First as a disclaimer I would just like to state that I have nothing against Hellcats and their owners. So over the course of this summer I have gone to a few shows. Some of them with my Mopar club and some of them alone. At every show, there are plenty of great Challengers, mostly R/T and SRT8 models. Most of us have done some work to our cars and have put a lot of time and care into shaping them into our perfect machines. Therefore it is nice to get a little recognition for our efforts (mine is definitely not the most deserving compared to some other guys I have seen out there). However, at almost every show this summer, a straight out of the factory Hellcat rolls in at the last minute of judging and steals the show. Not just one Hellcat, but a few different ones have done this. I get that there is hype over the beast and believe me, if I had that kind of money I would be driving one too, but just try to at least recognize the other guys who put a lot of wrench time into their Mopars.
Steals the show as in wins first place? Well that would be crappy and I would share in your frustration. I don't like new cars even being judged unless they are in their own class against other new cars. And who would feel good about winning a trophy in such a case? I'd be happy just to display the car for others to see, don't see the need to win with your brand new car.
Steals the show as in wins first place? Well that would be crappy and I would share in your frustration. I don't like new cars even being judged unless they are in their own class against other new cars. And who would feel good about winning a trophy in such a case? I'd be happy just to display the car for others to see, don't see the need to win with your brand new car.
yeah as in takes the first place spot. A friend of mine has a drop dead gorgeous fuchsia challenger convertible with all kinds of custom leatherwork and he definitely would have won 1st place if the guy in the Cat didn't roll in 40min before judging closed.
Car shows will always be popularity contests. I take my car to shows, for many reasons. None of which is to win a trophy. We drove all the way to Carlisle, spent three nights in a hotel, spent money to enter, food, and tolls, and never even thought to place the placard in the window. I go to look at nice cars, talk cars and mods, plus it's a good reason to drive my car.
I agree bud. I personally go just for the fun but I have just observed the same thing happening at several shows. It just kinda sucks in my opinion that some great cars don't even get a passing glance when there is a brand new top dollar model present.
Same as it ever was. I have seen it many times, you take rotisserie built muscle cars with countless hours put into them then a late model Challenger/Mustang/Camaro with a custom engine cover, wheels & some accent paint & then the vintage muscle car guys complain when the late model wins when there is very little work invested.
When I was a teenager here in Florida, there was a car show circuit that I followed and entered in just about every month with a local car club.
Everyone got a trophy if they entered, I saw people literally putting portable tv's under the seat and getting the same points for guys that spent a grand on an in dash working unit (when they were new in the 90's). The judges just went down the checklist for mods and just checked off whatever you had. Broken neon tubes, who cares..check. Pinstripes, well there's a sticker from the auto parts store...so check.
This was one of the biggest car show circuits in the state at the time too.
I have never been a car show type of person in terms of displaying a car. I like to look at the cars, but I never had an interest in entering them. I agree with you that is kind of a joke entering a new car and getting the top prize. I wouldn't ever think of taking my wife's hellcat to a car show to enter it. It would be parked in the parking lot with all of the other normal cars. I did restore a 60's mustang to the point it looked like it rolled off the factory floor. I got hounded to show that car, but I never did. The new owners did show it and won a trophy their first time at a show.
I was recently in a car show with formal judging by class. There were 2 Hellcats. One got first, I got second, the other got nada and the owners were visibly unhappy about it. Even complained to me about the judging. The judge spent at least 10 minutes on each car and was very thorough so that was not the reason. I doubt they learned anything. Just because you drop big $ does not mean you rule. Clean, clean, clean. That is the difference.
So true! I had a Hellcat owner that was upset about my car winning over them at a show this summer and they came up to me after the show and the guys says I gotta see what beats a Hellcat. I just told him he just got it. Now start modding it. He says what's there to mod? It's a Hellcat! I just said you're right. I've found it's best just to avoid conflict.
Those of us who own vintage Mopars felt the same way when Challengers first came out and would get entered in a general "Mopar" class. Sometimes a showroom-fresh R/T would win or place high just because of interest, yet a '67 GTX or maybe a 65 300L would get passed over despite having hundreds or thousands of hours of the owner's blood and sweat invested.
It happens. Then it passes, or a new class is created so competition can be more fair. Life's too short to get bent out of shape about car shows, which are hard to keep from being popularity contests on the BEST of days, let alone when something new and interesting comes along.
It's funny because I am always a fan of a car that is used more than polished. I like to see the guys that put money into their car that race them, daily drive them, then shine them up to the best that they can. Seeing a car that is never used except to drive to and from the detailer to car shows doesn't interest me that much.
Every car show is different, but I bet if the Hellcat parked next to a Viper TA the Viper would take it if it was allowed to compete in the same category. Sometimes you just can't win.
I have a B5 SP that gets a lot of attention wherever it goes. I take it to two or three cruise nights a week, and I always park in the spectator areas. At just about every cruise, I am always invited in, but I don't. Why? I think it's because it is just factory stock (I do have Weather Tech floor mats!) that you can see at any dealership. It's not a classic yet, nor does it show any mods made by a creative owner. The thumbs up at stop lights, people coming up to me in parking lots and at gas stations is gratification enough for me, although sometimes I wish I was a little less conspicuous.
Car shows are just as bad a dog shows and horse show. Judges like what they like. And that's all that wins there vote, so if the same judges go to the shows no surprise the same ones wins.
If you own a Hellcat....more power to ya (in more ways then one !). But lets face it....look at a stock Hellcat; exterior is not much different and the engine's appearance is not that impressive. It is the h.p. that is impressive. If you are going to track it/race it....then it is a fantastic choice. For a street car....you can NEVER (legally) have the opportunity to really enjoy all that h.p. And....if you illegally go out on the street and race, exhibit speed, do burn outs, etc., then I have no respect for you....as you are placing others in danger.
At car shows....there is a degree of arrogance here....me penis is bigger than yours thing going on. A stock Hellcat is nothing in comparison to some of the tricked out Challenger show cars that I have seen.
Hellcats are the latest top car and gather the most attention. That's just the way it is. :shrug03:
I participated in a Delaware car show, in June, and parked next to a black Hellcat.
Although my hemi-orange SRT has many under-the-hood and interior appearance items and is supplemented with a nice car show display sign, it was virtually invisible. Most people casually glanced at my car but drooled over the Hellcat and begged the owner to gun the engine.
I have been asked by my friend to bring mine to a car show next weekend. It is a charity event so I said yes. My car is a daily driver, with the associated wear visible no matter how hard I have tried to treat it right. I don't care about competition, does it matter that mine isn't perfect for the show? I'm thinking I will just have good parking while I talk about cars.
I personally would never enter any of my cars in a show (old or new). They are all very nice but I could never be bothered with the work involved to properly compete. On top of that I would feel silly to enter a newer one. Then again the top tier vintage ones seen were likely a turn-key restoration done by a shop so the point becomes moot. I guess I just go to enjoy the event. Some of the cars I find most interesting are the ones that are clean enough to be a mix of original and restored, which by many go otherwise unnoticed.
I gotta agree with most everyone here. They are mostly a popularity contest, regardless of where you go. Though one good thing that I will say about the shows around here, unless your at one of the little tuner shows, pretty much anything new gets mostly ignored, in favor of built or restored classics, and rightfully so. Anyone can go drop some change (or credit) on a new car, detail/shine it up, and enter it into a show, it takes nothing. It takes alot of dedication and skill to build and restore on an old junker back to showroom/performance car status though, and most people, around here anyway, do at least realize that.
Ive never really cared to enter any of mine, not really big on people being around or having free access to my cars when I'm not around them, nor do I put much stock in people's compliments. I just enjoy driving my cars, and working on/modifying them. I might hit the CAF here each april to see what people are bringing out this year, but thats about it.
This is kind of on the same line . We are new owners of a RT plus sublime
4 weeks ,, know it is crazy but seems everyone's buddy owns a Hell cat !!!
We will be somewhere someone come up to us " very nice car " then the next words are
My buddy has. hellcat ,it's happen 5 times in 4 weeks ,, just wondering does everyone have a hell cat ?? Lol
I think all car shows should have there own class Like from the year 2000 and newer and if there are 25 awards there should be only 5 for the newer cars that way it is fair for both.Because I have both.I udderstand when you have a older car its not fair to be judge against newer car and far as the hellcat.if they have not done anything to it and you did a lot to your challenger in mods.You should win no matter if its a hellcat or not.If your car is clean and nice.
I went to one local show held in a restaurant parking lot. The only way I found out about it was I met another MOPAR guy at the local Dodge dealership. He saw my PCP Classic with white stripes and told me I should go to this show, the girl who judges it loves stripes so I'll probably win. Sure enough, the waitress went around the parking lot with plenty of older cars, sees my bright purple new Challenger with white stripes and gives me the trophy LOL. I had to laugh just based on what the guy art the dealership had told me. I won because of stripes! I could see all of the true classic car owners shaking their heads in disbelief. By no means did I consider myself the winner, but I went home with the trophy anyway.
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