Mr. President ..We accept your challenge!

[jeds55]

In your recent "Message" you challenged all club members to "to drive our Studebakers". This however is not always easy, and sometimes very frustrating. Between wind and rain and dark of night getting a 50 + year old vehicle through modern traffic at our age is not as easy as it use to be. But the biggest problem is the more I drive my Studebaker the less it's worth. This frustration factor doubles whenever I drive into a judged show. It always seems that the big winners are the cars that roll off the trailers.
So, Mr. President please accept a challenge to drive an open discussion on judging. I'm sure that most of the "drivers" in the club would be in favor of dividing our current classes between "Driver" and "-------" (Trailer Queen).
Thanks for your support....

Just a thought.....

[bosshoss61]

Maybe 3 separate classes
1. daily or at least weekly drivers................
2. trailered in vehicles................................
3. Cars that were re-built by the owner only..

[showbizkid]

You make a good point. We are a "Drivers Club", after all.

[jclary]

It wouldn't hurt my feelings if "show judging" went away all together. The stress-free fellowship of gathering to display and enjoy our cars is rewarding enough. Also, the expense of buying cheap plastic trinket trophies could be put to better use in promoting club goodwill and activities.

[Sam Ensley]

I agree with John. Much to his mother's dismay, I recently gave all of my trophies to my six-year-old grandson. For those who want them, a plaque is much easier to store, hang on the wall of your shop or man cave. At the recent tri-state /zone meet in North Carolina, there were three choices: 1. Formal judging for condition and authenticity, 2. Peoples choice, and 3. Display only.

[63 R2 Hawk]

I try to drive my Hawk at least once a week, year round. I don't bother taking it to shows other than the local shows our club sponsors, since I'm usually working the show anyway. Show cars are like show girls, only good to look at. Besides, even a trailer queen will deteriorate just by sitting in the garage. What's the sense in having a really fun, cool car if you're afraid of driving it? Yeah, mine's got some inevitable rock chips, door dings, scratches etc but I'm not paranoid about driving it and people still stop me and want to talk when I drive to the grocery store. Drive 'em if you got 'em!!!

[2R5]

here , here !

[Mike Van Veghten]

Not difficult at all...
When I'm not on my motorcycle...I'm in a Studebaker...! My 59 Lark, 2dr. wagon GETS DRIVEN, not quite daily but, as noted...it IS my main car.
And if I'm not in that car, my 54 Conestoga (also a...Studebaker) gets driven. In fact, I'm working on another Conestoga to use as...my daily driver. When it's complete, the 59 Lark will be for sale.

So...I ask, what really is so difficult about driving a Studebaker, in the rain, on hot days, on cold days, etc., etc. ?
Didn't the designers at Studebaker design these cars to be....driven...daily ?

Mike

[Dick Steinkamp]

So...I ask, what really is so difficult about driving a Studebaker, in the rain, on hot days, on cold days, etc., etc. ?

Mike,
You live in Southern California. It's a little different in Alberta or Minnesota

[jclary]

...Didn't the designers at Studebaker design these cars to be....driven...daily ?
Mike

Yes!!! And (back in the day) ideally traded in for a new one before reaching 50,000 miles!

[pinehurstbob]

I agree they were built to be driven and should be. As stated we are a DRIVERS club. I enjoy looking at a trailer queen, but I will never own one. Might I suggest that a change to the judging points be made so that driven cars can compete with trailer queens. I am not suggesting that they be judged differently but that the point score be dropped to say 365 for a first place driven car. That way a stone chip or two, a little oil in the engine compartment, dirt on the underside, Addition of a switch to run a cooling fan, etc can be taken into account, which it should be, and an otherwise first place car can still receive the award that is due, even though the restoration is older and suffering from road rash that is inevitable if you drive your car. The trailer queens already would be competing for best in class which we "drivers" have forfeited for the joy of using our cars. I saw a bumper sticker years ago on a well worn 32 Ford roadster that read "real street rods have stone chips" and this says it all for me.

Bob Easton
60 Lark Convert & 64 Daytona 4 door.

[Dick Steinkamp]

Maybe 3 separate classes
1. daily or at least weekly drivers................
2. trailered in vehicles................................
3. Cars that were re-built by the owner only..

Would #3 include paint, sewing the upholstery, doing the machine work on the engine?

For #2 could you trailer your car to within 5 miles of the show and then drive it the rest of the way and participate in a non trailered category?

Could you get a pass on #1 if there was 4' of snow on the ground one week?

Just kidding on the above (sort of), but seems to me the desire for more classes, and especially for a specific one that fits MY car, is to guarantee winning a car show trophy.

IMHO, there are many ways to enjoy the hobby. ONE of which is to show your car at a major JUDGED show. Here, the best of the best compete for the top honors. If your choice is to drive your Studebaker daily, there is really no way you can compete to win at a major JUDGED show. You can win at a local show where the winners are "picked" by the host. You can win at a "peoples choice" show...but you can't expect to win against the best of the best if you've chosen to enjoy your Studebaker in a very different way than those that have chosen the judged show route for theirs.

I'd hate to see the number of judged classes triple just to increase the odds of winning a trophy. I'd like to see the IM judging remain a contest between the best of the best...just as the PSMCD races are for racing Studes.

If you want your Stude on the field during IM judging, enter the "display only" class. You'll still get to sit behind your car in a lawn chair and talk to everyone who shows an interest, AND you get to avoid all the hurt and anger that comes with not getting a first place because of something that was important to a judge and not to you.

[JDP]

Nearly impossible to do. Sid, my since sold 64 GT won best of class with a 399 point score (should have been maybe low 390's BTW) and I drove 100 miles to get there. Sid was driven maybe 500 miles in the year after the restoration and never saw a trailer, but she beat out a few trailered cars. I could never afford to build another car like her, the PO was 50K in, and spent another 10K, but she was technically a driver.

[Timj]

Lot of good points here. I have recently been converted from the street rod clubs to the Studebaker world. I sold my 1942 brand X to pay for my babies hospital bill. It wasn't a bad trade. I must admit the thing I liked the most and miss now is going to a show, just to show my car. Street rod shows have door prizes and raffles. My car is a daily driver, well known in my town and seen everywhere. I enjoy looking at others handy work and asking TOO many questions. How did you do that? How can I fix this? Where did you get that? I can appreciate those competing for awards, it takes a lot to get these cars to that level of restoration. Trophies, I can do without, I'm just glad to be there with my car. Of course this is just a younger guys point of view.
Tim

[Champ51]