| concours. Thankfully, the
Gulf Coast Cadillac Dealers realize that it is beneficial
to support us - an organization promoting all that's good
with Cadillacs past. Mercedes can talk about its
"gene pool", but one need look no further than
our club to realize Cadillac, too, has a "gene
pool" that's just as good if not better. This money is good for one year at the end of which the dealers will discuss whether doing it again is a good idea. While the group voted overwhelmingly to do this, there was a skeptic or two. To let those who support us feel like it's the best money they ever spent, I want ORIGINAL and CREATIVE ideas as to how to heighten our profile (be it through parades, shows, etc.) and make area Cadillac dealers feel we are a value-added. Remember, we are a Cadillac club - I don't want to hear about old ideas practiced by the Yugo Club or the Stearns-Knight folks. INNOVATIVE is the operative word. And I you want to express gratitude to those who made a gesture in support of our success, thinking of them the next time you need a new or used car is a good place to start. Photographs
and Concours Concours d'Elegance is pronounced "Con-coor Day-lay-gawnse" and is French for "Parade of Elegance." It has its roots in the fine carriages that paraded down the Parisian promenades of Napoleon III. The Concours started in this country at Pebble Beach in California shortly after World War II when people realized a show should be organized celebrating the existence of great cars no |
longer produced - custom-bodied Cadillac V-16s. Packard V-12s, Duesenbergs, etc. Forget about just showing up at the gates of Pebble Beach with your Kool Kustum. Invitations are embossed, engraved and come enveloped in watermarked heavy bond. Concours may be a pretentious term, but what else can we use? Perhaps steal that great line from Cheech Marin, "Looookkiinnn Gooooddd"? What constitutes a "classic car" is tightly defined by groups such as the Veteran Car Club of England and the Classic Car Club of America. The latest Cadillac permitted entry into the CCA is the '48 Series 75, and '47 being the last year when all models are acceptable. Why just one model from '48? Probably because the design is a link to the Pre-World War II Classic Era and the men who worked on it may have been the same ones (if they survived the war) who worked on the classics of the '30s. More and more Concours are permitting newer cars. Automobiles at Concours are judged for originality; "improvements" or enhancement are frowned upon. Our own parent club (CLC, Inc.) assesses a 20-point penalty for a Cadillac or LaSalle powered by something other than a Cadillac engine. Scrutinizing judging is done by a panel of judges and committees using a point system. Whether points are added to total 100 or are subtracted from 100, the desired result is to get as close to 100 points as possible. Saying your car got 100 points at Pebble Beach is pretty heavy stuff. I was fortunate enough to attend the first Concours at Meadowbrook Hall in Rochester, Michigan. Pretentious but oh, what fun. Speaking blithely of "Pebble" and V-16s all while sipping a little "Dom". |