Stepnose at the Healey Factory

[Ads]

No personal interest...but found this on the healey factory site:

http://www.healeyfactory.com.au/productsb/_products_sub_group_details.asp?id=1179

[ItalCarGuy]

What a beautiful car! I do like how they have fitted a 2L engine but kept the crossover filter setup.

[alfagtv58]

I know that car, it's got some my old bits on it, not many though.

A very very high quality build by Rankins & Monza motors.

[pancho]

Looks like a new car, heck; it is!

I'd like once my build is done to have the bodywork and interior looking that clean.

50k is a reasonable price too when you factor in the capital poured into that car.

[colcol]

The Alfa Romeo club had a technical night there about 3 years ago, they do great high quality work and smash repairs, and restos, they have new premises in Maroondah highway Mitcham, does anybody think its time we paid them another visit?, Colin.

[pancho]

Looking closer though on this nice example - a few things I have questions on for a concorse winning $50k car. AND mind you this is being picky as the $ amount being asked is substantial.

- c pillar badge - I didn't think these came on the GT only the GTV
- Front heart is 7 bar GTV and not 6 bar GT
- Did the GT come with the Bertone fender side badge ?
- oil/water and fuel guages have faded lenses
- obviously the steering wheel is not original
- Fuse box cover seems to be missing

not massive problems but if it's winning concorse trophies then I'd think the judges would be more picky ?

[John Hanslow]

Pancho, this has been the subject of some behind the scenes discussion.

If this was the concorso winning car a few years ago, it was then only one entered on the day.  

Now our Concorso is not Mototclassica and it is disapointing we do not get new many entrants.  Our aim of recent years is to 'get out there' and attract intersted parties, new members etc and their cars and get them into club events like this.

At the end of the day it was the best car on the field and the Concorso Award was won on that basis.

[Gary Pearce]

If Spettacolo 2008 is the Concorso that you are referring to, then the car above was a worthy winner on the day. Just like all the great Concours around the world at any time and place, judging can come down to subjectivity and the competition at that moment in time.

[pancho]

As an absolute ignorant with regards to concorse events - what is the standard that a car needs to meet for it to win a concorso event in Australia? Is there a standard ? Does the car have to have all its factory features in place in order to acheive a win or even be qualified as an entrant? Hypothetically if this car had other changes that were incorrect would it win based on a lack of competition?

Not in any way trying to detract from the car or put a negative light on it - just wanting to educate myself with regards to concorso judging.

[Mark Baigent]

OK I'll have to wager in here...

Pancho you'll stir a hornets nest of diverse opinions and interpretations in trying to define what standard a car needs to be to win a concours.  
Gary Pearce summed it up well - almost all concourse come down to subjectivity and the competition at that moment in time.

If you went to Pebble Beach you'd see a standard beyond all comprehension where cars in the most part have been taken well beyond their manufacturing standard. The serious concours competitors don't drive their cars. They either buy or prepare them for the sole purpose of presenting automotive perfection. The only driving they may do would be in the tour that usually accompanies serious concours d' elegance because if it comes down to the wire against another car, the car that has also done the tour will take the prize over the one that hasn't.

Melbourne's Motorclassica has taken on a similar format and so be it - no one can take away the pleasure that seeing a Duesenberg or a pre-war Bentley, or a Ferrari GTO, or an Aston Martin DBSZ in genuinely pristine condition can bring the enthusiast. Such cars are usually owned by superannuation funds or investment cartels and as such are never compromised by regular driving.

Spettacolo (if I may be so bold as to make some assumptions on behalf of my Victorian Alfisti) reflects an ambition to achieve inclusion, not exclusion, and encouragement not discouragement and the preservation of our beloved Alfas to a standard that is true to the marque. Ultimately everyone delights in a beautifully presented car and certainly Spettacolo celebrates that, but not to the exclusion of the majority, which is probably why the show and shine component continues to be well supported.

World class concourse have become the realm of the rich only, seeking perfection without compromise, absolute originality, and cars of extraordinary rarity or provenance. Mind you there is always room for "juno se' qua" which is the element that often tips a trophy one way and not the other.

In Australia my experience having done a ground up restoration on my 1972 GTV 2000 some 16 years ago and in the 18 mths following winning 3 Concours, 5 Best in Show and a 2nd place in the Australian Concours d' Elegance (which used to be held on the Gold Coast) is that high end concours are judged seriously, and absolute originality and pristine presentation is crucial. Sometimes though, the elements of effort and constraint are not considered.

Eg: In the 1995 Australian Concours d' Elegance I placed 2nd in the European division to a mind blowing 1958 Mark 2 Jaguar which had been 90% restored using parts and panels that could be obtained new 'off the shelf'. 16 years ago this was almost impossible for a 105 - numerous components had to be fully restored/reconditioned by hand - you couldn't throw anything away and simply replace it. Even today some things are impossible to find (eg: the red rear window defrost button, the plastic covers on the wiring speed clips). I missed first place because of this issue. So where do the judges start and stop ? Which car is the best in show ? The one that ticks all the boxes, or tugs at your heart strings ?

Welcome to the world of the concours d' elegance !  (literally French for a competition of elegance) - somewhat an irony of terms ....  

Ultimately I'd always prefer to own a car that I can drive - that's what they were made for .... and if it also happens to be a beautifully presented car then I would likely drive it with considerable respect, but drive it I will. Others choose not to and enjoy their special vehicle as one would a work of art ... and that's fine too.   


 

[massiveluvbuddy67]

Agree with everything Mark has said. Spettacolo is about "...inclusion and...encouragement".
Thank you Mark.
Excellent.
Best Regards
Phil

[pancho]

Thanks for writing tha up Mark. I guess as has been said there is a huge can of worms that could be opened up here. Probably best left closed. Nice car though!

[Davidm1600]

Ah but there endith the problem, for in the large part such concours cars are trailer queens, never to see the road, for their owners to feel the car as it was designed to be, that is used, and in the end such cars for the most part are simply relatively static sculptures in metal, glass, plastic or leather and wood.  To me, while I can see merit in this on one hand, like I might look at an important painting, on the other it defeats the very purpose of the existence of the car.  They might as well be locked up in museums to be viewed, but not touched.  

Let me give you an example of how this applies. There was a man in Hobart who had an extensive Huon Pine antique furniture collection. It was significant by world standards, the Hobart Museum bought it and that is how it is now, on display but the chairs will never be sat upon, no meal ever eaten off the tables etc etc.

Therefore, in my subjective view on this, cars by all means should be restored to the highest standards achievable, but never be compromised by not being able to be used.  The alternative, and in some circles this is valued more highly than full on cheque book restorations is to leave the car as original as possible, patina and all since this represents the life journey of the car.  The analogy to this is the difference in values between a rare antique and original piece of furniture vrs an over restored one.  I know from my experience with antiques which is the more sought after by collectors.  

The other thing I would venture, and taking up Pancho's comments, is that in fact he is quite correct, as gorgeous as the car in question is, and I would be more than happy to have it but would damned well drive it, is that as noted there are a number of things which are not original to the spec of the car, and IMHO, this detracts from its overall merit and to a purist possibly its price/value.  

There are examples elsewhere in the world, as has been shown on the BB, where the details are 100% spot on, this car is damned close but not quite so.  Should it have won at the events it may have been entered, sure if there wasn't a better car on the day, but equally not so, if there was an even more accurate example available.  That actually is how the concours system in my basic understanding of such matters is meant to work.  It actually is not meant to be based purely on subjective assessments but in fact rather objective and well document facts regarding all aspects of originality. Concours judges are required to be as complete in their knowledge of the cars being entered for assessment.

Pebble Beach is not the basis for judgement of such matters, but rather one should look to see how such events are run in the UK. Pebble Beach is a bastardisation of what a concours is meant to be.  So typically pastiche and American.