JUDGING CRITERIA AND ADVICE by GLEN ESTERHUIZEN
“To give you a “heads-up” on what the judges will be looking for, I have prepared this list of criteria with potential pitfalls, and hopefully have provided some useful advice to ensure your Porsche is ready for the Porsche Club Cape Concours events“.
SILICON
Besides the cleanliness of the car, you will be penalized for using too much silicon. It must not come off on one’s hands. You can lose points per section.
DRIVE THE CAR TO THE EVENT
Cars must be driven to concours. If it is not, your car will be penalized, and you will not get any points.
MEMORABILIA
If you have any tools or memorabilia or information relating to the car, and it is displayed in the car, you will get an extra point.
CLEANLINESS
Cars will be checked thoroughly for any dirt.
Pretty much any dirt, dust, grease or lint, anywhere in the judged area will result in a deduction…if it looks dirty…it is!
PREPERATION
Surfaces should not only be clean, but they should be prepared similar to how they came from the factory.
Vinyl surface should look just like they did from the factory. Clean, not faded and not too shiny.
The exterior paint work should be clean, shiny and free from swirl marks.
INTERIOR & EXTERIOR MAINTENANCE
Your car should be free from damage. Ripped/torn interior will result in a deduction, as will scratches and stone chips
AFTERMARKET PARTS
If there are any aftermarket parts (not original) you will be penalized 1 point.
ARRIVAL AT THE VENUE
Your car must be in the judging area on time. No late arrivals will be permitted.
JUDGES POINTS ARE FINAL
Don’t interfere with the judges. If anyone is found near their car while judging, they will get zero points.
START EARLY
The best way to prep a car for a Concourse event is to start with a clean car. The following is a list of things you can do several weeks before an event:
PAINT WORK PREPARATION
It’s time for her to shine with claying, polishing, waxing etc.
CLEAN THE ENGINE
Judges will be looking into your engine bay for a clean engine.
FULL LEATHER SERVICE
You don’t want to be looking at 5 years of neglect the day before the event! Getting dirty leather concours clean may take several attempts and the need for different products. This is best done several weeks before an event.
CLEAN AND RESTORE
Interior clean and dressing of plastics/vinyl.
Cleaning of battery and adjacent area.
Restoration of cabrio top plastic window.
Initial clean of storage areas (trunks) – these are typically neglected and although they will need to be cleaned again before the event, it’s best to get a head start.
Restoration of rubber trim – full cleaning with rubber cleaner, followed by dressing.
Cleaning of door jams including polishing and waxing them. This may sound like over-kill, but door jams are a key area that judges look at. They must be immaculate. The best way I have found to ensure they are, is to fully clean, polish and wax (or seal) them several weeks in advance. This way the final prep is just a simply wipe down.
Alloy wheels also need to be immaculate. The same applies to these as to door jams.
Get them clean, then use a wax or sealant on them. This will make prep the day before and, on the day, much easier
Clean all the strange places in the interior…. under the seats, seat belt recesses, under the dash, in the air vents etc. These are areas that are unlikely to get dirty quickly but do collect a surprising amount of dirt over the long term.
Clean things you don’t normally clean – The things that matter are the things we don’t normally clean!
TO DO THE DAY BEFORE
Washing the car
Cleaning windows
Dressing external rubber and vinyl
Final interior vacuum
Final vacuum and inspection of storage areas
Final wipe down of engine