On June, 22 2014, I fired up the Judge for the two mile drive to the campus of the Kansas City Art Institute for their annual Art of the Car Concours. For those not familiar with the car, it’s a 1969 Pontiac GTO Judge with a numbers matching Ram Air IV engine and an M-21 four speed transmission. Pontiac built something like 70,000 GTOs in 1969 but only 6,725 were delivered with The Judge option. Of those, only 239 to 549 of them were equipped with the mighty Ram Air IV engine. Oh, and 90% of them were orange. I’ve never been able to find definite RAIV Judge production numbers but it’s a pretty rare car regardless. A natural choice for a big, fancy car show!
The Art of the Car Concours is a benefit for the KCAI scholarship fund. It seems to be growing in popularity and stature among vintage and classic collectors. It’s pretty unique for its size and scale since there’s no formal judging and no classes of vehicles. The organizers do a nice job in creating an informal setting without all the pressure and snobbery of traditional Concours events.
Being a pretty basic muscle car cruise night kind of guy, the Concours setting was unfamiliar. One big difference is that the cars are parked on grass instead of a parking lot, which was nice. It was well organized and elegant and the vehicles present were as varied as they were stunning. There were receptions and events in the days leading up to the big show, as well. Some folks donned attire to match the era of their automobiles.
To be selected for the concours, cars needed to be unrestored originals or restored as closely as possible to their factory form. The Judge fits the latter. The organizers shook things up a little this time around by adding a salute to post-war American hot rods. There were original, ’40s and ’50s examples and a handful of more modern hot rods appropriate to the genre. They were a good addition to the show.
It was a hot day but my wife Cheryl and I set up our chairs in the shade and the turnout was great. The event organizers even dispatched volunteers armed with coolers of bottled water to make sure exhibitors stayed hydrated. The spectators were on there own, however. Ha!
Cheryl and I toured the grounds for a while then made our way back to The Judge and our spot of shade. Water in hand, we kicked back and enjoyed the show. Hopefully we can do it again next year!
Feel free to check out our Power Tour 2012 coverage if you crave for more exciting Judge action.