Possible "Survival Class" @ the 2012 BPG Nats
This is basically to answer Tony Rose's question
It came to my attention a few weeks ago that you were asking if the BPG would have a Survival Class at the 2012 BPG Nationals.
There are several different types of these classes out there and they are very different, so the rules would depend on what you are looking to do with the car.
I have started doing some research and this is what I found so far;
1. AACA
The AACA has a survival class where they basically do not look at condition, but verify that the components of the car are correct for that year/model car. They do not check to verify the parts are "original", as in date coded correct, but do look at the date of the vehicle to verify the parts are correct for that particular time period. Also the finish on the parts is also verified as original, with at least 50% being correct.
This type of judging would be done by 4 judges and takes something like 15-20 minutes per car.
2. The Camaro Club of America
This class is by invitation only where participants have to pre-qualify their cars before they are allowed to attend. The idea is the cars must be of a certain caliber before they can be considered. There is also a fee of approximately $1000 to be paid if/when the car is accepted.
Pre-judging qualifications include detailed pictures, information about the car, providing decoded build sheets and/or microfilm, and verifying that the interior/exterior colors and interior types match what is on the build sheets. (They must be exactly what the car came with, not only year correct.)
This type of judging uses a 1000 point system where a group of judges spend something like 4-6 hours on each car. Not only is the car checked for part correctness for model/year/ & time period, like the AACA, but condition/cleanliness is also checked. Plus part numbers are checked and pieces of the car are removed to verify the numbers on some of the hidden parts.
Basically these guys are doing all the work to give the car a "Pedigree", so a future buyer will know the quality of the car he/she will be buying.
These cars are often very low mileage originals that are then taken apart and restored to factory perfect condition.
3. Platinum Classes i.e. possibly Top Flight & Bloomington Gold as well
I don't know everything about these classes but they are also invitation only, use a 1000 point system, charge a large fee for acceptance, do everything the Camaro guys do, plus verify all the part numbers as well as the date codes are correct. They also have to be driven to verify the vehicles are mechanically functional.
Again these cars are often very low mileage originals that are then taken apart and restored to factory perfect condition. These are the cream of the cream.
You can see from all this that setting up these types of classes can be very involved, especially when you take into consideration the time needed to get the info together to pre-qualify the cars for the last two types of classes, and to get together the information and judges need to go over each specific car. Type 2&3 judging demands a huge amount of homework before the cars hit the field which is why they must pre-qualify them first.
In the past we have placed "survivor" cars in with the 400 point Concours classes and they have done well. Until now there has been no need to create this class for the car show, but if needed it could certainly be done.
My gut feeling is if we are going to build a survival class it should follow the AACA rules. This would support the majority of the cars of this designation, and would allow the owners to go to other events throughout the year.
If the idea is to get someone to give a car a "pedigree" and go over it top to bottom, to verify everything is both part number and date code correct, this too can be done, BUT it would require spending a ton of time on a single vehicle and some type of compensation should be made to both the club and/or the people doing the work.
Experts doing this for the Mopars, Chevys, Pontiacs, Fords, etc get thousands of dollars for this service, Buick owners should pay no less.
Duane
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