Whether your favorite Mercedes is a ’57 300SL Gullwing coupe, a ’67 600 Limousine, a ’77 240 Diesel, an ’87 560SEL, a ’99 E55 AMG, or a 2014 E-Cabrio, this is the one car show all year you won’t want to miss! June 7, 2014 is the date of the 51st annual “June Jamboree” concours auto show at Mercedes-Benz USA headquarters in Montvale, N.J.
The show is free for onlookers to attend, with a 1:00pm lunch in the company cafeteria at a cost of $10 per person (registering a car in the show entitles you to a free lunch).
For those interested in entering a car, there are several main categories. Concours is for show cars, which will be judged on a point system for originality, condition, and cleanliness of the following:
1. Interior, upholstery, trunk, hard top, soft top
2. Chrome, plastic, rubber, glass, lights, trim.
3. Engine compartment.
4. Exterior paint, finish, bodywork. The chassis, underbody, and exhaust systems will NOT be judged in this event.
In a tie-breaker of multiple vehicles in the same condition, points are given for higher miles.
Popular vote is for those who enjoy entering a car and the experience of being in a show but don’t have a perfectly-detailed show horse. Rough examples are plenty welcome and everyone enjoys the diversity of cars which have been around the block that aren’t perfect.
New this year is a Silver Star Preservation Class, applicable to 1989 or older models. The purpose of the Preservation Class is not to create another judged class, but to evaluate each vehicle on how closely it’s been preserved to factory specifications. In other words, how authentic and original it is. To qualify, vehicles must be driven to the event and have all safety items functional. A point system has been designed as a guideline, and qualification of 60 points or better in three of the five categories measured will earn entrants a Silver Star Preservation Certificate. A car can be registered for Concours Class as well as Preservation Class.
Registration on the day of the show is from 8:00 am – 10:00 am, and cars may be entered for $60 each on the day of the show. Judging begins at 10:30. Concours winners are determined by non-biased judges, and Popular Vote winners are determined by public ballots.
Cars in both categories compete against other cars of similar decade and/or model design, and trophies are awarded in the cafeteria after lunch is over. Serious competitors come from all over and provide for a large number of cars to see from every decade up to the present. The address for mapping is 1 Mercedes Drive, Montvale, N.J.
We hope to see you there.
-Sean
