On Sunday July 14, the town of Fort Lee hosted its 3rd annual “Concours on the Palisades”, a celebration featuring a variety of older and newer classic and exotic cars. I posted about last year’s event, when I worked as a judge. This year, my judging duties were again requested, and I also entered my ’67 Alfa into the show, as there was a special class of Alfa Romeos to honor the 70th anniversary of the Giulietta and the 50th anniversary of the Alfetta.

Last year’s show was good but could have been better organized. We provided feedback that not all cars were parked in their correct classes, which added a layer of complexity to our jobs. This year, the Chief Judge (Bob Austin, a former Volvo colleague and dear friend) decided that the judges would assist in parking the cars for the classes they would be judging. I was on a team of 4 judges, and our assigned classes were “Italian” and “Japanese” cars. So there we were, at 8 a.m., directing traffic. Aside from the early hour (not really an inconvenience) I thought this was a brilliant move, as it gave us early insight into the cars in our classes. As was suggested to us, watching the cars move under their own power and providing an initial “welcome” to the owners meant we had greater familiarity with the cars and owners once formal judging commenced.

Our scoresheets showed 10 cars in the Italian class and 11 in the Japanese class. However, only 6 Italian cars showed up, and only 7 Japanese cars. We were tasked with selecting the Top Four so in reality, we didn’t have a heavy workload. The most difficult part of the judging process was dealing with the 90 degree-plus heat. Thankfully, we were done with our field review by 11 a.m. and headed to an air-conditioned conference room to make our final tallies.

The Concours on the Palisades uses “French Rules”: judges need to answer only one question, which is, “what kind of visual impact does this motor vehicle present to me?” Yes, condition, workmanship, personal histories, etc., do play a part. But ultimately, it’s the overall visual statement made by the car which decides the winners.

In the Italian class, we gave 3^rd place to a green Lancia Fulvia, 2^nd place to an orange DeTomaso Pantera, and 1^st place to a white Lancia Fulvia Zagato. The Zagato emerged on top due to its uniqueness, color combination, and overall condition. Among the Japanese cars, 3^rd went to a black 1989 Nissan 240SX track car, 2^nd to a Suzuki Cappuccino “kei car”, and 1^st to a near-bone-stock orange 1974 Toyota Corolla. For our entire judging team, the Toyota was an emotional choice. The car was a survivor, in what appeared to be unrestored condition, in a period color combo one doesn’t see today. We agreed that had it had a manual gearbox it would have been perfect.

The Alfa Romeos (separate from the other Italian cars) were parked on Main St. in a position of honor, along with the other Special Class this year, the Mercedes-Benz SLs (all years). Nine Alfas were registered, in itself a low number, yet only 6 showed up, a very disappointing turnout. Was it the heat? Competition with other shows? We’ll never know. Still, it was nice to see our Alfas so recognized. Third place went to a black Alfa 164 sedan, second to a red Alfa Milano sedan, and first to a white Giulietta Spider. (I believe that my car, as one entered by a judge, was “display only”.)

The awards ceremony got underway a few minutes after 1 p.m. and was over before 2 p.m. The timing was good because rain clouds quickly moved in, and sprinkles started a few minutes after the final “see you next year!” was proclaimed. My Alfa completed the 120-mile round trip without a problem, even as the temp gauge registered slightly higher in the hot and humid air. I walked into my house a little after 3 p.m. and that air conditioning felt great!

 

ITALIAN CLASS

 

JAPANESE CLASS

 

 

AMERICAN CLASS

SWEDISH CLASS

BRITISH CLASS

 

GERMAN CLASS

MERCEDES-BENZ SL CLASS

ALFA ROMEO CLASS

 

 

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