Restomod Show Judging
The two questions that we are being asked the most are, "What are the classes?" and "How are you going to judge the cars?'" Below is an explanation of the show classes and the way the judging will take place.
Restomod Classes
Trying to place Restomod Mustangs into classes poses a unique problem that
concours-original Mustangs don't have. With concours-original Mustangs, once you know what
is correct for your year and model (such as what finish a certain bolt is supposed to have,
what battery is correct, and what paint color and finish is right) you can start judging
each car with the same amount of points, and then take points off for the things that are
not correct. It sounds simple, but it's not. Make no mistake about it: it takes a
lot of dedication-- both time and expense wise-- to build a concours-correct Mustang. For
those reasons, most enthusiast don't go to those extremes.
Most of us put a nice looking bolt in that fits and
paint it to match. We get a battery that has a good warranty and cost a third as much as
the correct one. We expect the guy who paints our Mustang to make it perfect (which is
to say, better than original). And this is what poses our unique problem with Restomod
Mustangs: there isn't a road map to follow like there is for concours-correct Mustangs.
Everyone doesn't change the same parts and finish them the same. Everyone doesn't buy the
same brand, size or color. Many owners will sacrifice correctness for safety and comfort
because they want to drive their Mustang. And many other owners are actually trying to do
things that are different from original to set their Mustang apart from the crowd. No,
Restomod Mustangs cannot be held to a black and white standard the way concours-correct
Mustangs can be. So how, you ask, can we be fair to everyone and still have different
classes that everyone can understand? After much thought, we have come up with a solution
that we feel works. It will use 2 different factors to classify your
Restomod Mustang that will be clear-cut and there should not be any problems with anyone
understanding which class their Mustang should be in. Or why it should be in that class.
That said, please note that the organizers reserve the right to reclassify your car if we
think it's not in the correct class!
First of all, your Mustang will fall into a class
by its year. The year classes will be:
-- Mustang 1965 to 1966
-- Mustang 1967 to 1968
-- Mustang 1969 to 1973
-- Mustang 1974 to 1978
-- Mustang 1979 to 1993
-- Mustang 1994 to 2004
-- Mustang 2005 to present
-- Cobra Mustang 1993-2004
-- Cougar
-- Thunderbird
-- Bronco/Truck
-- Exotic Fords
-- Cobras (inc. replicas)
-- Other 1960s Ford
-- Race car
-- All other Fords
This will give us 16 classes of cars that everybody's car will easily fit
into.
Second, we have to fit each car into 1 of 3
Restomod Classes. It would not be fair to put a full blown Restomod Mustang, such as the
Ronster, in the same class as a fairly original Mustang where the owner had only changed a
few things from original. So we've defined three degrees of Restomod which are based on
how much change has been made. Each change is at a point where there can be very little
question about which degree it is. These classes are defined in detail below. The
combination of both these classes will place your Mustang into the actual class it will be
in at the show.
By using this system, every Mustang will be in a
show class by year that best describes the direction that the Mustang's owner has taken.
With these 3 Restomod classes and 15 classes of years, we've got 48 classes of Restomod
Mustang possible. So we will not break down each year by model of Mustang such as coupe,
convertible or fastback. Now, check out the 3 degrees of Restomod that we have listed
below.
|
Original Restomod Class
Do you love the original Mustang look but haven't tried to build a concours-
correct car out of your Mustang? If so, the Original Restomod Class is for you. This class
is for Mustangs that the owners want to keep original but have used some replacement
products, made changes for safety and/or added some personal touches. This includes but is
not limited to, hoses, belts, batteries, all service items, radial tires, steering wheels,
stereo radios, exterior and/or interior color(s), and many other changes from original
that maintain the original appearance. In the Original Restomod Class, all the exterior
sheet metal including front and rear valances, hood, trunk lid and doors will be original
or original reproduction with no changes to the outside such as hood
scoops, hood pins, shaved door handles, or molded spoilers. Mustangs in this class will
range from low milage original drivers with non original batteries, oil filters and radial
tires to restored examples that the owners have repainted a different color, have changed
tires and wheels, upgraded to factory style front disc brakes, installed an engine dress
up kit, and changed the interior to deluxe interior from standard interior. The theme is
Mustang and the changes that are made do not attempt to change the factory Mustang look. EXAMPLE: A good example of an Original Restomod Mustang is Pinkie, Joyce Epperson's Pink 1966 Mustang Coupe. Pinkie was an original pink Mustang that Joyce has added many options to that did not come from the factory. This includes air conditioning, styled steel wheels, and deluxe interior. Joyce's desire has always been to build Pinkie with as many factory Mustang options as possible as well as adding her personal touches. |
|
Did you spice up your Mustang
but didn't have the heart to break out the hot wrench to do it? Then the Mild Restomod
Class is where your car belongs. This class is for Mustangs that the owners have
changed the look or function of parts of their car, but their Mustang but it has not been cut on. All the
changes are bolt on and can be put back to original if desired. This includes, but is not
limited to, aftermarket wheels, seats and grills, fiberglass hoods, valances and trunk
lids, 4-wheel disc brakes, EFI engines, custom paint jobs, and any other non factory
changes to the Mustang that could easily be put back to original. The key here is that to
return the Mustang back to its original factory appearance, it's a matter of unbolting,
replacing and repainting, not cutting, welding and reconstructing. EXAMPLE: The Black Restomod Coupe is a good example of a Mild Restomod. Everything that has been done to the car can be unbolted and the factory parts bolted back on to bring it back to original. |
|
Wild Restomod
Do you lay awake in bed at night just dreaming about all of the things you could do to
change your Mustang? If so, the Wild Restomod Class is for you! Owners of
Mustangs in this class have gone beyond bolt-on and aftermarket products to change the
look and/or function of their Mustang by cutting on the body, interior, or chassis. They
look for ways to make their Mustang different from the one sitting next to it and will
consider anything to reach that goal. This includes fender flairs, shaved door handles,
chopped tops, roll cages, shock tower elimination kits, custom paint, and tubbed wheel
wells, just to name a few. This is the "anything goes" class. We'll see the handiworks
of the Rembrandts of the Mustang hobby here! EXAMPLE: Jerry and Rita Anderson's 1966 Convertible is a good example of a Wild Restomod. The door handles and trunk lock have been shaved, the hole in the tail light panel for the gas cap has been filled, the holes in the front valance for the front turn signals have been filled and the headlight buckets have been cut to allow the integration of the front turn signals. All of these body parts have been altered and will never be returned to original condition. |
|
Judging
Judging Restomod Mustangs does
pose a problem: after all, how do you judge cars when there is no real pattern that they
are supposed to follow? To keep the judging simple, and to make it fair to all of the
participants of the show, we're going to have the participants of each Restomod class do
the voting on the Restomod class that their Mustang is in. In other words, if your Mustang
is a Mild Restomod, you will be voting on all 12 classes of Mild Restomods that are
entered. We've found this to be a very popular way to select the trophy winners at the two
Mustang Displays that we hold each year at Mustangs Plus. Acknowledgment and reward from
the people who you are competing against is one of the best rewards possible. |
Mild Restomod