Concours RESULTS

The results of the Sturbridge Concours d'Elegance are now posted on the convention web site, here.  Just scroll down the page slightly to get to the links for the results for not only the concours but for the other events, too!

The photo above shows just a portion of the concours field, which was the lawn alongside Cedar Pond on the north and west sides of the Sturbridge Host Hotel.  The photo below was taken from one of the guest rooms on the second floor of the hotel.

As you can see the weather was overcast but the sun popped out from time to time and only a light drizzle fell for just a few minutes near the end of the judging.

Cruisin' Bruce!

In the photo is our convention's Saturday car show event emcee, Bruce Palmer.

Bruce Palmer isn't your typical DJ.  He's a dyed-in-the-wool car guy and an asset to any car show in southeastern New England. Besides being the morning DJ voice of 100.1 FM, "The Pike", Worcester's #1 morning show, he hosts a different cruise night five nights a week, including the largest cruise night in the northeast (some nights over 2500 cars) held every other Thursday at Patriot Place, next to Gillette Stadium.

Not just that, he's booked up to host and DJ at various car shows and events every weekend through the whole car show season. He takes photos at all his shows and posts them on his website, cruisinbruce.com, each night after each gig. Then he's up before dawn each morning heading from his home in Coventry, Rhode Island, to Worcester for his morning radio show.

Convention deputy chairman Ray Bombardier says, "I honestly don't know when this guy sleeps but he's always on top of his game!"

He’s got a garage full of collector cars, including this uncommon 1959 Plymouth wagon.

Bruce Palmer has been a great friend to all the car clubs in the region through the years, including the Bay State Corvair Club. He's always quick to play Paul Revere & the Raiders' tune, "Corvair Baby" at any show where Corvairs are gathered.

Around New England, if you see that Cruisin' Bruce is hosting an event you know it's going to be first rate. In Sturbridge you'll agree after the first few minutes you hear him.

Support our Supporters!

If you have been to a CORSA convention previously you know that you receive a "goodie bag" at check-in, a package of information and souvenirs.

At Sturbridge, the goodie bags themselves have been donated by Hagerty Insurance, specialists in coverage for classic and collector cars.

Hagerty, however, does more than simply write policies, collect premiums, and settle claims. Hagerty also supports the hobby with programs such as Operation Ignite, the Collectors Foundation, and the Historic Vehicle Association.

Check out all that Hagerty has to offer here.

Tallying the Concours Scores

A message from 2012 convention Concours Coordinator Ken Schifftner:

Interested in working in the Concours scoring room?

You need to able to use a PC and enter numbers within EXCEL. Pay and benefits are identical (i.e., none). But you’ll be in an air-conditioned workplace, with carpeted floors, lake view, restroom, and plenty of cold water to drink.

This is, of course, during the Concours itself, on Friday, July 27. We already have some veterans from prior conventions and need only a few more volunteers to complete the team.

Contact Ken Schifftner here.

Clean Machines

At a CORSA Convention, pretty much everyone wants to wash their car. The Concours participants are practically obsessive about this, but those entering the People’s Choice Car Display want a clean car, too. And this year, since the Concours cars will remain on the field during the Car Display and we are encouraging every Corvair owner to put their car in the Car Display, we expect that everyone will want to wash their car.

At the Sturbridge Host Hotel we will have four garden hose connections for vehicle hand washing, located outside the Exhibit Hall and adjacent to the Concours classification area. But even with four available hoses, demand could be high and some persons prefer a commercial car wash.

Unfortunately, according to Concours coordinator Ken Schifftner there appear to be no coin-operated car washes within a reasonable distance of the hotel. There is one about four miles east of the hotel, but it appears to not be operational at this time. The next nearest one is about 20 miles away.

However, Ken found a drive-through car wash right on Main Street in Sturbridge, about three or four miles west of the hotel. It is part of a gas/tire center with multiple service bays. Ken has spoken with the owner to alert him to the convention.

At the moment it appears that your best option for washing your car will be to bring your own bucket and sponge and be patient and cooperative with your fellow Corvair owners at the wash station at the hotel.

What's the Diff?

At CORSA Conventions there are two car shows, the "Concours" (Concours d’Elegance) and the "Car Display" (the Peoples’ Choice Car Display). What’s the difference?

Nothing. And Everything.

The "nothing" is that all convention participants are free to enter either one. If you are a registered convention attendee with your Corvair you can enter the car in your choice of the Concours or the Car Display.

The "everything" is that the two events are not at all alike.

The Concours is a formal judged event. Exacting and precise criteria are used to classify and judge the cars, and the resulting scores are an accurate measure of each vehicle’s condition and a yardstick against which each vehicle can be compared to others.

The Car Display is an informal show in which awards in several categories are selected by popular choice. A winning car may not necessarily be the "best" but it will be the one that people like the most.

While CORSA has held a Concours at every convention since the first one in 1971 (in fact, the Concours is a convention requirement per the CORSA by-laws), the Car Display was added in 1984 to provide an alternative. Some Corvair owners felt that their cars might not be of sufficient quality to be entered in the Concours, while others simply did not wish to go through the preparation and processes necessary for the Concours.

The Car Display was created also to ensure that every Corvair at a convention, from work-in-progress to show-winner, was put on display. This goal remains paramount for Sturbridge this summer and is why the Car Display is scheduled for Saturday, when the greatest number of participants and spectators are likely to attend.

A further distinction is that the Concours is limited to pre-registered participants, only. It is not possible simply to show up the day of the event and enter. CORSA policy dictates that while the formal judging takes place on Friday, all Concours cars must go through a rigorous classification process that begins Thursday afternoon, and there is a Concours participants’ meeting on the schedule as well. So all Concours entrants must be signed up and on-site in advance.

This is not to say that the Concours committee will not accommodate individual hardships or other special cases, but suffice to say that entering the Concours takes a level of commitment that is distinct from what is required for the Car Display.

The Car Display is open not only to those who register in advance, but also to those who sign up on-site. Come Saturday morning, unregistered arrivals will be welcomed – at least, to the point where we run out of room to park the cars! Given the high concentration of Corvair owners in the Northeast, we are expecting – and striving for – the largest gathering of Corvairs in one place since they left the factory. Plan on being a part of it!

As an added bonus, at the Sturbridge Host Hotel it will not be necessary to move the Concours cars from their Friday location on the lawn once the judging is complete, so the Concours cars can be viewed alongside the Car Display entries all day on Saturday.

So whether your own a Corvair that you wish to be judged to CORSA’s high standards, or a Corvair that you simply want to put on display for everyone to enjoy, this convention offers you that choice.