[Kgear]

I am thinking onf entering my car for the first time at the Duetsche Marque concours at Avenal in Potomac.

Being new to a judged event I'm unsure about which class to enter. My car is very clean on the interior and exterior with a few non-original parts (Nardi wheel and cocoa mats)

The engine is fairly clean but not detailed so I'm worroied about embarrassing myself by entering the "judged" event rather than the display category. Any advice from prior attendees in appreciated?

[Rick Lee]

I've been to this show a few times and it's safe to say most first timers will be humbled. Some guys detail their cars, have them flat-bedded to the site and then start detailing them again, touching the door handles with nothing but a cheese cloth, cotton-swabbing every hole in the cross-drilled rotors and even displaying their non-yellowing original 1965 911 owner's manual. It's pretty sick. Don't let it scare you off though. I've seen guys show up there a few weeks after getting their first Porsche and come away with an award. Some of the most gorgeous cars you'll ever see. I have a buddy in Potomac with a fleet of concourse Porsches and he's never even thought of entering them. I'm gonna try to talk him into bring one or two to this show.

[Justin Fischer]

I wear my stone chips with pride, so I always enter the wash-n-shine where they are over looked. The nice thing about the concourse is that you have a chance no matter what model Porsche you drive.

Richards not kidding, some of these guys are hardcore, but don't let that deter you if you think your 911 has got what it takes. Everything is a learning experience...........

[VaSteve]

Originally Posted by Rick Lee

I've been to this show a few times and it's safe to say most first timers will be humbled. Some guys detail their cars, have them flat-bedded to the site and then start detailing them again, touching the door handles with nothing but a cheese cloth, cotton-swabbing every hole in the cross-drilled rotors and even displaying their non-yellowing original 1965 911 owner's manual. It's pretty sick. Don't let it scare you off though. I've seen guys show up there a few weeks after getting their first Porsche and come away with an award. Some of the most gorgeous cars you'll ever see. I have a buddy in Potomac with a fleet of concourse Porsches and he's never even thought of entering them. I'm gonna try to talk him into bring one or two to this show.

The winner of the concours class 1996+ on Staurday bought the car that day. There should be a minimum mileage required to enter. :P

[Dan M]

I've entered a couple cars in this event (1970 911 and 1997 911), both in the wash and shine and concours. No two years are alike with respect to the judging. Some years they need to recruit volunteers to judge and they are given a 10 sec crash course on what to look for (um, maybe I was recruited once....).

Bottom line, the newer the car, the more they hunt for dirt. This means reaching into places you will never see (on the car that is!).
With older cars, they will look for dirt as well as some originality. My 1970 911 is very clean but it's tough for me to compete because a lot of my parts are original and not as clean as those people who replace all their parts. I find this frustrating but after all, we aren't at Pebble beach. I have an all original spare wheel, complete with some worn paint spots. I got dinged for this and would not have had I re-painted the wheel. I personally would rather see the orignal paint with some worn spots than a freshly painted wheel.

The best thing is to go for the experience, spend time talking with others, and look at all the other cars there. The concours will help you find things on your car that you never knew was original or non-original. Go for the concours, and you will know the next time if you wish to try again.... : )


-Dan