ongoing the basic premise of judging a Full Classic™ on its own merits with the standard being "as new" has not changed.

The earliest "Judged" events for CCCA members were the International Motor Sports Shows in New York City. I have not found any information on just how the cars were judged, just results, but I would assume it was similar to what we would now refer to as "Concours style" judging. Maybe some of our Charter members can tell us what went on at these shows in 1952 and 53.

Our very first Grand Classic was held July 12, 1953, (second Saturday in July, as it is today) at Washington Crossing Park in New Jersey. Russell Lewis was Master of the Grand Classic (Doesn’t that title sound much more noteworthy than ‘Coordinator’?).

The report in "The Classic Car" states "the entries were judged by a team of 5 in accordance with the rules developed by Robert E. Turnquist." This is only somewhat at odds with the document dated May 19, 1953 called "Rules of Judgement (sic), Grand Classic Competition", in which it states that the judging personnel will consist of one team of four men. The team was chosen from a pool of twelve by drawing names from a hat. A chosen Judge could not judge in a class in which he had a car entered. Tally sheets, as the forms were called, were totaled and averaged for the final score. The winner of the Grand Classic Gold Trophy for 1953 was Sam Baily of Cynwyd, PA with his 1928 4 ½ Litre Bentley with a score of 57 ¼. Sound a bit low? The system devised by Bob Turnquist had a maximum of 60 points. Translating this score to our current 100 point standard, Sam’s Bentley would score about 92.8 points…enough for a first place in Touring or a second in Primary! The Bentley was then 25 years old and was judged the best car at the Grand Classic. Things have changed in the ensuing 48 years; the level of restoration, the materials available; the knowledge of our Full Classics™, all have improved dramatically.

The judging form was divided as it is today, into two parts: Mechanical Condition and General Appearance. It was assumed that everyone drove to the Grand Classic, and in fact our Club frowned on the trailering of Full Classics™ for many years.

Classes at this first event were: Production, Custom, Rolls-Royce, Foreign Classics other than Rolls-Royce, Sports Racing, Lincoln Continental, and Other. This last included what we now consider as non-classics.

Each participant received a brass dashboard plate, and "Ribbons will be presented on the field, and trophies will be presented as soon as engraving permits."

While the highest score was 57 ¼, the lowest was just 22 points, which translates to 36.6 on our current 100-point scale! Some cars may have been a bit edgy but they were driven and enjoyed. While a "Perfect Score" was 60 points, a minimum of 30 was required for a third place, 40 for second, and 50 for first.

The very first Annual Meet had been at New Rochelle, NY on January 25, 1953 and there is no mention of any judging. For the following January the Annual Meeting was held at Skytop, PA. In his invitation letter Bob Turnquist mentions "Saturday afternoon, a Classic Car Show in the heated garage (Prizes, of course)." I have yet to find the results of this show or whether it was a formally judged event. It’s interesting to note that, once again, members drove their Full Classics™ to this event. Skytop is noted as being "snowbound for the duration of the Meet." Sunday morning after a night’s snowfall, the temperature was just 4 degrees and there was now 10 inches of snow on the ground! Think about that the next time we hesitate to let our beauties get sullied by a drop of rain.

May 23, 1954 was the first date showing a revision in the rules. The first sentence tells us a lot of the original intent of CCCA judging that has followed to this day:" This schedule concerns itself only with those items which can be judged by concrete observation. Reference to the asthetic (sic) sense is precluded in order to eliminate the influences of personal dispositions."

It was noted that winners in the Special Interest Class, which was renamed from "other", were not eligible for the Gold Trophy. Judging personnel now consisted of four teams of four men each. The word "men" just would not be tolerated today. Each team was designated specific classes. Two additional judges were responsible for tabulating the score sheets. The average of all four still gave the final score. Winners were announced the day of the event, as we do today, but the "overall winner" was to be notified by mail when the results of all the regional events were in. A note was made that only members cars are eligible for competition.

For 1954 the proposal was for three Grand Classics: Eastern, Midwest and Far West. As it turned out there were two. July 11, 1954 was the date for events at University Heights, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, New Jersey and the Midwest Grand Classic at Rest Rarely Farm, North of Chicago, Illinois. The Farm belonged to Bert Myers. Mr. Myers owned several Pierce-Arrows and a Packard 12, according to the 1954 Directory.

Not until August 15, 1954, after special judging at Harrisburg, was the overall winner decided. Two cars, a 1929 Cadillac Sport Phaeton and a 1927 Rolls-Royce were tied at 58 points. The Rolls-Royce won. Stanley Tarnapol, the owner, was one of the first to go a bit overboard in his restoration. Tire covers, trunk and spring gaiters were of white kid, and the tonneau rug was of white fox. The finish and upholstery were also in white with the exception of the polished aluminum bonnet. Impressive indeed, but probably not what one would expect at today’s Grand Classic.

At the Third Annual Meeting at Skytop, PA , Grand Classic style judging saw Robert Turnquist the overall winner with his 1939 Packard 12 at 51.75 points. At 51 points was a 1939 Ford entered in the Special Interest category.

The Third Grand Classic was once again a two-venue event. In the Midwes,t again at Rest Rarely Farm and the Eastern Division at Morristown, New Jersey. The overall winner at 59.5 points was William Wharff’s 1936 Packard 1404 coupe-roadster. When purchased in July 1954 it showed 7090 miles and the only parts declared replaced were plugs, points and hoses. It seems that the Judges of 45 years ago adhered closely to the "as new" standard.

In January of 1956 the competition at Skytop grew tougher. A comment in the Bulletin was that many cars scored over 50 points (The minimum for a first place) without receiving any award and "..goes to prove that the condition of the cars is getting better and better all the time which is good for both those who show their cars and those who come to see them." Mr. A. Thurn of Bethlehem PA was the overall winner with a Duesenberg Murphy roadster at 58 ¼ points.

Locations for the 1956 Grand Classics were the National Guard Armory in Morristown and at the Lake Forest College Armory, in Illinois. In the announcement a point was made that tops must be up at the time of judging and no Club Officers would be called as Judges. For the first time a new grouping of Primary and Senior cars would be shown with the Senior cars, as today, having won a first place award at any Grand Classic or Skytop event. A total of 25 Senior cars were listed. Of these, 13 were awarded first prizes at the ’56 Grand Classics. Overall winners were now three: a tie in the Senior Division between a ’37 Cord and last year’s winning ’36 Packard and one in the Primary Division, Bob Marks ’32 Packard.

Skytop for 1957 saw one change: No longer would there be a Special Interest Class. Ted Fuller from Connecticut topped the scores with a ’37 Packard 12 Conv. Victoria.

In Part I we have seen how the basic foundations of our CCCA Judging System were laid down. In the first years, through 1957, changes to the rules and procedures were continual and often, but the basic premise that each Full Classic be judged on its own merits with the standard being "As New" remained constant.

The start of 1958 brought about a change in venue for the Annual Meeting. The Inn at Buck Hill Falls, still in the Pocono Mountains of eastern PA was now the spot. At 91 ¼ points the high scoring Full Classic was Bob Turnquist’s ’28 Packard Dual Cowl Phaeton, registered in Senior Production.

Grand Classic Revised Rules dated March 2, 1958 exhibited some new items to help cope with more cars being judged across the nation and higher restoration standards being exhibited on those cars. The Primary Division was now broken into 9 classes by the Production and Custom classes now separated into Early (1925 thru 1932) and Late (1933 thru 1942). Judging was declared to begin at Noon and "non-classics and non-participating classics should not be parked in the judging area." Judges were not to total their tally sheets, as they are still called, but "Four additional judges (Preferably women) will be assigned the job of tabulating… while the judging is in progress. One tabulating judge is to be assigned the job of seeing that all the blocks…are filled in."

At the 1958 Grand Classics, for the first time in the Club’s history a "Perfect Score" of 100 points was tallied for the 1930 Packard 740 roadster belonging to James Groendyk of Upper Saddle River NJ. The report of the Morristown Grand Classic bemoaned the fact that Jack Nethercutt’s DuPont, brought from California might well have been another 100 pointer had the horn worked. Phil Hill sent his ’39 Packard 12 from California also, adding to the National importance of the Grand Classic. In general, scores were reflecting the improved restorations of the Full Classics. At the New Jersey and Greenfield Village events there were five cars scoring 99 points or better.

For the seventh Annual Meeting, January 1959, Buck Hill Falls was again the spot. Top scoring Full Classic was Fred Hussey’s ’34 Packard LeBaron Phaeton at 97 ¾. It was noted that Mr. Hussey purchased the car new. 18 cars were judged.

In July Jack Nethercutt’s DuPont Town car scored 100 points to become the overall Senior winner. Apparently the horn worked this time. For the first time, in 1959,there were three Grand Classics: Morristown and Dearborn were quite well established. Seven Grand Classics had been held in the east, six in the Midwest, and now at the Plush Horse Restaurant in Redondo Beach, California there would be one on the west coast. This is where the Nethercutt DuPont scored its 100 points. The Southern California Region had only been one year when they held their first Grand Classic. The Primary overall winner was another DuPont, a ’31 phaeton of Russell Strauch, judged at Greenfield Village

The reports on the Grand Classics were published, as usual, in the fall "Classic Car". Then Editor, Lane Slate, published a very interesting editorial piece that is still appropriate today. In it he discusses the Sportsmanship aspects of judging. Apparently there were folks then also, who thought, "We wuz robbed". He noted," It isn’t what we think about our own ability or the condition of our car that really counts but how these things stand up when subjected to the critical eyes of competing society. Grand Classic judging has one purpose but two results. In addition to the evaluation of the cars it acts as a gauge of the sportsmanship of the owners." The fallibility of the human element was noted and the judging process was likened to "Trial by a jury of one’s peers". He wisely advised the reader to "Accept the verdict in good faith". Forty- some-odd years on these words still sound right.

Buck Hill Falls in January of 1960 saw Fred Hussey’s 34 Packard LeBaron phaeton earn 100 points, the first time at an Annual meet. Remember that all the Full Classics at this event were driven, not trailered.

Once again there were three Grand Classics and once again Jack Nethercutt showed a car earning 100 points. This time it was a Rolls-Royce, PIII by Franay. At the Eastern Grand Classic a comment about exhibition cars outside the Armory where the judged cars were parked elicited a tongue-in-cheek question: "Have we become divided into the pros and the amateurs?" In a sign of things to come, there was a tie for overall winner in the Senior division: a ’28 Lincoln Phaeton and a ’31 Packard Sport Sedan, both from California. That meant that all three winners were from California. The west coast was showing how things were done!

The fourth year at Buck Hill Falls there were no notes of judging changes or problems. The high scoring cars were at 97.5 and 97.75, a ’27 Packard touring and a ’47 Continental coupe respectively.

The far West Grand Classic for 1961 was the host of three 100-point cars. A ’28 Pierce and the 1960 Senior winning ’28 Lincoln won the senior award and a 1930 Franklin won Primary. Overall winners were getting harder to choose. A total of 196 Full Classics were shown coast-to-coast. It seems that a few Senior cars were showing up in the Primary division, so it was noted that it was "Important for all Senior cars [to] have Senior plaques clearly displayed."

Lane Slate published another Editorial about CCCA judging. This time the focus was on "efficient and adequate Judging". Apparently the difficulty revolved around the issue of owners desiring their cars judged but not enough people volunteering as judges. Folks, this is still a problem today. Again mention was made of the fact that CCCA judging was the fairest and finest system around. The quality of the judging was addressed, " Judging must be taken more seriously by everyone if the prestige and tradition of the Grand Classic is to continue as we know it. Judge others as you would have them judge you!"

It is interesting that forty years on we are still addressing the same issues: Quantity and Quality. Even with the Judges Accreditation program today, there are seldom an over-abundance of judges at Grand Classics. Annual Meetings are generally quite well attended by qualified judges. There is still the cry today about how well and fair cars are judged. Mistakes in judging still occur. Errors and omissions in procedure still show up. People are still judging and having their cars judged. While all this is going on, the Classic Car Club of America is still working on improving the judging system.

The 1962 Annual Meet at Buck Hill Falls was the celebration of the tenth anniversary of the founding of the CCCA. This year there was rain rather than snow. Two cars scored 98 points and were now referred to as "Best of Show". The prize for several years had been a free weekend at Buck Hill Falls.

Judging Rules for National Meets were published in the June 1962 Bulletin with this heading: "It became apparent some time ago that there have been a number of misconceptions about the judging procedures used at National CCCA meets." It was suggested that knowledge of the judging rules would help a member become a qualified judge, "and can be a guide in restoration of cars."

Emphasis is again made of the "no talking" rule, with the statement "conferring with no one" underlined. In reading these rules, it’s interesting to note that it was written well enough so that much of the wording remains the same in our rules today. Some items of interest include five mandatory one-point deductions for: Sealed beam headlights, truck tires, vinyl or plastic tops, synthetic upholstery material and Enamel Paint (unless original factory finish was enamel). Special mention was made that no deductions would be made for an exhaust system "which is tastefully done, reasonably quiet, and contains no leaks, regardless of the fact that it may not be authentic or original." The lack of original replacement parts had become an important issue. Just how does an exhaust system "Contain no leaks"? Oh, never mind. Turn signals are written into the rules for the first time as acceptable when neatly done and incorporated in existing lights. Under authenticity: "Much mention has been made of this section." That is probably the understatement of the entire document, as "Authenticity" is the single most discussed category at any judging seminar or briefing I have ever attended. Still, the rules explicitly state "presumption of authenticity is always in favor of the car and owner."

Of the questions raised after judging is all over, "Authenticity" is the hands-down most common area of question. The emphasis was still how the car was when it was new.

1962 was labeled the "Tenth Anniversary Grand Classic" The Midwest Grand Classic moved to Indianapolis just in time for rain inundation. Nationwide 213 cars were judged, and for the first time since 1958 there were no 100-point cars! As amazing, there were just three cars scoring 99 or better.

At the close of the first ten years of CCCA judging, we have seen the basic precepts become established nationwide. We also have seen that the difficulties inherent in about any automobile judging system were recognized early on. While efforts to improve the system were ongoing and fruitful, the dual hurdles of quantity and quality still thwart us today.

Next time we will explore more of the sixties and the changes and choices faced by the Classic Car Club of America, so, until next issue,

Wintry weather greeted the attendees at Buck Hill Falls, January of 1963. Snowy, foggy and wet. Best of Show awards were won by the ‘Youngest’ and the ‘Oldest’: The Primary winner was Robert Pohl’s ’48 Continental and the Senior division award went to Noel Thompson and Dick Schneider’s 1925 Lancia Torpedo Roadster. Heavy snow fell as the cars struggled to leave on Sunday.

The second decade of Grand Classics began in three locations, Redondo Beach, CA, Indianapolis, IN and Morristown, NJ, July 13, 1963. It was reported that Jack Nethercutt displayed a car at each event, driving a Bugatti Royale to Indianapolis. None were judged. 100 points again were attained, this time at Indianapolis by David Holtzman’s ’39 Lagonda and in California by Anthony Giaimo’s 1930 Franklin. No 100 pointers in New Jersey. Classes, Divisions and basic procedures remained constant.

Auburn and Cord still had their own class now including all 8 and 12 cylinder cars. Custom bodied Auburns and Cords would be judged in this class. While the Primary Division was broken into "Early" and "Late" in both Production and Custom, the Senior Division listed only Production and Custom without the year breakdown. Point values remained 70 for third; 80 for second; and 90 for a first prize. The safety glass requirement was noted.

There was also a significant reversal of policy: Trailering of Full Classics had only been permitted to National event for a couple of years, but, "Since Trailering has not been found to encourage the presence of Classics from great distances at the Grand Classics and Buck Hill Falls as had been originally hoped, the Awards Committee reverses its stand and stipulates that trailering is not permitted to National Meets."

Another interesting notation in the Judging Rules for 1963, in light of recent discussions relating to 100 point cars: "..with the keen competition created by the increasing number of high point cars, we cannot afford to be too generous in giving points…"

42 Full Classics showed up at Buck Hill Falls for the ’64 Annual Meeting. This year the weather cooperated until Sunday. Ray Dietrich, custom body designer par excellence, spoke at the meeting, and remarked that "some of these are better than when we first produced them." Phil Hill, Formula One Champion for 1961, judged at the meet just before heading to Florida to go racing. Phil & Pedro Rodriguez were winners at Daytona.

All but three cars on exhibition were judged, with the ’28 Cadillac Phaeton of George Wallace, Fitchburg, MA, the best of show in Primary at 99 points. 97.75 points was the high score in Senior for Robert Pohl and a ’48 Continental Cabriolet. Buck Hill Falls was so popular that the Club reserved dates through 1971.

July 11, 1964 and what was referred to as a "Benign epidemic of Grand Classics" manifested itself in four locations: The usual Morristown, NJ, Dearborn MI, Indianapolis, IN, and a small event this year at Disneyland. Just one car was judged 100 points: a 1931 Cadillac convertible coupe belonging to Gilbert Tinney Jr, Buffalo NY. A distinguished visitor at the New Jersey event was Sam Baily’s 1928 Bentley, the winner of the first Grand Classic in 1953. Bob Turnquist’s 31 Packard and Anthony Giaimo’s 31 Franklin tied for overall winner in the Senior category.

The Thirteenth Annual Meeting, January 10, 1965, saw a 100 point car at Buck Hill Falls for the first time since 1960: Richard Reeve from Maryland touched the Holy Grail with his 1938 Lincoln convertible Victoria. 47 cars were judged and there were a number of non-judged cars on the sidelines. Many of the photos are clouded with heavy snowfall.

July 10^th Grand Classics were held in the same locations as the previous year with the exception of a California move to Santa Barbara. For several years the Grand Classic attendance hovered midway between 200 and 300. 1965 was similar with 249 Full Classics showing up on the judging fields. Once again just one 100-point score was awarded, to Anthony Giaimo with the 30 Franklin. This was the fourth overall win for Mr Giaimo and his Franklin.

Judging at Buck Hill Falls seemed to remain quite consistent, as there were once again no 100 point cars on January 8,1966. In fact the Best of Show winners scored considerably less. In the Senior Division, Phil Wichard’s 31 Rolls-Royce topped out at 97.25 and the Primary winner, a 41 Continental Coupe of W.H. Bailey was listed at 96.75. 53 Cars judged was a record. A significant policy statement was reiterated concerning the display of non-classic cars at a sanctioned CCCA event. Deviation from this policy was deemed tantamount to destruction of the organization.

The headline in the May 1966 Bulletin read "Six for Sixty-Six". Morristown NJ was again the venue for the Eastern event, Greenfield Village, Indianapolis, and Minneapolis all were labeled as Midwest, An air-conditioned indoor Southwest event in Dallas and Santa Barbara as the Far West event.

Two important issues were acted upon during the April 1966 Director’s meeting. "Replica bodied Classics will no longer be recognized as Classics. Replica bodied Classics already exhibited in Grand Classics and Buck Hill Falls will remain as recognized Classics. The word ‘replica’ as used in this motion refers only to the major alteration of an original body resulting in a change of style and/or seating capacity and is not to be construed as referring to the rebuilding or duplicating in whole or in part of the original body furnished on the chassis in question." The important part today would be the verification of if (or when) a replica-bodied car was created and shown at a Grand Classic prior to 1966!

Secondly, the Awards Committee modified the Judging instructions to include that "non-authentic engines are to be considered not judgable in the engine categories and will be given a score of zero."

As we learned more about what may or may not be correct and proper, so did our rules and procedures change.

A record number, 326 cars were judged on July 9, 1966 at the six different locations. The only hint of bad weather was in Michigan where it rained after all the cars were judged. The overall event was declared to be the smoothest, most successful Grand Classic to date. Four cars were awarded 100 points, Lo and Behold, two of them were at Morristown NJ, the first 100 point awards there since 1958. Jane Fahnstock’s 39 Delahaye and Bob Turnquist’s 31 Packard convertible sedan shared the honors. J M Juner showed a 37 Cord that earned 100 points in Indianapolis, and in California Jack Nethercutt was the other 100-point recipient with a 41 Packard LeBaron sport sedan.

As a sign of things to come, there were 4 classes at different meets that had 10 or more cars judged. Primary Production, Late, at Minneapolis was made up of 14 cars!

The Fifteenth anniversary Annual Meeting at Buck Hill Falls for 1967 was the scene of fairly good weather and around fifty nice cars. Best of Show cars were a 99.75 point 30 Cadillac, Dayton Card, and a 96.25 point 37 Cord of Harold Houser.

The same six cities, although not necessarily the same sites, hosted Grand Classics July 9, 1967. 100 point cars were shown by Phil Wichard at Morristown (1931 Cadillac), Kenneth Pearson at Indianapolis (26 Lincoln), and Ben Morgan at Dallas (33 Lincoln).

The big news of the years centered on changes in dues and membership requirements. Judging news was muted, but 13 cars were entered in Primary Production Late at Indianapolis, and Primary production Early at Morristown. Judges were asked to work long and hard.

Buck Hill Falls for 1968 had weather described as Crisp, Artic-like, and Sunday morning began with freezing rain. Again 50-ish cars were judged and the best of show cars garnered 97.75 in Senior (33 Lincoln, Joe Joseph) and 96.25 in Primary (32 Packard, David Steinman).

For the third year, six Grand Classics were held. 276 cars were judged. It seems that several more were disqualified for…Trailering. Imagine what would happen today at a Grand Classic if we disqualified all those cars arriving by trailer! Some things have changed a lot. Eight entries were awarded 100 points, six at the Dearborn show, one in Indianapolis and one in California.

Editor Art Perrow made a very pertinent comment: "It must be emphasized again, particularly at this time of year when the annual crop of 100-pointers springs up in all parts of the country, that this highest possible numerical scoring does not imply that the car awarded it is a "perfect" car. According to the judging system used by the CCCA and the related edicts from the Awards Committee, this 100-point label is intended to identify only an "excellent" car. According to Webster’s word directory this means "superior or excelling; extremely good of its kind; first class." The word perfect is not mentioned.

Many members keep repeating this derogatory phrase over and over "There’s no such thing as a perfect car." And somehow this word "perfect" keeps associating itself with the 100-point car. Forget it!"

1968 was to be the last year at Morristown, where the Grand Classic had been held for 14 years. The following year was scheduled for "Tamiment" a resort in the Poconos, not far from Buck Hill Falls.

At Michigan, another future consideration popped up: Two cars scoring 99.50 and one scoring 99 points discovered this was "only" good enough for a second place award!

The Grand Classic Winner list, showing the Best of Show winners back to 1953 was getting longer quickly, with eight 100-point cars all listed as Winners.

Cold, Crisp, Clear and Activating was the weather description for Buck Hill Falls in 1969, also described as the "most favorable we’ve ever enjoyed." Car attendance was down somewhat with 41 entries and 28 cars judged. There were two ties for Best of Show awards: Jack Nethercutt drove two cars from the west coast: 32 Chrysler and a 38 Cadillac and both received 99.25 points in their respective Primary classes. Harold Houser won for the second time with his 37 Cord and tied at 97.50 was Gerald Roeser with a 39 Lagonda, both in the Senior division.

In a dramatic turn around from 1968, there were just two 100 pointers at the ’69 Grand Classics, both foreign and both at Dearborn: 1936 Mercedes 540K, C. Bouchard and 1932 Alfa-Romeo, Earle Heath. The Mercedes had also won in 1968 with 100 points, so this set a new mark, the first 100 point repeat in CCCA history.

273 cars were displayed at six locations. Along with the venue change of the eastern Grand Classic from Morristown to the Tamiment resort in PA (received with less than rousing enthusiasm) were location changes in the Southwest (Tulsa) and Far west (Los Angeles). Several classes held over 10 cars each.

For 1970 the weather again cooperated at Buck Hill Falls with pleasant "Ideal wintry background". Bookings for the Hotel were now made through 1978. Jack Nethercutt again drove from the west coast with an award winner. This time it was a 1931 Daimler scoring 97 points, Primary division Best of Show. Jack’s biggest complaint was the car was underpowered. Senior Division Best of Show was Earle Heath’s 32 Alfa Romeo. Judged at 95.75 points, your writer believes this to be the same car that Dr Heath showed at Dearborn in 1969 scoring 100 points. Different conditions, different preparations and different judges make for different scores! The same holds true today. How many times we have heard the lament, "This car scored 121 points at every meet in every Club and now it only scores 36 ½?" I’m sure that as long as we have genuine Human Beings judging our cars, there will be variations in scores!

The response to this series has been very encouraging. Thanks to all who have read and special thanks to Frank Low, now of Asheville, NC, for an interesting letter. Frank was a Judge at the very first Gran Classic at Washington Crossing Park, July 12, 1953.. In 1955 while judging at Morristown, Frank and his team were photographed hard at work judging Stanley Tarnapol’s ’27 Rolls-Royce. The picture was published in the July 17, 1955 issue of the New York Herald Tribune, an early example of press coverage we still look for today. Jeff Orwig, who tends to Bob Bahre’s collection in Paris Hill, Maine, called about the former Fred Hussey Packard. This ’34 LeBaron sport phaeton was the first Full Classic to be awarded 100 points at an Annual Meeting. (Buck Hill Falls January 1959) Jeff tells us the car is complete with the awards and ribbons it earned at several of these early Grand Classics and Annual Meetings.

As I recall, last episode ended at the 1970 Buck Hill Falls Annual Membership Meeting. Let’s pick the story up at the 1970 Grand Classics. Six events had become the norm with this year’s at Dearborn, Indianapolis, San Antonio, Tulsa, Monterey and Pocono Manor. Across the country 8 cars were judged at 100 points: 2 each at Dearborn, Pocono, and Monterey; 1 each at San Antonio and Tulsa. Indy was the odd man out this year without a 100 pointer and just two cars scoring 99 or better. Judging was tough in the Indiana sunshine. The Big news for the year was the creation of the new Pre-Primary Division. A maximum of 90 points was allowed in this Division intended for classics not previously shown. It was a major hit: 110 cars were shown in pre-Primary. Just 3 were disqualified for pipping past 90 points. At Indianapolis Pre-Primary was the single largest Division with 26 cars shown. Scores ranged from the 92points disqualifying Robert DeForest’s ’32 Packard on down to an unbelievable 32 points awarded to T. Rozance’ ’37 Cord Sportsman. I’m sorry to say that neither one of these folks are currently listed members.

A run-down of the Division and Class structure for 1970 looked like this: In Primary Division was Production Early & Late; Custom Early & Late; Rolls-Royce; Lincoln Continental; Auburn-Cord; Foreign. Senior Division was made of Production, Custom, Foreign, Rolls-Royce, Lincoln Continental and Auburn-Cord. Pre-Primary was Early & Late. The Early Classes ran from 1925 through 1932; Late from 1933 through 1942. Post-war cars were not yet being considered with the exception of Lincoln Continentals.

61 Classics were registered at Buck Hill Falls for the 19^th Annual Meeting. 45 cars were judged. The published pictures show a cold winter weekend with plenty of snow on the ground but apparently it didn’t snow during the event. A spectacular 30 Packard Roadster in silver and Maroon belonging to "Tiny" Gould was the best Primary car at 99.75 points. The similar Senior award left with Alex Yarnell’s 40 Continental cabriolet. No cars reached the 100-point level. The indomitable Nethercutts again journeyed from California with two cars, a 1940 Cadillac Coupe and a 1937 Pierce-Arrow Limousine

An interesting change was afforded exhibitors at the 1971 Grand Classics. Once again, six events were spread across the country: Dearborn, Indianapolis, Oklahoma City, San Antonio, Santa Barbara, and White Have PA. The new development was the creation of the Senior Emeritus class. The 1971 Handbook and Directory worded it this way: "Senior Emeritus"… A class open to Senior cars that have won Primary first at a National meet not less than three years prior to present competition… only a first prize will be awarded, and no point scores will be announced or published. It is the intention of this class to bring back to the competition field many of the fine Classics that were winners in earlier years. Collectively there were 11 Classics registered in the new Senior Emeritus class, which seemed to bode well for this new judging slot.

Another development was the awarding of the "Allstate Trophy". Donated by the Allstate Insurance Co. this was a silver bowl presented to one car at each Grand Classic by popular vote of all members attending.

1971 was not a good year for the points fairy. Michigan, Indiana, Oklahoma and Pennsylvania awarded 100 points to the same number of Classics: Zero. A Rolls-Royce PIII garnered 100 points in Texas and top awards fared better in California where 4 cars were found without deductible fault.

The basic 14 classes remained the same for this year. Items that would make a Classic ineligible to compete were: Non-authentic air conditioning, power steering, braking, automatic transmission engine and the lack of safety glass.

Under the heading of "Trailering" was this: The CCCA generally disapproves of trailering to meets, but special dispensation may be granted, on application, where weather conditions would be injurious to the finish of the automobile.

Mandatory deductions still contained the Enamel paint and flexible exhaust pipe categories.

The rules stayed constant for 1972 and the 20^th Annual meeting. Of the55 cars on hand, 54 were judged. In spite of the published caveat, the one Senior Emeritus car, a ’39 Delahaye of Jane Fahnstock, was noted in "The Classic Car" with a score. Oops. Again, no 100 points show in the list of awards. Two did score 99.75: Robert Sage and ’31 Packard along with Irving Jensen of Iowa with his "28 Rolls-Royce.

The summer of ’72 was full of Grand Classics. And the Grand Classics were full of cars! Dearborn, Michigan was temporary home to 104 cars, 94 of them judged! Two cars earned the 100-point garland. Poor weather and a nearby Rock Concert conspired to keep attendance at the Eastern Grand Classic to just 40 cars. 62 on hand and 54 judged at Indianapolis showed what sunny skies and gentle breezes could do. There was one 100-point car in Indy and at Oklahoma City. One also was announced at San Antonio and written of in the Article on the meet, but the audited results indicate 99 points for Charles Bocock’s 32 Auburn speedster.

In the June "Bulletin", six Grand Classics were announced, which included Monterey California. There seems to be no further mention of the Monterey event and I’m a little puzzled why there seems to be no cancellation information in any of my records. Was the event held and just not reported? Maybe someone on the other coast can give us a clue.

Another small inconsistency was the "Allstate trophy", announced in the Handbook and Directory for 1972 as being continued, does not appear to have been awarded at any Grand Classic except Michigan.

48 cars showed at the 1973 Buck Hill Falls Annual Meeting. William Sullivan’s ’29 Stutz was found not wanting at 100 points, ending a several year drought of 100-point cars at Annual Meetings. Weather for this year was sunshine and mild temperatures "to the chagrin of the snowmobile and ski buffs." The photos show perfectly bare ground and the noticeable lack of exhaust "steam" from the cars. As had begun happening, one car was disqualified for scoring over the maximum 90 points in Pre-Primary. Evidence of the tightening of the judging was in Primary Custom Early, 97 points was a tie for Third place and in the Senior Division, Custom, 97.50 earned a tie for third. The quality of restorations was improving and the Judge’s job was getting harder.

Grand Classics for 1973 numbered five: Pennsylvania, Michigan, Indiana, and Texas. California was back on line without any reference to the lack of anything from 1972. Generally the weather seems to have cooperated. New for his year was the "Exhibition Class". "For those who wish to show their Classic Cars and receive a Grand Classic Participation Plaque. This Class will not be judged." Until this time, cars not judged were sort of second-class citizens, relegated to a back corner of the show area.

Another note of import is shown in the June Bulletin: "Trailering of cars to meets is permitted without any point penalty or application this year." From the early beginnings of the hobby when Classic Cars were the tow vehicles, and Class 19 in AACA judging was created to exhibit and judge "Tow Cars" we had come full circle to a point where it was becoming acceptable to trailer Classic Cars to a Grand Classic. Today, of course, the trailer parking area is sometimes larger than the show field.

The Senior Emeritus Class was doing well with 15 cars registered across the country. That same number, 15, was the number of cars judged in Pre-Primary, Late at the Michigan Grand Classic. 112 Classics were registered on a blistering hot day in Bloomfield Hills. Two 100 pointers were found in Michigan, Two more in Texas and one each in California and Pennsylvania. Judging rules and procedures remained fairly constant for this year.

It’s interesting to look at the photos of these cars and try to relate some of the more unusual examples to their present day appearance, after they have been Re-Restored.

After the unusually mild event in ’73, Mother Nature got her revenge in "74". Snow and freezing rain just prior to the event kept car attendance to just 23. The cars were of the expected quality with two 99-point awards both in Primary Foreign, 1926 Bugatti Type 35 GP and a 1926 Sunbeam Tourer. The Nethercutts were not in attendance this year.

Grand Classics were back to six for 1974. Some were at new locations, and others at popular old spots. Eastern: Cherry Hill NJ, hosted by the Delaware Valley Region. The official weather report noted High 80’s some breeze and a "Small Tornado"! 86 cars entered, 40 judged, showing just how instantly popular the Exhibition Class was. Top scorer was a ’29 Duesenberg at 99.25. The Upper Midwest event at Alexandria Minnesota listed 90 degrees, hot & sunny, 30 cars entered, 25 judged and a ’40 Continental at 98.75 the high point car. Bloomfield Michigan with the expected largest turnout, 103 cars, only judged 60 this year in 88-degree "perfect" weather. Dick Gold’s ’34 Duesenberg scored 100 points. The weather in Tulsa was listed at a "Perfect" 90 degrees. It was perfect for the 100 point 29 Rolls-Royce of Marvin Johnson. 51 cars were registered and 31 judged. At Carmel California, their idea of perfect was the low 80’s and 44 cars with 34 judged. At 99.75 points, William Lyons 35 Packard was the highest scorer. Back at Indy in the low 80,s with a "Delightful Breeze" 78 cars showed up and 58 were judged. Two earned 100 points: a ’34 Packard and a ’33 Rolls-Royce.

Back to Buck Hill Falls in 1975, the weather there also took a nice turn, described as "Balmy, with hardly a trace of snow". Car attendance was once again up over 50 and two of these slipped in at 100 points. Jack Nethercutt was back with a 100 point 34 Packard and Lawton Clark of Texas showed a 39 Packard Rollston town car. From the commentary it is plain that many still drive their Classics to this meet even if trailering is now permitted.

President Don Klusman announced that beginning this year, comparable post WWII models, 1946 through 1948 would be considered on a "Please apply" basis. The possibility of changing some judging parameters has arisen.

On July 12, 1975 another six Grand Classics blossomed across the country. Four Classics scored the magical 100 points: one each in California and Wisconsin, and two more in Indianapolis. At Michigan there were 109 cars and nary a 100 pointer in the lot

CCCA judging had been rolling along quite smoothly for the past several years, so it seemed. Some adjustments had been made and several interesting ideas had been tried. Some like the Senior Emeritus and Exhibition classes seemed to work well. Others, like the Allstate trophy, seemed to evaporate without a trace. Rules were clarified, such as allowance of synthetic material for replacing leather on closed car padded tops. Twenty-Three years of Judging Classic Cars had put the CCCA at the top of most lists of Collector Car events. Can you wait to see what happens in the next episode?

When last we wrote, there had been a relative period of calm and regularity in CCCA judging. This next period in our history begins the same way, but changes are afoot.

For 1976, the 24^th Annual at Buck Hill Falls drew 38 cars in snowy icy below zero weather. Three cars scored 99.75 but none could touch the 100-point standard. 34 trophies were presented among the 36 cars judged. Judges from 13 states and Canada illustrated the standard that continues at Annual Meetings today: CCCA members are very willing to judge Classic Cars.

The count of Grand Classics for the summer of ’76 was five: Indiana, Texas, Indiana, Michigan and Pennsylvania. Registration information requested now included serial numbers and information pertaining to replica bodies.

276 cars were judged with 70% being awarded trophies. The average score was 90.6 for the 26 different marques entered.

A big change for the year was a new method used to determine the final score. As is still current, the high and low scores were dropped and the other two were averaged. Even while the Editorial in the Bulletin tried to minimize the obvious impact, the most apparent effect was the number of 100-point cars. Four 100 pointers appeared in 1975. Thirteen 100-point scores were published for 1976. The note was made that in order to be awarded 100 points, at least three of the four judges would have to award the car 100 points. The only Grand Classic not to have any 100-point cars was Texas with two cars at 99.5.

Not all participants showed high point Classics, striving for the Gold Ring. Richard Shelar brought his 34 Packard Super Eight Coupe, which in the picture looks quite good, to the Pennsylvania event where it scored 54 points.

Three cars were disqualified prior to judging: two with non-authentic engines and one with no safety glass. Three others scored over the 90-point ceiling in pre-Primary and were disqualified. Five had been disqualified in 1975.

Also new this year were judging plaques presented to Grand Classic judges for their efforts. It was planned that this would continue.

January 1977 and the weather again is noted as snow and cold, cold. 100 point cars again showed at an Annual meeting, two this time. Bob Sage and his 31 Packard 840 sedan and Frank Buck and his 31 Packard 840 roadster were honored for their fine restoration efforts. Apparently the weather was pretty dismal as the Annual Meeting article in the "Classic Car" was illustrated with indoors pictures only. Not a single shot outside.

The Host Region Head Judge was now permitted to register "Exhibition" Classics on the day of the event.

Grand Classics were again numbering six. For what appears to be the first time, a Grand Classic was advertised in the Bulletin. The Midwest event at Milwaukee Wisconsin used 6" of the right column on the front page of the May 1977 publication.

The judging was getting closer and tougher as illustrated at the California Grand Classic. In Primary Late Custom, 99 points was just enough for a third place award. At the same show eight Classics hit the century mark. Three did as well in Wisconsin, six at Indianapolis, four in Michigan, three in Pennsylvania, and two more in Tulsa. 26 Classics scored at 100 points! A remarkable change from just a few years earlier.

One minor point I have noticed. In the scoring scale, Primary and Senior awards are a Minimum of 70 for third, minimum of 80 for second and a minimum of 90 for first in Primary, Senior and Senior Emeritus. For the Pre Primary Division, a minimum of 60 was required for third, minimum of 70 for second and a minimum of 80.25 for first, with the maximum of 90. I’m not sure why the 80.25 minimum. Anyone know that answer?

Major news at Buck Hill Falls in January of 1978 was that this would be the last Annual meeting at this location. The 1979 Meeting was scheduled for Boca Raton Florida. But for the last time, Mother Nature would give it her all. Cold, snow, cancellations and more snow. Still 35 cars were in attendance, 27 being judged. Two were 100-point winners: a 32 Chrysler of Frank Wright and a 30 Packard of Larry Koop.

This year, 1978, the magic number was five for July. Under the hot Baltimore sun two cars climbed the points ladder to 100. 129 Classics were registered in Michigan 85 of which were judged. Only 3 cars scored lower than 80 while four were tabulated at 100. Eight cars were judged in Primary production late, every one a Packard. Six cars in California, according to the audited results, seven by the written article, attained the magic 100. I wonder which of the 99.5-point cars suffered the loss? Of 45 cars judged at Indianapolis, three garnered 100 points. Five cars were judged in Senior Production, each one a Packard. Two more 100 pointers were found in Texas among the 55 on display. That brings the total 100-point cars for the 1978 summer Grand Classics to 17. Quite a nice used car lot. It’s interesting to note that Primary and Senior overall winners were still being chosen at each Grand Classic. I do not know what criteria were used for determining that among the various 100-point cars. Maybe someone can enlighten us.

Judging Divisions and Classes had remained constant for a number of years. Exhibition was the non-judged class. Pre-Primary "is for original, partly restored and tour Classic cars. Any Classic scoring over 90 points is automatically disqualified." There were three classes: Early, 25-32; Middle, 33-39 and Late, now encompassing 1940 through 1948 with the inclusion of some post-war cars. In the Primary Division there were eight classes: Early & late Production; Early & Late Custom; Rolls-Royce; Foreign (other than Rolls-Royce); Lincoln Continental; and Auburn, Cord. The Senior Division, for those Classics having won a Primary first prize had six classes which were the same as the Primary Division without the Early & Late breakdown in Production and Custom. The Senior Emeritus Division was still working well for cars having won a Senior award not less than three years prior.

January 6,1979 was the date for the first ever Annual Meeting outside the Northeast part of the country. The events at Buck Hill Falls had been well attended by members from around the country but the weather made it difficult to bring consistent numbers of cars. The concept of spreading the meeting around the nation had met with a great deal of enthusiasm. The number of Classics at this first Annual Meeting in the sunny south immediately proved the validity of the idea.

375 people attended the Awards banquet. 79 Classics were exhibited with about 40 being judged. Three of these received the maximum 100 points. And, of course, the weather was warm and sunny for the entire event.

Fuel shortages, real or contrived, weather problems, early or late, hot or rainy slowed events somewhat for 1979.

Michigan noted the drop in registered cars to 101 and blamed it on gasoline problems. Nevertheless there were eight 100-point Classics on display. Rain came during the Awards banquet.

The Southwest Grand Classic in Oklahoma enjoyed (?) three days of sunny weather in the high 90’s. One participant was not able to have his car judged because it was stolen during the night prior. 23 Classics did get to the show field as passing mention was made of the gasoline crisis. One car earned 100 points. Two others were better than expected and were disqualified from Pre-Primary.

Hot weather in Texas didn’t bother as the event was held indoors. Dee Howard exhibited 6 cars, three being award winners. 34 Classics took part, two reaching the 100-point mark.

Gasoline crisis headlines kept the number of cars in Pennsylvania to 51 and a bit of rain contributed late in the event. There were three 100-point cars. In those heady days before multiple first place awards, Noel Thompson had to settle for a third place award for a 99.5-point Classic.

The remnants of "Hurricane Bob" helped host the Indiana Grand Classic. By Saturday morning the 77 Classics at the event enjoyed sunny skies but light rain threatened throughout the day. There were six 100 pointers with Lee Gurvey displaying two: ’32 Lincoln and a ’36 Packard. This was the Grand Classic that the point’s fairy attended as no car scored less than 80 points and only two under 85.

Weather in California was merely overcast as 51 cars decorated the show field, five of them attaining the 100-point "perfection".

San Antonio Texas was the second warm Annual Meeting venue. Again the weather was "warm & balmy". Surprisingly just 29 Classics were on hand 16 of which were judged. Two of these topped out at 100 points. All but one car judged, a ’39 Rolls-Royce shown by Fran Roxas from Illinois, were Texas natives. The event was reasonably well attended by members and was generally judged a success.

Summer Grand Classics were once again spread about in six locations. At Tulsa Oklahoma the temperature was over 100 degrees. 21 cars were judged, three were on exhibition and two other were disqualified with replica bodies. The point’s fairy was elsewhere as there were no 100-point Classics here. In fact the top scoring cars were at 98.5, which I would hasten to add, is a National First Place Award!

In New Jersey the weather was noted as "perfect" and 64 Classics were on hand. One car was disqualified for having no fire extinguisher. Two 100-point cars were judged.

41 cars were judged in California and six were at 100 points. Temperature was 68 degrees

For the 22^nd year Michigan staged a Grand Classic this time with some rain on the judging field. By 1 o’clock the sun had returned and 91 Classics shone. The Michigan events had earned a reputation nationwide that was evidenced by the two cars from Texas and two from Maine. Nine times the roll of 100 points was called. Four of the 100 pointer were in Primary, Late Custom

65 Classics answered the call in Indiana. Five at 100 and 18 over 95 points. Of the 40 Classics judged, 18 were Packards.

A new entry on the Grand Classic Host list was Colorado. Twenty-five cars attended a sunny event. One attained 100 points and one was disqualified from Pre-primary for the pardonable sin of being too good.

In the November 1980 Bulletin there was an article about judging procedures and the updating thereof. An acknowledged major complaint had been of unknowledgeable or biased judges. Several changes were to be made to help upgrade the system to minimize subjective judgments as much as possible and develop more knowledgeable judges. Regions had previously been asked to participate and several changes were proposed:

2: Revise the judging form to be more comprehensive to reduce subjective judging.

3: Place greater emphasis on safety and functional characteristics and less on cosmetics.

5: Judges will be allowed to talk to each other – not to compare scores, but to discuss judging features. Team leaders may question extremely high or low scores to determine the basis for inconsistencies.

Numbers 4 and 5 were instituted immediately, or as soon as another event rolled around, which would be the upcoming Annual Meeting. A judging training manual and revised judging form were under development, which would take care of numbers 1 through 3.

This period had been a gentle transition period for CCCA judging, but now members were clamoring for better quality judging to go along with their better-restored Classics. When the cars were 20 year old "used cars" being driven to any and all meets the judging was somewhat easier than it now was as the judges examined a trailered gem restored to better-than-new condition. Now, for the first time ever (Officially, that is) judges would be able to speak among themselves concerning judging issues. The caveat was made that they were not to speak of scores, but that might be somewhat like trying not to think of an elephant.

At the beginning of the new decade CCCA judging was a mix of the old and the new. Judging classes were still virtually the same as they had been for the last couple of decades. A new Judging Training Manual would be tried for the first time. The definition of "Non-Authentic" was being revised. A full page of the Bulletin would be designated for 1981 Grand Classic Announcement. New Meet Head Judge qualifications were worked out.

San Francisco was the venue for the 1981 Annual Meeting. 23 cars were judged and three of those were marked at 100 points. 16 more Full Classics were on exhibition and these cars were recognized in the "Classic Car" with a full listing. The struggle to rid Exhibition Classics of second-class status continued. Interestingly, this event was held on Thursday through Sunday with a Monday trip (by plane) to Jack Nethercutt’s collection in San Sylmar.

1981 Grand Classics were in six spots. At Indianapolis it was the twentieth anniversary of the event here. 33 cars were judged, coming from nine different states. Two Indiana cars scored 100 points.

Two more 100 pointers were shown at Dallas Texas among the 51 cars on display. One of these was Bob Bahre’s 34 Packard Dietrich Coupe, shipped from Maine. Every other judged car was from Texas or Oklahoma.

The Michigan Grand Classic moved to Meadowbrook Hall. Seven 100-point cars graced the lawn, each in a separate class. There were 18 cars in the three Pre-Primary classes, one of which scored over 90 points and was disqualified. Reportedly the owner, Morry Miller from Ohio was ecstatic about the score and the attention received and apparently didn’t mind missing the trophy at all.

At Bloomington Minnesota the weather almost caused serious problems with early morning rain and 50 mph winds on Saturday morning, but things cleared to a 90-degree day and humid sunshine for judging the 31 cars awaiting examination. Three cars scored 100.

Thirty-three cars were judged at Baltimore Maryland and another 30 were on exhibition. Three were counted at 100 points including another of Bob Bahre’s Packards, this one a ’34 LeBaron Speedster.

The Far West Grand Classic at Claremont California was the object of unexpected heavy attendance. A press release was sent to local papers stating the date and time of the event and declaring it free and open to the public. The concern of bicycles and straw purses was quite real. Fifty cars were displayed, 19 on exhibition. Four were scored at 100 points and apparently none were carried of by the inadvertently invited spectators.

Three years out of the cold weather was apparently just too long, for the 1982 Annual Meeting was held at the Hershey Motor Lodge in Hershey, PA. By the written account this was an especially good event with 17 cars judged, every one a trophy winner. Richard Gano’s 31 Cadillac V-16 Coupe settled in as the sole 100-point car. 7 other Full Classics were on exhibition. The weather was absolutely frigid, with Sunday morning temperatures stalled at 4 degrees above zero and a wind chill of 40 below. Nevertheless more than a dozen cars braved the cold for the traditional Sunday Morning Review.

At the March 1982 Board meeting a motion was approved: "For all National Judging meets, the names of judges and exhibition cars and owner’s names [will] be published in The Classic Car issue covering the event. Likewise, in addition to the winner of the Senior Emeritus class, the other participants in this class [will] be listed alphabetically by owner’s name along with their classics." Ah! Official recognition for Exhibition cars!

Six had become the usual number of Grand Classics for most years and 1982 was no exception. Lee Belf wrote about the Michigan event and noted," [The Grand Classic] is the only National judging meet I know of that is held at several sites all over the United States simultaneously." While we may take this for granted, it has been the case nearly since the beginning and remains so today. Three 100-point cars were discovered in the hot, steamy Michigan weather. The number of Full Classics in attendance was the usual Michigan abundance: 53 judged plus 37 on Exhibition.

Indiana Grand Classic participants were treated to what was referred to as "a free car wash, about 2" deep". However 55 cars, 34 to be judged, managed to survive. Three of these were noted as 100-point cars. Only three cars did not win awards. One, a 32 Stutz even earned 96 points and did not earn a placement.

Those folks in Texas again avoided the weather problems by holding court inside an air-conditioned building. Of the 37 cars shown 22 were judged and, here also, three were counted at 100 points.

California Grand Classic weather is often very nice and 1982 was no exception for the 34 cars judged and 21 on exhibition. 100-point Full Classics were two, one of which was Jack Nethercutt’s Duesenberg "Twenty Grand" Rollston Sedan. Every owner listed was shown as having a California address.

In Colorado things were done a bit differently. All 26 cars including the 5 on Exhibition were ushered into the hotel Ballroom for display and judging. The reports indicate that the weather outside was pleasant enough, but the cars were to remain inside during the awards banquet while every car judged won an award and one earned 100 points. That car was Jim & Betty Hull’s 26 Franklin known as "Aunt Sophie" which has since turned many CARavan miles.

At the Eastern Grand Classic in New Jersey they were faced with a momentary crisis when the Meet Head Judge was taken ill just prior to the event. With the efforts of other experienced members the judging ministrations went on smoothly, although not to be completed until 4 p.m. Hot sticky weather undoubtedly slowed down the activities somewhat, but 44 cars were judged and another 28 were on Exhibition. Not a single 100-point car would be found in the group. 17 of the 28 Exhibition cars were Packards.

National Head Judge Pete McManus reported all the 1982 Grand Classics to have gone smoothly and without serious difficulty. The Judge’s Training Manual was now in general use and seemed to work well. One change was alignment of scoring so that no longer would Pre-Primary winners need to score 80.25 for a 1^st place. 80 Points would do it.

In preparation for the 1983-judging year some minor changes were made to the Judging Form. Automatic 1-point deductions were now listed on the form. These remained as previously: "Sealed beam headlights, if not factory; Truck tires; Enamel paint, if not factory; Vinyl or plastic open car tops, boots, or side curtains; Synthetic upholstery material; Direction signals, if modern or commercial design; Flexible exhaust pipe where not factory." In addition, a check box was added to verify the display of the Senior Badge. The Procedures stated that this badge "must be displayed for the car to be judged in National Meets". The bold print was used in the Handbook & Directory.

72 degrees in Oklahoma City was only 68 more than experienced the previous year, but it was adequate for the 1983 Annual Meeting. Even with the lovely weather, fewer cars were shown: 15 judged and another 18 on Exhibition. One, a 31 Cadillac V-16 of Fran Roxas peaked at 100-points but three others scored 99. As had occurred the previous year, every car judged won an award. This event was unusual in one other respect; there were more cars on exhibition than judged.

The restructuring of the Judging Classes was approved in the Awards Committee, May 10, 1983. The new Class arrangement would now be:

There would be no changes in Pre-Primary, Senior Emeritus, Exhibition or Non-Authentic Divisions.

The Awards Committee also suggested that Regions place the Exhibition cars among the Judged cars to prevent the Exhibition Classics being relegated to a "second class area". The official word had it that 1983 Grand Classics would be "The Year of the Senior Car". President Katie Robbins published a chart of Senior Car numbers and the years they were awarded. Numbering did not begin until 1977 but many badges were exchanged for the numbered version. By 1983, Thirty years from the beginning, 1046 Senior badges had been awarded. It took 7 years to reach the #100, but only 2 or 3 years more to attain each 100 number segment afterward.

Another change related to a safety item. To clarify the Club’s policy on tail/stop lamps, the Handbook & Directory wording would now be:" The addition of an opposite side tail/stop light on Classics not so originally equipped is permissible for safety reasons, if dome to match the original light. No point deduction is to be made for the installation in this category or under the authenticity category, or for modification of those cars originally equipped with two rear lights serving separate purposes to both operate as tail/stop lights."

The countryside was graced with six more Grand Classic events in 1983. A total of 422 Full Classics participated, a 14% increase over1982. Massachusetts, Michigan, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Indiana and California were the lucky states. Participants came from 30 different states and Canada. 21 cars scored 100 points with 9 of those in California and 7 more in Michigan. The Year of the Senior Car? About 28% of the Full Classics on display, 116 were senior cars. The earliest was #7, a 1940 Packard Darrin shown at Indianapolis that attained its Senior status in 1954. #38 was the 1930 Packard roadster that was the Club’s first 100-point car and it was shown in Michigan. Not surprisingly, Michigan with 38 cars was the event most populated with Senior cars.

At the December Board Meeting the theme of the 1984 Grand Classics was decided as "The Year of the Early Classic-1925 & 1926".

A change in wording was made to the Authenticity Section of the Judging Rules, so the passage now read: "Before any deduction for authenticity can be made the individual judge MUST receive the approval of his team captain. The team captain MUST discuss the question and any evidence of authenticity with the owner (or exhibitor) prior to making a decision on any deduction." In other words the team captain was now required to authorize a point deduction for authenticity.

In February of 1984 two technical items relating to judging were also addressed. First, the Board approved the use of "Sta-Fast" top materials as a substitute for Haartz cloth without deduction. Secondly, approval of the elimination of the mandatory one-point deduction for enamel paint in CCCA judging was granted.

The first use of the new judging classes was at the 1984 Annual Meeting in Nashville Tennessee. 28 Full Classics were on hand, of which 22 were judged, from which 4 were declared 100 points. Amazingly, for the third year, every car judged won an award. The prose report of the event published in The Classic Car was one paragraph, 12 lines long, but 25 of the 28 cars on hand were shown in the photos.

343 Full Classics showed up for Grand Classic festivities in July. Fourteen 100-point cars were scattered about the countryside. "The Year of the Early Classic" was a reasonable success with 19 cars of 1925 & 1926 on display. Michigan had the most, 6, but all events had at least one on display.

San Jose California exhibited the largest field in their history with 77 cars on display. Nine cars scored 99-points or better but not one snagged the 100-point brass ring. Weather was noted as hot, hot, hot.

In Colorado, Bill Friggens of Albuquerque drove his ’32 Duesenberg 400 miles to the event and Whitney Otis drove his ’40 Cadillac 300 miles from Casper Wyoming. This was noteworthy by this time, but tame by comparison with earlier decades when trailering of Classics was prohibited.

Indianapolis was blessed with good weather as the cars were treated to a lap around the famed 500 oval.

The 103-degree weather in Fort Worth was not an issue as all 48 cars were directed inside the Convention Center.

Maryland weather was described as clear and bright for the 34 cars judged and 19 on exhibition.

In Michigan three Pre-Primary cars were disqualified for being too good. Author Paul Clancy was convinced that it had to do with the judges with Seeing Eye dogs and white canes. Paul also made passing mention of a point that would surface time and again when he asked, "Doesn’t 99.5 round off to 100?"

The National Head Judge report for the September meeting noted, "The new judging classes… seem to have been well accepted by the membership."

Another change to the judging rules was approved in November. There would be no point deduction for "conversions of two-wheel brake Classics to four-wheel braking if done in a workmanlike manner and in the mechanical form of the existing original brakes on the car." This was a worthwhile safety consideration and also put to rest many questions concerning the retrofitting of four-wheel brakes during the Classic Era.

included driver’s side wiper, horn, and any head, tail or stoplight inoperative. While

they were effective, they were not popular. Discussions of these deductions were noted at Board Meetings and the Annual Membership meeting for 1985.

There had been a fair number of rules changes in the past few years. Many of them may have been housekeeping types of changes but others were more substantive and not all were welcomed with open arms. The one change that would have the most effect over the coming years was the rearrangement of the judging classes.

As we entered what one friend calls "The modern era" of CCCA judging more changes would be forthcoming.

A note: I believe that I neglected to mention a significant change for 1977. For the first time that year, the Tabulating of score sheets would involve eliminating the highest and lowest scores and averaging the other two. This undoubtedly accounted for the spike in 100-point cars, as it would eliminate the ultra critical judge and the overly lenient also.

The operational phrase for the 1985 Annual Meeting in Bellevue, Washington was Cold & Sunny. Actual temperatures were not noted, but they probably were not of the single digit variety previously noted in Eastern events. Some other numbers were recorded: 23 Classics judged. 15 scored 95 or higher, with two topping out at 100. 19 different makes were exhibited. An incredible 47 cars were shown in the exhibition classes that included 2 non-authentic cars.

In June, just prior to the Grand Classics, the Awards Committee clarified a rule related to wiring: "There will be a one-point deduction for colored or clear plastic-coated wiring in a Classic. There is no point deduction for black coated wiring."

While writing about these events, it would be easy to fall into a routine of this many events, this many cars, to the point that it would begin to sound ordinary. CCCA judging and Grand Classics are anything but ordinary. As I read the accounts in The Classic Car the excitement of the moment shows through every time. There is the genuine appreciation for the work involved and wonder and awe of the fabulous Full Classics always on display. This is evident at the Grand Classic at Corpus Christi Texas. With 24 cars on display it was not the largest. That honor went to California with 78 Classics. The description of the Texas event is filled with the suspense and anticipation of the judging and awards. Every car judged but one received an award. Jay Leon’s Marmon 16 scored 100 points and three others scored 99 or better. The event sounded like a family picnic more than anything else.

Of the 46 cars judged in Ohio just one touched 100 points, while in Rhode Island there seemed an embarrassment of riches with six 100 pointers. Bob Bahre showed two ’34 Packard custom bodied cars, both of which topped the marks at 100. Seven more in Michigan, 4 in Indiana and 6 in California clearly demonstrated that these numbers were not extraordinary. The numbers in the Senior Emeritus Division were rather slim with only a dozen nationwide.

One of the 100 pointers, a 1926 Rickenbacker of Tom Lester, sadly now resides in New Hampshire, engine apart, some pieces missing, and was until recently, haphazardly stored in an open sided lean-to. The new owner has begun its resuscitation.

The Grand Classics were counted a success with a total of 338 cars shown of which 228 were judged. The totals hade been declining slightly for several years and the Awards Committee was studying the problem. Today, in 2001, Chuck Conrad, the current Awards Chairman, will tell you that the Committee is still studying the ups and downs of Grand Classic attendance.

A couple of changes were instituted: "Eliminate the 5 point safety deductions, allowing the judging rules for horn, wipers and lights to be modified to allow the individual judge to use his discretion in scoring these categories." This rule, written only the year prior, was decidedly unpopular. The removal of this rule was a direct result of members input to the National Board. Changes in the judging form were brought aboard: "Combine horn and wipers into a single five-point category, establish a new five-point category in the top section of the judging form (taking the place vacated by horn/wiper combination) for instrument and accessory operation, the elimination of instrument checking in the physical appearance section dealing with the dash, and adding window operation to the ‘Glass and/or side curtain’ section." The Committee certainly was being thorough even if little attention was paid to sentence structure.

A small note was made that a study was being done of the definition of a "Senior" car.

455 members marked a sold out 1986 Annual Meeting at Universal City CA. The warm weather events certainly drew the people and the cars. 33 were judged and 38 more were on exhibition. There was but one 100-point Cadillac V-16 of Steve Nannini’s. The judging was noted as having gone smoothly and flawlessly in the sunny 80-degree weather.

IN the May Bulletin Gordon Apker presented a summary of some of the judging changes and refinements. A listing of some of the deductions recommended for various categories was included. The fact that the automatic five point deductions were eliminated brought great joy. Gordon wrote a very interesting note that is still very pertinent today," An important thought to keep in mind as it pertains to judging, or driving Classics is that the judging sheet is intended to serve as a guideline. It is a guideline serving as a barometer and gauge against the condition of your Classic today as compared to when it was delivered new to its first owner. These automobiles were not perfect, but were extremely fine. A first-time owner of a new Classic would expect windows to move up and down, lights to light, wipers to wipe, generators to "gen", etc. Mechanical failures would most likely not be as tolerated as most subjective human errors. The myth is that a perfect Classic exists! 100 POINTS represents nothing more than the original, new condition of your Classic!"

Grand Classic attendance was up a bit for 1986 at 369 cars. This would be the final year for a Judge’s Plaque.

Weather was a problem in 1986 everywhere except Carmel California. The rain in Parsippany NJ was so bad that the cars were judged in groups of four beneath the hotel marquee. 39 of the 62 cars there were judged and four 100-point examples came out of the rinse.

A new venue in Overland Park Kansas, also with showers severe enough to postpone judging for 2 hours, still brought out 44 cars and 4 100-point gems.

In Michigan, Franklin this time, the weather held attendance down to 57 cars. Amazingly there were no 100 point cars shown Ed Forbush in writing the story for the Classic Car had an interesting comment," A number of people to whom I talked mentioned they had not brought their Classics to Franklin because the cars were not pristine enough to compete. So what! We want to see them. There are a lot of nice Classics out there in good drivable condition. We don’t care if the car is not a potential show winner. We need more people like Buck Varnon to bring out their unrestored Classics because it’s really neat to observe the changes as these cars are worked on over the years. There are no second-class members of the Classic Car Club. So bring those Classics out of the garage. We can’t all go to your house to see them."

Nowhere was this better illustrated than at the 25^th consecutive Grand Classic in Indianapolis. (In showers for the second year) 42 cars were on display under the Grandstands. One of them, Bob Titlow’s ’39 Packard Town Car by Franay was one of the eight 100 point cars. 17 years previously Bob showed this same car when it scored 51 ½ points!

One other lesson illustrated at Indy was a fire in Gene Perkins ’30 Packard phaeton. Six fire extinguishers were expended putting out the conflagration. Yet we still hear gripes about this requirement!

The 35^th Annual Meeting in Dearborn Michigan, January 1987, began with "Spring like" conditions, which then deteriorated to snow. 44 Classics were shown with six of the 100-point variety. A recurring question that would eventually receive a lot of attention was, why was it that a very high scoring Classic, 96 or 97 points, can receive only a 3^rd place trophy?

Grand Classic attendance for 1987 reached an all-time high at 434 cars. Obviously something was working. Judging rules remained fairly constant, weather improved and the 100-point cars rolled in. Occasional mention was still made of "Overall Winners" but there does not seem to be anything officially noted and the practice seems to have quietly drifted away.

Fort Worth was privy to 52 cars with six at 100, five at 99. 32 of the 35 judged hauled away hardware.

Michigan’s event at Dearborn hosted 68 cars and four 100 pointers. 14 other scored 98 or higher.

In Seattle the Pacific Northwest Region hosted its first Grand Classic in 80 degree weather. 60 Classics were on hand, two of which charted 100 points. Fully ½ the cars were on exhibition.

Torrance California was good hunting territory for those searching for 100 points. Twelve cars attained the magic number from a field of 79.

Sturbridge, MA, in hot, hazy, humid weather saw 84 cars on the field. The four 100 point cars did little to point out the closeness of the judging. In Senior, Custom, 30-32, 97 ½ points was good enough for a Third place award. In Primary, production, 33-36, it took 98 points to achieve a Third place award, While in Primary, Custom, 30-32, 97 points got no award at all!

At the National Board Meeting in November of 1987 it was noted, "Restorers are to be discouraged from being judges." And "Objective judging is to be stressed with the "plain jane" getting as much attention and consideration as cars with all the accessories."

For the 1988 Annual Meeting, the entire membership of the Club was invited to Dallas Texas for the worst ice storm in a hundred years. Still the event went pretty much as planned with 11 Pierce-Arrows headlining the event as the featured marque. 34 brave Classics were displayed, three scoring top marks of 100.

1988 was designated "The Year of the Original Car". Consideration was also being given to the idea of a non-judged class for original cars. Similar consideration was also being given to Grand Classic dates at other than the traditional July date. "Regions where July heat is a problem could schedule in the fall." Initially it was determined that no car could compete in two separate Grand Classics in the same year, but that idea was soon scrapped.

Minor revisions to judging were often done as time passed. Carl Steig provided information showing Phillips screws were used in 1935 rather than the 1938 date previously accepted. Clear Plastic seat covers were determined to warrant a mandatory deduction.

In February of 1988 it was decided to separate the 1940 –1948 Primary production class into 1940-1942 and 1946-1948 segments. Participation had steadily risen in these classes since the acceptance of Postwar Classics.

Studies were underway to create a "Grand Senior" class as a level of competition beyond Senior. The purpose was to encourage owners of high point Senior cars to continue in competition and increase participation at National meets.

The summer of 1988 was one of serious drought in the middle part of the country. While it was devastating for farmers it was ideal for showing old cars. Weather at all venues was warm to hot, hazy to bright sun. The turnout of original cars was excellent, ranging from two at Denver to 27 at Indianapolis. Turnout of 100 point cars was equally impressive with one each at Denver and Montgomery Texas all the way to twelve in Indianapolis. Top drawing spot for total cars was Pleasanton California with 112 cars on the field.

The reports of the Grand Classics counted them all successful. With hindsight one can read between the lines and catch hints of some minor difficulties but it always showed that the judging went along as the rules intended. Thirty-five years of refinement had resulted in judging methods that were stable, accurate and recognized throughout the Collector Car world as some of the best.

1989 would see some major changes. Two of the most significant would involve Dates and Classes. Sounds like High School! That, we will save for the next issue.

For thirty-five years Classic Car Judging had followed the same general rule. The judging standard had always been "As the car was when new". Every now and again there was a year full of changes. 1989 was to be one of these years.

The Annual Meeting at Indianapolis was the soapbox for some of theses changes. The report for the previous year, 1988, indicated 466 Classics were on the various judging fields. For the Original Car feature, 99, or 18.5% were listed as Originals. For the upcoming judging season two Spring Grand Classics had already been announced: Boca Raton Florida and Oklahoma City, both on April 22.

The biggest news was the announcement of the new "Premiere" (sic) class. The report read, "To improve participation, a new class for excellent Senior winners, scoring 97 points or better, is being considered for implementation at the April 22^nd, 1989 Grand Classics pending approval by the board." Along with this, a change in minimum required scores would be instituted in April. Pre-Primary: 82 points minimum for first place; 74 points second place; 66 points third place with over 90 points still being a disqualification. "Classics in Primary, Senior and Senior Emeritus must accrue a minimum of 92 points for first, 84 points for second and 76 points for third.", was the way the wording went in the Annual Meeting minutes, despite the fact that Senior Emeritus had never been included in the same point schedule as Primary and Senior. That too would be changing.

A record of sorts was set with seven 100-point cars at the Annual Meeting among the 54 cars on display. Either the tabulating was a bit lax or there were some "adjustments" made in the scoring, as there were three cars with published awards that did not meet the minimum scores for the award. Hmmm. None of these affected the scores of any other cars, so there was no harm done.

In February, the entry fees for Grand Classics were raised to $25. More importantly, recipients of awards were now required to "affix the award prominently on the exterior of the car." Without the badge, the car would be disqualified from judging.

Changes to the Judging Points Scoring and the new class, now labeled "Premier" were published in the April Bulletin. Minimum points required for various placing had changed. The old and the new are listed below.

Old System:				New System
	Third	Second	First		Third	Second	First
Pre-Primary (Now called Touring)	60	70	80		66	74	82
Primary	70	80	90		85	90	95
Premier							97
Senior Emeritus Judging							90

Pre-Primary cars would still be disqualified over 90 points and Pre-Primary 1^st place winners would still advance automatically to Primary.

Multiple First Place awards would now be presented to all cars in Primary and Senior scoring over 95 and within 2 points of the highest score in the class. Multiple firsts in premier would be awarded to those cars scoring 97 or better and within 2 points of the highest scoring cars. No second or third place awards would be presented in Premier. Senior Emeritus became a non-Judged Division. The breakdown of classes remained the same as previously with the Premier Division broken into Early, 1925-1932; Middle, 1933-1939; Late, 1940-1948. A Classic judged in Premier and not winning a First place award could not be entered in the Senior Division again which was the same procedure as had been followed in the primary and Senior Divisions. The Published changes stated, "All Senior winners in 1989 Grand Classics will be eligible for this Division." This actually meant that the earliest Premier Division judging would be done at the 1989 Summer Grand Classics.

These changes were some of the most sweeping alterations to CCCA judging since its inception some 34 years prior. They were undertaken lightly. The process of assembling the new Premier Division and the new Spring Grand Classic dates took a lot of time and effort by the Board.

Gene Perkins advised that the Award oval should be placed 1 ½" below the beltline to allow space to affix subsequent awards. The oval would now be dated. Judges would be reminded to check all power-assisted equipment such as power seats, windows and antennae for proper operation.

The Spring Grand Classics were judged a rousing success. In Florida, there were seven 100 pointers to be found among 39 judged cars. Nine more were on display.

Twenty-Five Classics were judged at Oklahoma City and another 8 were on Exhibition. Three 100-point cars showed. Weather for both events had been Picture-Perfect.

Partly by virtue of the new "multiple Firsts" rule and partly because the cars were plentiful and very fine, there were now 35 cars qualified to enter the Premier Division.

At the Summer Grand Classics, 5 cars were entered in the Premier Division. At the Pennsylvania event, 4 of these were shown by Noel Thompson. The other was a 1925 Stutz of Joe Folladori shown at Indianapolis.

For many years there had been six Grand Classics spread across the country, but quite possibly due to the new Spring events, the number of Grand Classics for the summer was five.

At Dearborn 78 cars filled the field with 49 judged. Ten were judged to warrant 100 point scores. With the benefit of the new multiple first rule 29 owners hauled home first-place awards. It was calculated that without the new rule the number would have been 22. The Senior Production, 1937-1939 class had two cars entered, both 1937 Packards, one eight and one Twelve, and both scored 100 points.

The Long Beach California event was 1/3 filled with Packards. Eight cars attained judging nirvana at 100 points. One was a seldom seen 1929 Cunningham Town Car of Henry Uihlein. As this year was a celebration of the Original Classic, a 1941 Packard, 1941 Cadillac and a 1931 Lincoln did the representation. 65 Classics were judged and another 18 were displayed. This last number included 2 Senior Emeritus cars that were no longer being judged.

Beautiful weather blessed Hudson Ohio and the 51 Classics on display. The exhibition cars included Dick Dewey from New Hampshire with a 1932 Packard 906 Dietrich sport phaeton. There were four more 100 pointers to add to the grand total. Three cars also benefited from the multiple first awards.

47 Cars lined up at Indianapolis, including one of the first to receive a Premier award, Joe Folladori’s 1925 Stutz. An incredible 13 cars found their way to 100 points. Eleven classes contained nothing but first place cars. 13 of the 25 judged received a First. Six cars earned seconds and three more took away third place awards. Out of the trophy race were just three cars.

In Pennsylvania the temperature remained in the mid seventies under sunny skies. The numbers contest was won here with 81 cars on the field, 51 of which were judged. All four cars in Premier belonged to Noel Thompson, as mentioned earlier. They were scored at 100 (’37 Mercedes 540K), 99.5 (’47 Delahaye 135MS), 99 ("30 Isotta-Fraschini) and 98.5 (’34 Duesenberg Murphy). Noel also showed four more in Senior classes with two more 100-point cars, one at 99 and one at 98.5. This was undoubtedly a record of some sort. A total of eleven 100-point scores were announced. Nine cars benefited from the multiple firsts ruling. In Primary Custom, 1930-1932 five cars were judged and five frit prizes awarded, with no ties in scores. John Elling’s 31 Chrysler was judged at 99 points and Ed Rowan’s 30 LaSalle scored 97 points. Three others fit neatly between. The Multiple First Rule was having an immediate impact.

For the year, 298 cars were judged and 121 were exhibited. 137 Firsts, 50 seconds and 28 third place awards were presented. 1989 had indeed been a momentous year.

For 1990 the Annual Meeting once again flew south to Florida. The temperature in the early morning was a very un-Florida 40 degrees, although it did warm to the low 70’s later on. The change of note was a "Judges Check List" on the reverse side of the judging form. Here were listed ten items that the judge was reminded to pay attention to as the car was looked over. The Judge was also to check each item as it was examined. All items related to the operation of various components such as Exhaust cut-outs, Radios and power antennas, Clocks, Intercoms, Lighters, Heaters and air conditioners, window operation, Automatic top mechanisms, and turn signals, signaling devices and all accessory lights. The front side of the form was pretty much as it had been for some time, so the instructions on the reverse side gave some detail to the general categories listed on the front. 48 cars lined up for the judge’s perusal while another 11 relaxed on exhibition. 1,200 points were evenly divided among 12 cars, which meant that 25% of the cars judged scored 100 points! 25 others scored 97 or better, which meant that better than ¾ of the cars judged scored at least 97 points. Every car but one received an award. 37 firsts, 6 seconds and 4 third place awards were presented. 18 of the first place awards were multiple first place awards.

For the Spring Grand Classics, the Gold Coast Region jumped right back into the fray immediately after the largest Annual meeting in Club history. 41 cars were parked on the grass and 31 of these were judged. A couple of thousand miles to the west, in Irving Texas, 61 more cars were on display. 17 Classics were found to be 100 pointers at these two combined events.

The 100-point cars seemed to be becoming, perish the thought, common. What was happening? Many folks pointed to the judging system. The only change that could obviously affect the point standings would be the averaging system that disregarded the high and low scores and averaged the other two. This was, of course, changed some years earlier, in 1977. For 100 points to be attained under the earlier system all four judges would have to count the car 100 points. Under the newer arrangement, at least three judges needed to score the car at 100. That way, by eliminating the high (100) and the low (99), the average is still 100. While the number of 100-point cars did increase immediately after this change, it didn’t rise to the extent that it had in the past couple of years. In this writer’s opinion, the underlying reason for the increase in high point cars, and not just 100 points, was the quality of the restorations. When Al Prueitt, in Pennsylvania, began restoring cars commercially in the late 1940’s, he was one of a very few folks even willing to try to truly restore an older car. In the ensuing decades many people entered the restoration business while methods and materials improved at, what seemed to be, an exponential rate. So, by the end of the eighties, when the collector car market was at its dollar peak, there were more and more people doing better and better restorations. I recently replaced the grilles in a friend’s 1937 Buick with a pair of new-old-stock pieces he had purchased in the early 60’s. They were presentable, but just barely. If a modern restoration shop tried to use them on a show worthy restoration they would likely have a very unhappy customer. Today’s restorations are much better than the original condition of our fine cars. The sheer numbers of new restorations may have slowed a bit with the change in the market, but the quality, when one is willing to pay, is superb.

The five summer Grand Classics witnessed over 300 cars on display. 229 were judged and 33 of these were 100-point cars. These numbers caused raised eyebrows at National Headquarters. National Head Judge Chris Bock requested that "everyone in the judging process should adhere to the rules and procedures as outlined by the Club. To keep judging consistent throughout the country it was suggested that perhaps the Awards Committee and National Head Judge should select a National director to be present at each National meet to handle any questions and or problems that arise."

By November 1990, the rather cumbersome named "The Grand Classic & Annual Meeting Judging Guidelines, Area Head Judge Assignments and Judges Training Manual" had been updated and would soon be sent to sponsoring Regions…just as soon as George Holman could shorten the name.

What do you suppose the last decade of the 20^th century would hold for CCCA Judging? Stay tuned!

1997 began with an Annual meeting in Florida and 31 Classics. Of the judged cars only 2 scored under 90 points and 4 did the full bore at 100. This was the debut of the new improved judging form. Two columns of scoring with categories in greater detail were the most obvious changes. Closer examination revealed that total scoring was 200 points with a division by 2 during tabulating for the final 100-point based score. This allowed a finer degree of choice by the Judges. A 1-point deduction on the field would, after Tabulation, result in a ½ point deduction in the actual scoring. The reasoning was two-fold: Sometimes a Judge would note a minor problem that he might wish to address, but would feel it would not warrant a full point deduction. This new form allows for that scenario. Secondly, the thought was that fine-tuning the Judging might slow the growth in numbers of 100-point scores. One out of two isn’t bad.

The new forms were easier to follow as judging progressed. Disqualifications and mandatory deductions were now shown on the reverse side of the form. The lack of a Senior badge was now shown in the disqualification list and the previous D/Q for power steering and air conditioning now moved to a mandatory 5 point deduction section. Mandatory deductions were now two points rather than one, so that the effective deduction when the 200 points were tabulated to 100, was still one point. Four of the six mandatory deductions remained. Inappropriate directional signals, sealed beam lights where not original, synthetic upholstery, vinyl or plastic tops and boots would still be mandatory two point deductions. The flexible exhaust pipes and truck tire deductions would no longer be mandatory, but left to the individual Judge’s discretion. Replacing these two would be deductions for modern hose clamps and plastic wiring. For the last couple of years these two items had a separate listing as Physical Appearance deductions. Also new was an eight line section for documenting authenticity deductions.

The new Touring Class looked to be a simple step forward from the Pre-Primary Class of previous years. The slight adjustment in point values and renaming the class should help change members attitudes about showing a Classic here. For some years Pre-Primary was considered by some to be second rate and usually was the lowest attended class at National meets. Another important change was that winning a first place in Touring no longer automatically moved the car to Primary. A car could be shown in Touring for as long as the owner wished.

A technical change was brought about by the acceptance of a motion to consider dual carburetion and aftermarket performance heads on Packards an authenticity deduction unless it could be proven that particular car was delivered new with that equipment.

Looking at the results of the Spring 1997 Grand Classics gives a mixed view. At the Arizona event, where 17 cars were judged, one car scored 100-points. In Indiana, four cars did the 100-point jig of the 32 cars judged, while at the Texas show 22 Classics were examined and 8 of them left without deduction! Just four cars did not earn any awards and at Arizona every car judged won an award; 14 first and 3 second place.

The new touring Class met with modest results with one entered in Arizona, three each in Indiana and Texas. The original proposal fro the Touring Class from the Indiana region had been somewhat more involved than that accepted by the National Board. There was much discussion at the National level for several months with two different resolutions to maintain the Class as it now was set up.

Next up were the Summer Grand Classics held at six locations nationwide. To the west, in California, 28 Classics just enjoyed the sun while 41 others were judged. 8 were entered in Touring. 4 scored 100 points. On the other side of the world, in Maine, 22 cars enjoyed a relaxing day while 33 were scrutinized. 5 Scored 100 points. 11 entries in Touring were realized with 8 in Middle, 33-39 alone. There were also 3 AC cars judged, John Moir’s ‘, 26 and ’38 and David Campbell’s ’36. Washington State had 17 Classics watching 21 others being judged. Equal numbers of 3 were represented in Touring and 100 points. Pennsylvania came in with 20 on exhibition, 30 judged, 6 of which attained 100 points, and 4 were entered in Touring. All the cars except one in Pennsylvania were awarded trophies. Michigan entries for exhibition outnumbered the judged cars, 27 to 21. Three were in Touring, and 4 won at 100. John McMullen owned three of the 100-point cars. The entire Premier Early class, all three cars, was at 100 points. Illinois judged the most cars for the year, 42, one more than in California. 15 were exhibited and 4 were entered in Touring. Illinois also took 100-point honors at 8.

The Original car program was taking off. This was the only award to be presented on the show field. Judging teams for this portion were appointed prior to the event, generally with National Directors at the fore. Nearly 20 red ribbons were presented and proudly displayed during the day, all across the country. The criteria for the Original

Car Award was still being hammered out, but the basics were in place. To qualify, most of the Classic needed to be as it was delivered. This included paint, chrome, engine, upholstery and other trim. Normal maintenance items like tires, exhaust and hoses would be expected replacements. Some paintwork was permissible, and other minor work excused, but the expectation was of a car that had no major repairs or restoration.

A Judge’s Accreditation program had been in the works for some time. The program would begin with a selected group of experienced judges, recommended by individual Regions. These members would receive a resume form to chronicle their experience and a questionnaire to test their judging knowledge. At the 1998 Annual Meeting in San Antonio Texas, Judges pins were to be presented to the initial group of Accredited Judges. There were to be two levels of Accreditation. An Accredited Judge had judging experience and good knowledge of the system and would receive a red enameled badge. A Master Judge had more judging experience and, possibly, some administrative experience in the running of a National Meet, extensive restoration experience and well-rounded background with other judging systems. The Master Judge would receive a blue pin. By March of 1998 121 Master and 75 Accredited pins had been distributed.

The 1998 Annual gathering in Texas was full of people but a bit light on cars. 23 were judged and another 5 were exhibited. An astounding seven 100 pointers arrived, 30% of the total cars judged. If one of the goals of the new judging system were to curtail the numbers of 100-point cars it would seem not to be working. In actuality, it was the level of restorations that was resulting in the numbers of high point cars. The standard of CCCA Judging has always been “As New”. Therefore, when good cars were being well restored to conditions that were undoubtedly better than they were when they were new, it stands to reason that high scores would result. That is wonderful testimony to the skills of the owners and pride and dedication to the purpose.

Attendance was a bit strange. Thirteen different makes were represented among the 28 cars on hand. Packards numbered 11, which left 17 cars to be divided among 12 makes. Three each of Cord and Rolls-Royce and two Auburns were the only multiple numbers. Nine makes were represented by single cars: Cadillac (!), Duesenberg, SS, Stutz, Mercedes-Benz, Lincoln, Buick, Bugatti and Chrysler.

Spring Grand classics numbered three: California, Indiana and Florida. 37 Classics appeared on the west coast with 21 judged. There were three 100-point cars including a 1925 Kissel 6-55 speedster of Dewayne Ashmead from Utah. Another statistical anomaly showed here. Every car shown won an award except those in the Premier Division where only one of the four shown qualified.

In the Midwest, 40 cars were in attendance with 32 being prepared for judging. Eight different states were represented. Three cars were stopped at 100 points while 10 more scored 99 or better.

36 Classics were judged in Florida with an additional 10 in display. By the way, the exhibition numbers I have mentioned do include those cars registered as Senior Emeritus as those cars are not judged and are for exhibition only. Eight 100-point laurels fell on this group of cars. As seemed to be the norm, nearly all the judged cars received an award but in Primary Production 33-36 and Custom 37-39 all five cars entered earned 100 points.

1998 also begat another award. With the development of the recognition awards, ribbons presented on the judging field, for original cars, an award for the “Best Original” car was presented at National Meets. Unfortunately, this information was not always included in the excellent articles written about the National Meets.

A new feature in the Bulletin was the “Judges Corner” written by Chuck Conrad. An interesting series of judging related questions were fielded by Chuck and served to keep members abreast of rules and rules changes.

For the first time in many years there were just three summer grand Classics. 45 Classics were on hand at the California event. One of the most unusual was Jack Nethercutt’s 1925 Doble Murphy bodied roadster, which happened to be one of seven 100-point cars. 27 other Classics were scrutinized by judging teams. 20 scored 95 or better.

Back on the eastern shore, 43 cars lined up on the top floor of a Baltimore parking garage. 31 were to be judged. Best original award went to Phil Bibber’s ’48 Chrysler and 6 cars scored 100. Nine cars entered the Touring classes.

Let me tell you about Michigan! This was the 40^th Grand Classic that the Michigan region had held. The goal was 150 cars on the field and they came ever so close with actual attendees at 147. The statistics are amazing. Ralph Emery showed the same 1935 Packard Eight Club Sedan that he exhibited at the first Michigan Grand Classic in 1957. 22 different makes were represented. Such rarities as a Chrysler Thunderbolt and a Chrysler Newport, a Ruxton, two Reo Royales, Wills St. Claire, Cadillacs from 1925 through 1948, Seven Duesenbergs, and thirteen original cars. The original were so good that a precedent was set with the awarding of two Original Car Awards. Eleven cars scored the magic 100. Primary production, 30-32 was made up of thirteen cars, nine of which won awards, including 3 at 100, 5 firsts, 2 seconds and 2 thirds due to scoring ties. Thirteen cars entered Touring classes. Sixty-five cars were on exhibition. The listing in the Classic Car took two full pages. 47 judges did the duties. Only 4 cars scored under 90, the lowest being 86 points for an unusual ’42 Cadillac convertible. A new idea tried at this event was a negative scoring method where judges wrote in only the deduction rather than the positive point award. Done so the tabulating would be faster with the huge number of cars, it was reported to work well. The National Board determined to remain with the positive scoring “for the present”.

From the Board minutes of September 3 comes this note,” It has been pointed out that there were high-mounted stop lamps available during the Classic Era. This feature will be allowed without deduction at Grand Classics as long as it is an “Era” high-mounted stop lamp accompanied with proper and complete authentication.”

Our 1999 Annual Meeting gave a glimpse of the past. A cold (0 degrees), snowy (several inches of fresh) winter event in Cleveland. Because of the really nasty we