robert campbell
Well-known member
- Joined
- Apr 10, 2007
- Messages
- 4,322
Saw a post in another thread as to where 1968 GT/CS cars should be placed in a car show. The show season is almost here. Please take the below as one persons thoughts.
A friend of mine, Woody Jacobson, and I founded the Kitsap Mustang Club in the mid 1980’s. Club centers in Bremerton, Washington. During the evolution of the club, Woody and I saw some obvious patterns emerging in how voting went for trophy’s. We sponsored one show a year and it was always “participant choice”. We attended a few other shows where it was people’s choice and anyone viewing could vote. Saw obvious ballot stuffing going on. YUK! Makes me think of a Joseph Stalin quote. “It is not important who votes, it is important who counts the votes”. I digress…
In order to make voting more fair, we saw two areas that we felt needed attention. One was heavily modified or custom Mustangs competing in their class “year” and GT/CS cars competing in the 1968 coupe class. Plain cars of equal quality always lost to a car with scoops, spoilers, modified engine compartments, tires and wheels and so on. We decided to do something about that.
The biggest challenge was “modified” cars. Mustang’s Northwest came up with a points system when you registered your car. Add points for non-stock items. If you had too many points, you were modified. It was confusing to say the least. And many a car was registered incorrectly or the owner just ignored the modifications. I showed up with my 1967 Fastback in the 1980’s and they offered me the 1967 Fastback class. I declined and went modified.
Woody and I took the owner out of the equation and registered the cars the day of the show. Just an engine compartment dress up kit or aftermarket wheels did not land you in the modified class. You had to have a combination of modifications that gave you a decided edge over a basic stock car. If you had a couple mods, and wanted in the modified class, you were allowed. We opened the hood and trunk of every car, and took a hard look at the interior.
Then the GT/CS cars. We beat this “horse” silly. If you do something to GT/CS and HCS cars then what about other special additions? Do you do something with Mach I cars? We were an “all years” Mustang club, so what about Saleen’s? In our area we had a bunch of nice GT/CS cars.
Woody and I decided to move the GT/CS cars into the Boss/Shelby class. By the way, this car show would attract about 200 cars then. Usually about 15 Boss/Shelby cars of high quality. So the day of the show arrived and we started placing the cars. Went very easy with little questions. Made a decision on a 1970 Boss 302 with Webers and custom wheels. Gave him a choice of modified or Boss class. He went modified.
Then an owner from Canada drove in with beautiflly restored candy apple red, with black stripes, no vinyl top GT/CS. Very stock. We told him that he would be placed in the “new” Boss/Shelby/GT/CS class. This is one beautiful GT/CS!!
He was not very happy!! It was stated in the flyer, but he did not notice. He read Woody and I up one side and down the other. “I drove all the way from Canada”!!! “Had I known, I would not have come”!! Not very pleasant, but we held our ground. Off he went “steaming” from both ears and parked with the Shelby’s and Boss cars.
Long story short, he won participants choice for 1st place in the class. Defeated 5 Shelby’s and 7 Boss cars. He would have taken 2nd, but a freshly restored,“enclosed-trailered”, with snap on tire covers to ensure that even the tread does not touch the ground, 1969 Boss 429 was best of show. So the GT/CS car got 1st place in the Boss/ShelbyGT/CS class. We did not allow multiple trophies.
After the show the GT/CS owner, who I personally know has numerous trophies, came up and apologized and told us this trophy meant more to him than any other he has received. Off he went with a smile that you would not believe. Hmmmm.
Anyway, we continued that practice for many years after. I am now distant from the club. My son was born in 1990 and he is way more fun that standing in a parking lot.
I have watched with great humor over the years, the fierce competition for 10-dollar trophies. I attend very few shows and just go to cruise nights and drive my cars. They are nice, but the GT/CS is not a show worthy car. I kinda like that. The 1967 Fastback is so highly modified that it did well with the modified cars back in the day.
GT/CS cars in similar condition compete well with the Shelby’s and the Boss cars!! They overwhelm the 1968 coupe class. Tell the car club they should let you compete with the Shelby/Boss cars. I bet that would tickle a few of you to take a trophy in that class!! I know of an original owner Cobra Jet car on this site that would put up some serious smack in that class!! Or an S or J code with the proper cam and exhaust sound. Nothing like showing up just a bit late so all the participants get to “hear” your car!! Another way to swing a few votes your way! By the way the red GT/CS was not very loud, just pristine!!
My thoughts over the decades of owning these cars. Your thoughts?
Rob
A friend of mine, Woody Jacobson, and I founded the Kitsap Mustang Club in the mid 1980’s. Club centers in Bremerton, Washington. During the evolution of the club, Woody and I saw some obvious patterns emerging in how voting went for trophy’s. We sponsored one show a year and it was always “participant choice”. We attended a few other shows where it was people’s choice and anyone viewing could vote. Saw obvious ballot stuffing going on. YUK! Makes me think of a Joseph Stalin quote. “It is not important who votes, it is important who counts the votes”. I digress…
In order to make voting more fair, we saw two areas that we felt needed attention. One was heavily modified or custom Mustangs competing in their class “year” and GT/CS cars competing in the 1968 coupe class. Plain cars of equal quality always lost to a car with scoops, spoilers, modified engine compartments, tires and wheels and so on. We decided to do something about that.
The biggest challenge was “modified” cars. Mustang’s Northwest came up with a points system when you registered your car. Add points for non-stock items. If you had too many points, you were modified. It was confusing to say the least. And many a car was registered incorrectly or the owner just ignored the modifications. I showed up with my 1967 Fastback in the 1980’s and they offered me the 1967 Fastback class. I declined and went modified.
Woody and I took the owner out of the equation and registered the cars the day of the show. Just an engine compartment dress up kit or aftermarket wheels did not land you in the modified class. You had to have a combination of modifications that gave you a decided edge over a basic stock car. If you had a couple mods, and wanted in the modified class, you were allowed. We opened the hood and trunk of every car, and took a hard look at the interior.
Then the GT/CS cars. We beat this “horse” silly. If you do something to GT/CS and HCS cars then what about other special additions? Do you do something with Mach I cars? We were an “all years” Mustang club, so what about Saleen’s? In our area we had a bunch of nice GT/CS cars.
Woody and I decided to move the GT/CS cars into the Boss/Shelby class. By the way, this car show would attract about 200 cars then. Usually about 15 Boss/Shelby cars of high quality. So the day of the show arrived and we started placing the cars. Went very easy with little questions. Made a decision on a 1970 Boss 302 with Webers and custom wheels. Gave him a choice of modified or Boss class. He went modified.
Then an owner from Canada drove in with beautiflly restored candy apple red, with black stripes, no vinyl top GT/CS. Very stock. We told him that he would be placed in the “new” Boss/Shelby/GT/CS class. This is one beautiful GT/CS!!
He was not very happy!! It was stated in the flyer, but he did not notice. He read Woody and I up one side and down the other. “I drove all the way from Canada”!!! “Had I known, I would not have come”!! Not very pleasant, but we held our ground. Off he went “steaming” from both ears and parked with the Shelby’s and Boss cars.
Long story short, he won participants choice for 1st place in the class. Defeated 5 Shelby’s and 7 Boss cars. He would have taken 2nd, but a freshly restored,“enclosed-trailered”, with snap on tire covers to ensure that even the tread does not touch the ground, 1969 Boss 429 was best of show. So the GT/CS car got 1st place in the Boss/ShelbyGT/CS class. We did not allow multiple trophies.
After the show the GT/CS owner, who I personally know has numerous trophies, came up and apologized and told us this trophy meant more to him than any other he has received. Off he went with a smile that you would not believe. Hmmmm.
Anyway, we continued that practice for many years after. I am now distant from the club. My son was born in 1990 and he is way more fun that standing in a parking lot.
I have watched with great humor over the years, the fierce competition for 10-dollar trophies. I attend very few shows and just go to cruise nights and drive my cars. They are nice, but the GT/CS is not a show worthy car. I kinda like that. The 1967 Fastback is so highly modified that it did well with the modified cars back in the day.
GT/CS cars in similar condition compete well with the Shelby’s and the Boss cars!! They overwhelm the 1968 coupe class. Tell the car club they should let you compete with the Shelby/Boss cars. I bet that would tickle a few of you to take a trophy in that class!! I know of an original owner Cobra Jet car on this site that would put up some serious smack in that class!! Or an S or J code with the proper cam and exhaust sound. Nothing like showing up just a bit late so all the participants get to “hear” your car!! Another way to swing a few votes your way! By the way the red GT/CS was not very loud, just pristine!!
My thoughts over the decades of owning these cars. Your thoughts?
Rob
