Still Not Gettin' It

Received the following letter from a friend, but it appears he, like some others, does not quite fathom that SPECIAL INTEREST is actually a real class, with an actual definition. Some think I am "beating a dead horse" (see comment, below) because the folks that don't get it never will. That may be true, but nothing is gained by giving up on them. After all, Washington has been beating the Universal Health Care Horse for 15 years! And, contrary to what some may think, HotKarz IS taking this issue on from more than one front. We talk with organizers, we talk with sponsors, we talk with participants. We attempt to get them thinking in more inclusive terms. We try to educate, where necessary. But, as with anything worthwhile, it is a slow process. But progress is being made. Just ask anyone who went to the Sanford Elks show this year, or Belgrade. Not perfect - but improving. So, just because you do not see us working in the background does not mean we are not doing so.

"I AM A FIRM BELIEVER THAT IF THERE IS A CLASS FOR YOUR CAR ,YOU SHOULD BE IN THAT CLASS.

BUT IF I GO TO A SHOW WITH NO CAMARO CLASS I LOOK FOR SOMETHING DIFFERENT .SO MY FRIENDS AND RELATIVES WHO HAVE TO COMPETE IN THE 60"S CLASS WITH NO OTHER CHOICES CAN COMPETE ,I LOOK FOR STREET MACHINES AND CUSTOMS .ETC.

AS FOR HAVING A THEME OR SOMETHING SPECIAL, EVERY CAR OWNER THINKS HIS OR HER CAR IS SPECIAL . I FEEL MY CAR HAS A THEME ,VERY STREETABLE ,SUSPENSION MODS MAKE MINE VERY COMFORTABLE TO RIDE IN AND GOOD MILEAGE . MY THEME IS ENJOYABLE ON THE HIGHWAY AND DRIVEABLE BECAUSE IT MAKES ME THINK IT IS UNIQUE AND ONE OF A KIND .ACCORDING TO THE OTHER CAMARO OWNERS ,THEY RIDE LIKE A BUCKBOARD.

LETS REMEMBER EVERYONES CAR IS SPECIALTO THEM. LETS SEE IF WE CAN CONTINUE ENJOYING OUR CARS AND GOING TO THE CAR SHOWS AND HAVING A GOOD TIME . NO ONE SHOULD GO HOME CAUSE THERE IS NOT A CLASS FOR THEM ."

Here was my response - I really hope it will finally turn on the light for some:

"Hi,

Looking for other classes you fit into when there is no Camaro class is perfectly legitimate, as long as you can legitimately fit into the class, such as 60's etc. That's fine. But would you put your Camaro into 4x4 Trucks? I doubt it.

But like many others, you seem to be under the misconception that SPECIAL INTEREST somehow means anything that a person feels is special. That is not the case. Like the class STREET RODS, which is not about STREET, and its not about RODS, Special Interest is not about SPECIAL, nor about INTEREST. The term, like Street Rods, must be taken in its entirety. And, like Street Rods, it has a very definite and legal definition that too many people ignore.

Special Interest has nothing to do with "special". All vehicles are special. In order to be Special Interest, however, the vehicle MUST be one of two things - either UNIQUELY distinguishable from others of its type or built to serve a specific purpose (like a military recon jeep, or the homemade electric car), or it must have a THEME. Many people do not seem to understand the concept of "theme". A theme is the basis of a SPECIFIC STORY with a topic. A theme is the story line of a book, movie, song, poem or story. If a person can look at the vehicle and say, "Oh, that car is all about Disney", or "all about CasaBlanca", or "all about the surfing woody craze of the 60's", or "all about UFO's" then it has a theme. At Telstar, one fellow had a panel truck that was all decked out with "Up In Smoke" details (the Cheech & Chong movie). That is a theme. Being a roadster, a dragster, a Mustang, a led sled or even a comfy Camaro is not a theme. It is a TYPE. Two completely different things.

The definition of Special Interest is not my definition. It is the actual definition, just as Street Rods has an actual definition. You cannot call a daisy a rose and be correct. You cannot call a truck a sub-compact sports car and be correct. And you cannot call anything Special Interest unless it, too, meets the DEFINITION.

And, yes, if there is not a class for a vehicle, it should not be allowed to enter the show, and here is why - FAIR PLAY and HONESTY. Do NOT make the common mistake that just because a show is being fair to YOU that it does not matter if they are being unfair to someone else. And there are MANY shows that limit participation by using classes. Newer cars like ours are not even allowed in the gates at shows that only allow classics or antiques. We cannot enter the Cumberland Fair car show. And you cannot show in the MUSTANGS ONLY show at Weirs Beach. A show "invites" vehicles by the classes they choose, just like any other contest. You would not be happy if the Camaro class were to suddenly allow my PT Cruiser, or Ron's LedSled, because you know it would not be fair to those who BELONG in the class - if those cars took even one vote, it could cause someone to lose who should not have lost, and no matter how much you do not CARE about that, you are not the only one affected and the fact remains it is UNFAIR.

Well, those of us who ARE Special Interest and CANNOT register in Camaros or Mustangs or Trucks feel the same way - we, too, deserve to be treated with the same fairness and respect. You want the definition of the Camaro class to be respected. Chris wants the definition of the Mustang class to be respected. Bob wants the definition of Trucks to be respected. Well, we want the definition of the SI class to be respected, also. If we do NOT respect the class definitions, ALL the class definitions, and ANYONE can go in Special Interest, then anyone can also go in Camaros, Mustangs or trucks. And you will end up with rotten, sorry shows like Telstar - don't take my word for it - read what everyone else is saying about Telstar. Is that what you want shows to devolve into?

I have said this 100 times at least, and it is also in the book "The Complete Car Show" - if show organizers want a class for all the vehicles that do not have a class, they should include either an ORPHAN class or an OPEN class where anyone can go. If they do not, then ASK them to include it next year. Those classes are specifically designed for that purpose. THAT is where they belong - not in Special Interest. What is so difficult about having an OPEN class for all the "misfits"? After all, if they don't belong anywhere else, we could just dump them all into the Camaro class, because it really doesn't matter where they go, right? Wrong.

As a final note, if a vehicle owner thinks his car is SPECIAL, and therefore can go in SPECIAL INTEREST, then by the same logic, any person who thinks his vehicle can be driven on the STREET can go into STREET RODS. But neither is true. Being street-worthy does not make a "street rod", and being special does not make "special interest".

Bill"

Oh, and Frank - and "The Complete Car Show" book is printed from the computer for good reasons - the book is free to organizers in two states, so the cost must be kept down - I pay for these out of my own pocket. And also because 99% of all orders are for the "instant" PDF version via email, so printing through a print house that requires a minimum printing of 5000 just does not make sense. However, if you wish to volunteer to pay the $22,000 print cost for the 5000, I would be happy to get them bound :o) What counts is the CONTENT, which, for the most part was contributed by professionals and participants from around the country. All I did was organize it and put it into a single volume. Until then, there was nothing available for organizers to use as a guide.


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