Selecting the Cars: Building a Concours Field That Matters

by Mike Thies

There are so many aspects of a qulity Concours event, yet all would agree that the heart of any concours is the field itself. A concours succeeds when the vehicles tell a story worth walking through. The selection process should not be a random gathering of nice cars. It should be a deliberate effort to assemble vehicles that represent history, design, craftsmanship, preservation, restoration quality, ownership passion, and the character of the event.

The first rule is to know what kind of event you are building. It is generally agreed that even very good cars may not be appropriate for a concours field if they are modified, customized, poorly documented, commercially themed, too new for the event’s focus, common without a special story, or better suited to a cruise-in, club show, cars-and-coffee, race paddock, or street-rod event than to a judged concours presentation.  A major concours may focus on full classics, brass-era vehicles, significant sports cars, preservation vehicles, coachbuilt automobiles, race cars, motorcycles, or featured marques. A regional concours may properly include a broader field: antiques, postwar American cars, European sports cars, muscle cars, trucks, motorcycles, preservation cars, and special-interest vehicles. Either way, the selection committee should be clear on the event’s identity before the first invitation goes out. Without a defined vision, the field becomes a parking lot. With a strong vision, the field becomes a story.

Vehicle selection should consider several factors: authenticity, condition, rarity, historical significance, documentation, restoration quality, preservation value, ownership story, and how the vehicle fits the class being built. The most expensive car is not always the best choice. A well-preserved original car may be more important than a freshly restored one. A family-owned car with strong history may deserve attention. A race car with real provenance may anchor a class. A rare body style, unusual color combination, significant coachbuilder, or documented ownership chain can make a vehicle much more compelling than a more common example in better cosmetic condition.

Photographs matter. A serious submission should include clear, recent photos, at aminumum, of the exterior from two opposite corners to include all four wheels, both sides and front and rear. One of the interior with the dashboard and one of the engine. If possible, its good to request photos of the trunk or luggage area, and badging, VIN or serial plate, and any important documentation. For judged concours events, underside or chassis photos are also helpful, especially for prewar, race, preservation, and freshly restored vehicles. Photos do not need to be professional, but they must be honest. Over-edited, cropped, or glamour-only images do not help the committee. The goal is not to hide flaws; the goal is to understand the car.

Deadlines should be real and enforced. A workable schedule is to open submissions eight to twelve months before the event, conduct the first major review six months out, issue initial invitations four to five months out, and finalize the field at least ninety days before the show. That gives the designated team time to collect vehicle information, the program team time to write descriptions, the judging team time to build classes, and the operations team time to plan placement, trailer logistics, signage, and owner communications. Late additions will always happen, but they should be exceptions, not the process.

Class size is one of the most important and most overlooked issues. A good concours class usually contains seven to ten vehicles. Fewer than six can feel thin unless the class is extremely special. More than ten can become difficult for judging teams, spectators, and field layout. Classes should be balanced so that similar vehicles are competing against similar vehicles. A 1930s coachbuilt Packard should not be judged against a 1960s sports car simply because both are “classics.” A preservation car should not be buried in a class of fresh restorations unless the judging system properly accounts for preservation.

Class suggestions should grow out of the available cars and the event’s purpose. Good class examples include Prewar American Classics, European Coachbuilt, Postwar Sports Cars, Preservation, Brass Era, American Performance, Porsche, Corvette, Jaguar, Mercedes-Benz, Rolls-Royce/Bentley, Race Cars, Motorcycles, Orphan Marques, Significant Survivors, and Future Classics. Regional events can also build attractive classes around Southern-built cars, local racing history, trucks, station wagons, woodies, or vehicles tied to a local museum, collection, anniversary, or club.

Featured marques should be chosen early and with purpose. A featured marque works best when there is a strong anniversary, a regional owner base, a willing club partner, known collectors, restorers who can help identify cars, and enough depth to create a meaningful class. It is not enough to say “we are featuring Ferrari” or “we are featuring Packard.” The question is whether the committee can actually recruit the right cars, tell the story properly, and present the marque in a way that honors its history. A smaller but well-executed feature is better than a famous marque poorly represented.

Recruitment is not passive. The best cars do not always come from an online form. Selection committees should actively contact collectors, marque clubs, restoration shops, museums, appraisers, prior entrants, auction specialists, historians, and judges who know where the good cars are. Some owners need to be invited personally. Some need to understand that their car is important even if it is not perfect. Some need reassurance about logistics, security, judging standards, transport, trailer parking, and how their car will be treated. A good field is built by relationships.

Outreach should be selective but welcoming. There is a difference between lowering standards and broadening the circle. Every event needs new entrants, younger collectors, first-time exhibitors, and owners who may not yet know how concours works. Clear communication helps. The submission form should explain what the committee is looking for, what photos are required, whether the event is judged, what standards apply, whether preservation vehicles are welcome, what information owners need to provide, and when they can expect a response.

The selection committee should have structure. At minimum, it should include a chairperson, registrar, chief judge or judging advisor, class coordinators, marque specialists, and someone responsible for program accuracy. Larger events may also benefit from a historian, preservation advisor, race-car advisor, motorcycle advisor, and field-layout representative. The committee should keep notes on each vehicle, including the reason for acceptance, rejection, wait-list placement, class assignment, and any documentation concerns. This protects the event and makes future planning easier.

Conflicts of interest should be handled directly. Committee members may know entrants, own similar vehicles, restore cars, appraise cars, or judge cars in the same community. That is normal in this hobby, but it must be managed. If a committee member has a financial, ownership, restoration, or close personal connection to a submitted vehicle, that member should disclose it and step back from the final decision on that car. The goal is not suspicion; the goal is credibility.

There should also be a clear procedure for rejected or wait-listed cars. Not every good car can be accepted. A rejection should be polite, brief, and respectful. The owner should never feel insulted for offering a car. Many cars not selected one year may be perfect for a future class. A thoughtful “not this year” is better than silence. If there is a proper space, perhaps consider an exhibit field for cars that don’t fit the concours field. The committee should maintain a future-candidate list and continue building relationships with those owners.

Other event planning should support the cars selected. If the field includes significant touring cars, consider a pre-event tour. If preservation is a focus, add a seminar. If a marque is featured, invite a historian or restorer to speak. If race cars are included, create a display that explains their competition history. If younger collectors are a goal, create a class that gives them a legitimate entry point (like a RAD class) without diluting the main field. The best concours events do more than park cars on grass; they create context.

The final field should have rhythm. There should be visual variety, historical range, strong anchor cars, interesting stories, and enough surprises to make people stop and look. A great field includes the expected important cars, but also the car someone has never seen before, the survivor that teaches something, the restoration that sets a standard, the race car with scars, and the owner with a story worth hearing.

In the end, selecting vehicles for a concours is part research, part diplomacy, part judging knowledge, and part storytelling. The committee is not simply filling spaces. It is building the experience that entrants, judges, sponsors, spectators, photographers, and future collectors will remember. Done well, the selection process protects the credibility of the event, honors the owners, educates the public, and keeps the magic of the collector-car world alive.