An Interesting Observation From A "Disgusted Car Owner"

I received the following email from someone with the handle "perinator". I regret to say that he is absolutely correct, and it is sad that some folks are getting out of car shows simply because they are rigged. For years I fought the "good ol' boys" racket in Maine's car shows, and came to the conclusion that no one really cared if the shows were honest or not. At least they did not care enough to help change it. So here is "perinator's" email, unedited:


"I felt compelled to write a long overdue note and wasn't sure who to send it to. Since I don't know of many blogs that deal with car shows, I settled upon yours.

"I've been on the car show scene for only a few years now. When I decided to participate, I was excited at the prospect of showing my car. I'm certainly not in it for the wins, nor am I in the "good ole boys club" that seems to be a running theme at each event. However, it has become very apparent that these events are basically a popularity contest.

"In the June Windham event, I was appalled to find that the biggest award of the day went to a certain Monte Carlo. Really people? Out of all the cars at the show that day, that was the best of the best? Apparently this award was voted on by graduating members of Duane Clarke's class, for whom the event was named. They felt that this car personified what car Duane would most love to be riding in today. I was disgusted by this because I believe that people on the committee were friends of the winners and that was a big plus. I was quite disappointed, but moved on.

"HOWEVER, in having just attended the Oxford show at New Balance, I can't help but be completely turned off by this "sport". When the awards were handed out, I was quite confused when I heard that a 2006 Ford Fusion won 3rd place in the "80's and Up" Division. Since I couldn't remember that particular vehicle, I made it a point to go check it out after the awards ceremony. In that class, I found a station wagon with wood grain that everyone seemed to remember from their youth. It was in very nice condition for the year and certainly brought back a lot of memories. The other entrant was a particularly pretty Pontiac Firebird. It had recently been painted and the color (a burnt orange) was very attractive. It was a nice car and showed well. There were several other cars in that class as well.

"I was dumbfounded that neither of these two cars was chosen for an award. The Ford Fusion looked like it had driven in from the road with the intention of going to New Balance and mistakenly parked in the "viewing area". There was nothing particularly special about this Ford. What made it special? The owner is a nice guy who is friendly with many. I think it was a terrible injustice to both of the aforementioned vehicles. If I were the owner of either of those vehicles, I would have to think hard about ever entering another show, particularly with the Club who sponsored the Oxford show.

"You can't tell me that that 2006 Ford Fusion was a better car than either of those others. So, the real reason it won 3rd place was another example of the "good ole boys" at it again. How very political. Of course, the reality of the voting was that people actually voted for that Fusion for 1st place. He then obtained enough votes to win 3rd place. That is definitely a travesty. I would think that the Organizers of that show would have noticed this and perhaps bumped that car. It certainly had some people talking.

"I show my car because I'm proud of it. I don't come to collect trophies. The couple of times I've won trophies, I've had to listen to the same people who always win complain because I won. What kind of sportsmanship is that? I've also heard reports from others about these same people complaining when others have won as well. Does it have to be a popularity contest?

"When I vote, I truly vote for the cars I think best represent that particular category. It's not about the chrome, the flash, the paint or the owners. It's about the car and it's nod to the time period. I wish others would vote with the same line of thinking.

"I'm ready to give up on the shows and focus solely on the cruise-ins. At least then it's about the cars themselves and not the voting. This political nonsense is absurd. Let's get back to the basics of voting on the best representative of the category. Let's not vote for the 2006 Ford Fusion that was truly stealing the award from others who deserved it more!

"Thank you for allowing me to sound off.

A Disgusted Car Owner"

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