FYI & Update

UPDATE: The grapevine says the Newport show on the 15th has been canceled.

Several folks, and even a couple of show organizers have asked me how, exactly, they can decide which class is most appropriate for their vehicle at any given show. It can be confusing, particularly if the organizers seem to be choosing classes by pulling them out of a hat. HotKarz is trying to get show organizers to do a better job of choosing classes in ways that avoid many problems. Progress is slow, but there is progress. If they do not use careful thought and planning in their classing, then it becomes the responsibility of the entrant to choose the most appropriate class.

So I will share with you the system that many professional car shows use in determining class, and you can use it for your own vehicle(s) if you wish.

Get out pencil and paper, and start by describing your vehicle according to its genre, type, make,model, year etc. As an example only (chosen at random), let's say you have the following vehicle:

1980 Chevrolet 4x4 Custom/Modified Truck

That is what you would put at the top of your paper. In a perfect world, that is your "most appropriate class", but it is far too specific to ever be found in any show. So now you will need to narrow it down, in descending order, by logical classes.

Using that same example, you would start your list with the GENRE/TYPE, as follows: Custom (modified) Truck, 4x4. This would be the most appropriate class, but only if available at the show. If not available, descend to the next level - note we are descending not only in order of importance, but also in level of specifics - the classes become more general as you descend. So, the next most appropriate class might be something like Custom Truck. Lacking a custom truck class, you might then descend to 4x4 truck. Following that might be Chevy Trucks or Trucks 1980's (or whatever era fits, such as Trucks, 1965-1985)). If still no class,then your class would descend into its most general term - Trucks.

You can do this in reverse, if it is easier for you. Start by the most general term that fits your vehicle. In this case, TRUCK. Then as you rise to each new level, you become more specific, from Truck, to Chevy Truck, to Chevy Truck 1980's, to 4x4 Truck and continue up from there. In either case, your class should be the most specific class you can choose at the show.

Looking closely it is easy to spot the system used - you would begin at the most specific (and therefore most appropriate) class, and gradually move toward the most general class, in descending order. Each entrant should strive to enter in the most specific class, as that would be the most appropriate.

So, if you have such a vehicle, your list in descending order of specifics will look like this:

1980 Chevrolet Custom/Modified 4x4 Truck

1) Custom/Modified Chevy Truck, 4x4, 1980's (not likely to find such specific class)
2) Custom/Modified Truck, 4x4, 1980's (not likely to find such specific class)
3) Custom/Modified Truck, 4x4
4) 4x4 Chevy Truck 1980's (not likely to find such specific class)
5) 4x4 Chevy Truck (not likely to find such specific class)
6) 4x4 truck, 1980's (not likely to find such specific class)
7) 4x4 Truck
8) Chevy Truck 1980's (not likely to find such specific class)
9) Chevy Truck
10) Truck

Armed with this list, study it and learn it. Bring it with you, and use it to compare against the classes at a show. In this example, numbers 3, 7, 9 & 10 are the most likely classes you will find at a show. Then, beginning with the most specific class at the top, go down the list until you find the first class that fits a class at the show. And that should be the most appropriate class for your particular vehicle.

In the above example, if a show has a Custom 4x4 Truck class and a 4x4 Truck class, the vehicle belongs in the Custom 4x4 Truck class - the most specific class that fits.

In certain instances, your vehicle may very well fit into two classes, equally. In such cases, make two lists, and you may choose to use either. For example, a custom truck that is also a legal street rod could enter in either class, provided the owner opts for the most specific class available.

NOTE: In some cases, the most appropriate class may not permit much in the way of specifics. Two such classes are WORK IN PROGRESS and SPECIAL INTEREST. Because these two classes can harbor vehicles of almost any make/model/year, you would simply compare your vehicle to the actual definition of the class, and then compare it to any other class in which you could fit.

Example: I have a 2002 Chrysler PT Cruiser Surf Woody. It is not customized, as there are no structural or performance changes, so CUSTOMS is out. No Maine show we know of has a PT Cruiser class, so that is out. Mopar is generally associated with muscle, so that is out. Though titled by Chrysler as a truck, that is also out, as many people would not understand, and we do not want to spend the entire show pulling out the title to explain. But our woody does have a specific theme, so it can enter in Special Interest. However, it is also a 2002 that is not custom, so it can also go in 2000's, or 1990's-present. That leaves a choice to make.

In most instances, 2000's, and 1990's-Present is not very specific - in fact, a vehicle's year is usually the least specific criterion for classing. So, in most cases, Special Interest is most appropriate for us because it is the most specific. It does not seem fair to put a dressed up woody in competition with stock vehicles of the 2000's. It just seems out of place. However, if the show organizers prefer us in the 2000's, that is fine. It fits. And we tend to win more often in that class. Which is why we often avoid it. Not that we don't like winning, but because it just seems unfair to put a dresser up against a stock vehicle. We do not like to have an unfair advantage over others. When we enter 2000's, it is usually at the discretion of the show organizers.

I hope this helps. The real secret to classing is 1) knowing your vehicle, 2) know the class definitions that apply to your vehicle, and 3) work in descending order from most specific to least specific.

This system will also help you to determine whether or not someone else is out of class. If so, do everyone, including yourself, a favor and do not vote for anyone that is obviously out of class. If it is a Mustang in the Firebird class, don't vote for it, no matter how nice it might be. You are not voting for the nicest car registered in the class - you are voting for the nicest car that actually belongs in that class. By choosing to ignore those who are out of class, they cannot win, and eventually will learn their best and only chance is in their own class. This, all by itself, will put an end to class jumping without saying a word.

It would be a huge help if organizers would learn the actual classes and definitions, then choose them wisely, to avoid over-lapping. And where classes overlap, they should include qualifiers, such as "EXCEPT TRUCKS", or "EXCEPT VW" By doing this, over-lapping, and the confusion it creates, can be eliminated. So, the next time you talk to an organizer, please feel free to tactfully pass it on. Better still, have them email ptwoodycrew@aol.com and request a free copy of "The Complete Car Show Book".

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