Monday 31 August 2015
Fiat-Chrysler Recalling 158,671 Jeep Cherokees for Potential Wiper Fault
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Fiat-Chrysler’s recall woes for the latest Jeep Cherokee just keep coming. The latest in a line of recalls for the crossover addresses static electricity buildup on the windshield wipers when they’re operated in dry conditions. An internal FCA investigation revealed the issue, which affects 158,671 2014 Cherokees in the U.S., as well as 47,997 abroad.
The static electricity buildup can affect the control module for the windshield wipers, potentially rendering the wipers inoperative. Jeep says that the fix calls for dealers to install a ground strap to the modules to “eliminate the potential for static buildup.” Customers will be instructed to visit their dealers for ground-strap installation, which will be performed at no cost.
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2015 Mercedes-Benz E400 4MATIC Coupe – Instrumented Test
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FCA Codifies Buyback, Incentive Programs for Recalled Dodge, Jeep, and Ram Trucks and SUVs
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Fiat-Chrysler has now codified its incentive offerings to owners of some 200,000 Dodge, Ram, Jeep, and Chrysler trucks and SUVs in order to either get the affected vehicles in for fixes or have them traded in toward new purchases.
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Fiat-Chrysler has now codified its incentive offerings to owners of some 200,000 Dodge, Ram, Jeep, and Chrysler trucks and SUVs in order to either get the affected vehicles in for fixes or have them traded in toward new purchases.
Jeep Grand Cherokee and Liberty
Owners of 1993–1998 Jeep Grand Cherokee and 2002–2007 Jeep Liberty SUVs, which were recalled for exhibiting a fire risk in rear-end collisions (one incident that resulted in the death of a 4-year-old went to trial and resulted in a $150-million jury award, which Fiat-Chrysler has appealed), are eligible for a $100 restriction-free Visa prepaid card in exchange for having the recall work performed, which entails having a tow-hitch installed to reinforce the structure around the fuel tank. This offer is being extended to those who have had their Jeeps repaired since July 24, 2015, as well as those who have yet to go in for the service. Alternately, owners of affected Grand Cherokees can trade in their vehicle and get their choice of an additional $1000 toward the purchase of a new FCA vehicle or a $1000 Visa card toward parts or service at the dealership accepting the trade-in.
Dodge, Ram, and Chrysler
Some 200,000 Dodge Ram, Ram, Dodge Dakota, Dodge Durango, and Chrysler Aspen trucks and SUVs are also eligible for a similar program stemming from three separate recalls for steering issues. The affected vehicles are as follows:
- 2009 Dodge Durango and Chrysler Aspen (production dates between 1/3/08 and 12/18/08)
- 2009–2012 Dodge/Ram 1500 (2/27/08 and 6/30/09, and 12/1/09 and 10/20/11)
- 2009–2001 Dodge Dakota (2/27/07 and 6/30/09, and 12/1/09 and 9/30/11)
- 2008–2012 Dodge/Ram 2500 and 3500 4×4
- 2008–2012 Dodge/Ram 2500 4×2 chassis cabs
- 2008 Dodge/Ram Mega Cab 4×4
- 2008–2012 Dodge/Ram 4500 and 5500 (2/20/07 and 12/31/12)
Owners who have yet to have recall work performed as of July 24, 2015 can take their vehicle in for service and receive a $100 unlimited Visa card; as with the Jeeps, those who had the repair performed after that date also are eligible. Trade-ins also are an option here, provided the owner takes advantage by January 4, 2016, with incentives on top of trade-in value being $2000 toward a new Ram or $1000 toward a new Jeep, Chrysler, Dodge, or Fiat.
The buyback program for the Dodge, Ram, and Chrysler vehicles does not expire and offers fair-market value, plus 10 percent. To get an estimate for value, consumers can visit fcarecall.com starting September 1; physical inspections will begin on October 1, but any value of modifications—unless performed by the dealer or factory as part of the original purchase—will not be factored into the buyback offer.
Fiat-Chrysler suggests using NHTSA’s VIN-lookup tool or recalls.mopar.com to determine a particular vehicle’s recall-repair status. The automaker says it has already started contacting owners.
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S660 Roadster a No-Go for U.S., But There’s More to Honda’s Sports-Car Story
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While a new Automotive News report indicates that the fantastic, super-mega-tiny S660 roadster isn’t coming to the U.S. as was expected—we understood that a 1.0-liter S1000 was on the table—we thanked our lucky VTECs that we will at least be sold the Civic Type R. According to American Honda executive vice president John Mendel, the S660 is likely too small to cut it stateside, but he did add that we shouldn’t give up hope for a Honda-brand sports car here, which hooray!
As much as we’d love to see the fun-to-drive S660 here, it is truly very, very small: A Fiat 500 is 10.7 inches longer and six inches wider than the S660. Given how poorly micro machines like the Smart Fortwo and others do in the American marketplace, keeping the mid-engined S660 in Japan is likely the smart move. Yet Mendel says U.S. dealers are clamoring for both a low-priced sports car like the S2000 and something akin to the rumored baby Acura NSX designed to take on the likes of the Porsche Cayman.
Now we wait for the follow through from Honda. An affordable sports car would help rekindle enthusiast interest in the brand, and we’ll never turn down any sort of mid-engined anything.
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Jeep May Actually Build Wrangler-Based Pickup
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August 31, 2015 at 12:17 pm by Joe Lorio | Photography by Marc Urbano and the Manufacturer
The oft-teased idea of pickup version of the Jeep Wrangler has gotten a new lease on life, thanks to a recent report in Automotive News. Springing from Fiat-Chrysler’s recent dealer meeting, the report says that a Jeep-branded mid-size pickup “could begin production in 2018,” depending on what happens with the Toledo, Ohio, factory that has long been the home of the Wrangler. The report also says the truck would have a short bed and make use of Wrangler suspension bits and powertrains.
Jeep fans have long memories, and they have not forgotten the 1981–85 Scrambler, which was based on the CJ. The Scrambler featured a stretched wheelbase, a removable roof, and (naturally) four-wheel drive. Jeep itself has certainly been guilty of stoking the fires with a series of Wrangler-based pickup concepts. The most recent was the J-12 (which we drove) that additionally featured the retro goodness of the early ’60s Jeep J-series/Wagoneer front end.
Back in 2005, we saw the more straight-up Wrangler pickup notion in the form of the Gladiator concept shown above. Its production-ready look and sweet-looking side-mounted spare had the faithful salivating, but the project never went anywhere. Then there was the Wrangler JT concept, which wowed the crowds at annual Jeep Easter Safari in Moab in 2009. Yet another two-door Wrangler pickup, this one was built on the four-door Wrangler Unlimited chassis. To fill the void, conversion and aftermarket companies have stepped in, such as AEV and its awesome Brute.
Enough already. With a new Wrangler on the way in 2017, Marchionne and friends need to figure out a way to add a pickup variant. There’s a reason this idea just refuses to die.
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2016 Toyota Mirai Fuel-Cell Sedan – Instrumented Test
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2016 Toyota Prius Caught Totally Naked Just Days Before Official Launch
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If you, like us, were hoping Toyota might find some way to make its new, fourth-generation Prius hybrid less like an amorphous vehicular tadpole, prepare to be disappointed. New photos leaked by Prius Club Malaysia show a pair of 2016 Toyota Priuses seemingly in transit via air on their way to the official launch event. They are totally free of camouflage, but also alarmingly free of improved styling. Officially, we are to wait until next week’s formal debut for our first look at the new Prius, but the photos published by Prius Club Malaysia and publicized by DPC Cars, Green Car Reports, and others mean that the car’s time is now.
It appears that when Toyota’s designers went searching for inspiration for the new Prius, they looked across the studio at the homely Mirai hydrogen fuel-cell sedan and . . . couldn’t look away. Lines, angles, and bulbous elements intersect all over the Prius’s body, and while these images are far from flattering, we’ll wait until we see the car from all angles to render our final judgment. Hopefully the hybrid’s promising-sounding technical details make up for the seemingly uninspiring visuals.
One thing’s for certain, though, and that’s that the new hybrid will slip through the air with a minimum of effort; Toyota is shooting for 60 mpg with this one. One upside? The front-bumper license-plate holders pictured on these Priuses look like tiny Fu Manchu mustaches. Hey, everyone should try the Fu Manchu at least once.
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The Unboring Minivan? 2017 Chrysler Town & Country Comes Into Clearer Focus
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August 31, 2015 at 11:23 am by Erik Johnson | Photography by Marc Urbano
A fresh report from Automotive News has gathered many previous details on the 2017 Chrysler Town & Country and added some new tidbits to provide the clearest, most concise picture yet of the next-generation family hauler.
The industry paper expects the van to take styling cues from the 200-esque 700C concept, pictured above, which quietly debuted at the 2012 Detroit auto show with absolutely none of the typical PR offensive. If the new T&C does indeed look anything like the 700C, it would bring a radical look to a segment in which the Honda Odyssey‘s “lightning-bolt” window line counts as outrageous.
Among the new bits: The T&C will receive hands-free, foot-operated side doors in addition to its liftgate (all falling under Open ‘n’ Go branding); all three rows will offer USB ports for recharging; and Chrysler plans to offer an onboard vacuum cleaner like that of the Odyssey. Offering lots of goodies will ensure the Town & Country is well-equipped to battle the Odyssey and Toyota Sienna when it becomes the only minivan in Fiat-Chrysler’s stable once the Dodge Grand Caravan—the van itself, not the nameplate—is discontinued after 2017.
Automotive News also re-asserts details we’ve heard before, such as the electric-motor-based all-wheel-drive system, the plug-in-hybrid variant that’s due by the end of 2016, and the new direct-injected V-6/nine-speed automatic combo that’s expected to dramatically increase fuel economy. The new minivan, AN says, will enter production next February in Windsor, Ontario, and we already know it will start at around $26,000. Expect to first see it at this fall’s L.A. auto show or in January at the Detroit show.
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Friday 28 August 2015
How to Change a Flat Tire in 11 Easy Steps [Sponsored]
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Whether it’s the rattling that comes and goes with the moon phases, a timing belt that obeys only changes in barometric pressure, or the sudden flickering of that dreaded “check engine” light, certain car problems require the professional experience and honest technical knowledge only a mechanic can bring. This doesn’t mean you should be afraid to do maintenance on your own car, though. There are certain car fixes that every man should be capable of doing himself. Your mechanic might not thank you for learning them, but your wallet surely will.
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Whether it’s the rattling that comes and goes with the moon phases, a timing belt that obeys only changes in barometric pressure, or the sudden flickering of that dreaded “check engine” light, certain car problems require the professional experience and honest technical knowledge only a mechanic can bring. This doesn’t mean you should be afraid to do maintenance on your own car, though. There are certain car fixes that every man should be capable of doing himself. Your mechanic might not thank you for learning them, but your wallet surely will.
How to Change a Tire
If you drive a car with any regularity, you’re going to get a flat. It’s not a question of if it’ll happen, but when.
1. Make sure you’ve got a proper jack, wrench and spare in your vehicle. When the inevitable happens, throw on your hazard lights and find a safe place to pull off—avoid steep hills and curves.
2. Pop off your hubcap if necessary. Now grab your lug wrench and get ready to flex your muscles. Start by loosening each lug nut (by turning counter clockwise) but not removing them altogether. Keep the car on the ground for this step as you might need some leverage—there’s no shame in using both hands and a foot if necessary.
3. Now it’s time to raise the car. A jack always comes with your car’s spare kit, but it’s not a bad idea to upgrade. Every make and model has a different recommended spot to put the jack so be sure to consult your owner’s manual. Raise the car to about six inches—or the length of a one dollar bill.
4. Finish removing the lug nuts. Keep each nut in a safe place (like your over-turned hubcap) because there’s no fun in a roadside lug nut scavenger hunt.
5. Remove the flat by pulling straight out and away from the car. Swap the flat for your spare.
6. Line up the holes in the spare with the lug nut posts on the car, then push the tire in toward the car as far as it will go.
7. Start replacing the bolts. Stop once each bolt is snug but not tight.
8. Using the jack, carefully lower the car back to the ground.
9. Tighten the lug nuts incrementally in a top-to-bottom, side-to-side pattern until each bolt is as tight as you can safely turn it.
10. Pop on the hubcap, place the jack, flat tire and all your tools back in your spare kit.
11. Go about your way, but first make a note to pick up a new spare.
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2017 Ford GT Ordering Process Requires Application, Will Be Special
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Interested in the new Ford GT? Well, better start getting your affairs in order, because you won’t merely be able to walk into your neighborhood Ford dealership and pick one up the same way you would, say, grab a new Focus. As first brought to light by Road & Track via Reddit, Ford will set up a process by which prospective owners may apply to purchase a 2017 GT; when accepted, these buyers will then be led through a special ordering procedure to be completed at a Ford GT–certified dealership nearest them.
The GT ordering process was confirmed to us by Ford. That means each customer, should their application be accepted (longtime Ford owners or those who bought the last GT will have an upper hand), will be paired with a specific car before being personally walked through a special ordering sequence. Details on that exact experience are forthcoming, but we imagine that it’ll be quite special, especially given how Ford plans to build just 250 GTs per year.
The final MSRP for the car is still up in the air—as is the number of dealerships selected to sell the GT—but we know the new supercar could cost as much as $400,000. We asked Ford whether customer fitment to the car (the GT will have fixed seats) will be part of the ordering process, and were told no; the adjustable steering column and pedals will be sufficient. Even so, the ordering experience should live up to the expectations of those shelling out huge sums of cash for an incredible car. Of course, we remain fixated solely on driving the new, apparently 700-hp-plus GT ourselves, something that won’t happen until closer to (or perhaps after) customer ordering begins early next year.
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2017 Smart Fortwo Cabriolet Debuts: New-Gen Car, Four Percent More Roof – Official Photos and Info
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2016 Smart Fortwo Fuel Economy Released, ED Model to Arrive for 2017
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The new 2016 Smart Fortwo is better in pretty much every way—except one: fuel economy, which is roughly the same as last year, at 33/39 for the automatic. (The newly available manual version checks in at 32/39 mpg city/highway.) Considering it has upgraded power and performance, this is somewhat of a win, although we’re sure that some folks—greenies in particular—might be disappointed that the Fortwo didn’t break the 40-mpg mark.
For its part, Smart seems content with these numbers, and it isn’t even offering a diesel model in Europe anymore. It also says that a new Electric Drive model—which was the best version to drive in the car’s previous generation—is on the way for 2017, but won’t actually arrive until late next 2016 at the earliest. In the meantime, Smart will introduce the sunny new cabriolet model at the Frankfurt auto show next month; that one goes on sale early next summer.
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Future Past: This Modern 1930s Grand Prix–Style Sports Car Needs to Happen
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British designer Afzal Kahn must hate sleep. Reigning over a mini-empire that includes namesake concerns Kahn Automobiles, Kahn Styling, and Kahn Clocks and Watches, he recently added the Chelsea Truck Co., to his portfolio, a London-based retail outlet where the well-heeled can browse off-road offerings such as the wonderfully bizarre Land Rover Defender–based Flying Huntsman 6×6. Now, in an attempt to squeeze every spare second out of 2015, Kahn has announced plans to begin producing a retro-style racing car called the Speed 7 before the calendar year is over.
The third major vehicle project from Kahn, the Speed 7 takes its inspiration from the Grand Prix racers of the 1930s while offering improved performance. All the retro cues are in place: the side exhaust, copious louvers, and a vestigial windscreen. Slated to be designed and hand-built in Britain, Kahn says the Speed 7 will use “modern materials” and hints that they may include aluminum and composites. The car also is described as a retro thoroughbred that can be enjoyed on the track without reservation. Potential engines or transmission options have yet been announced.
Kahn clearly knows his demographic well, and suggests the Speed 7 will be ideal for those “looking to set up their own race team; don their driving goggles, gloves, and helmet; and get out on the circuit to recreate the feel of 1930s racing.” To help facilitate the gentleman-racer vibe he envisions, Kahn is planning to produce a complementary range of period styled clothing and accessories under the Speed 7 brand.
As is to be expected, each car will come equipped with a plaque listing the names of the individuals involved in the build, as well as a unique owner’s book detailing each stage of the design and manufacturing process.
While we’re intrigued by the design drawings and admire the unbridled passion the project embodies, the fact that no powertrain details have been revealed and that Kahn is, according to the website, looking for collaborators “in the areas of infrastructure, manufacturing, and associated services,” leads us to question if the Speed 7 will ever see the light of day, never mind by the end of 2015. Still, given Kahn’s track record of turning designs into in-the-metal realities, it could happen after all. And better late than never, right?
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2016 Ford Mustang Shelby GT350 / GT350R – First Drive Review
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The Refreshed Chrysler 300 SRT Is Hot—But It’s Officially Dead for North America
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The mainstream Chrysler 300 lineup received a thorough update for 2015 with nary a peep about the nuclear-grade SRT version. While that was a clear message that the burliest 300 was truly buried in North America—our sources also said as much last year—multiple sightings of refreshed 300 SRTs testing in the U.S. sowed confusion and seemed to indicate otherwise. Well, the answer is now definitive: It’s gone, man.
But not everywhere. Those cars we spotted testing? They were doing so for the benefit of 16 global markets where the SRT is still popular and which are just receiving the updated model, including Australia, New Zealand, Brunei, Zimbabwe, South Africa, Belarus, Angola, six Middle Eastern countries, Indonesia, Japan, and South Korea.
While sales volumes and economics certainly played a role, a Chrysler spokesperson we spoke to cited FCA’s focus on SRT as a Dodge-based performance brand as chief among the reasons for axing the hot 300 from the U.S. (The Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT is a notable exception, but it sells well enough to justify its continued existence here.) The Canadian-built 300 SRT skews somewhat away from all-out performance, so it moves to export-only status—albeit now with an eight-speed automatic and updated styling to go along with its stonking, 470-hp 6.4-liter Hemi V-8. You can check out a batch of photos of the refreshed car in our gallery below.
We always liked the 300 SRT’s blend of luxury and uniquely American brutality, and it came across as a sort of budget AMG. (Which, given the Mercedes roots of its platform, we suppose it is.) While it’s not like SRT isn’t churning out interesting stuff for us nowadays—witness the Hellcatting of all the things—it’s hard not to be bummed that the latest version won’t be roaming U.S. streets.
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The Refreshed Chrysler 300 SRT Is Hot—But It’s Officially Dead for North America
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Audi Tech Update: Virtual Cockpit for A3, Anti-Hacking Measures, 1-Teraflop A8
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Four decades ago, automotive engineers dealing with electronics had to make sure the distributor’s rotor kept whizzing, the air conditioners didn’t kill the alternators, and nothing would cause shorts to put the eight-track on the fritz. Times have changed. Now such engineers are involved in every area of a car company. For proof, here’s a peek at what Audi’s electronics department, headed by Ricky Hudi, has been up to lately.
Audi’s Virtual Cockpit as seen in the 2016 TT roadster.
A3 Virtual Cockpit
Is there a limit to how low in the Audi range the automaker’s high-powered all-digital instrument cluster can go? It seems not, as next year, the customizable screen will end up in the face-lifted version of the A3 sedan and hatch, Hudi told us. “In the future, there are not so many [of our] cars that will not have it integrated, even into the smaller cars. Next year in the A3, we will also integrate the Virtual Cockpit,” he confirmed.
Developed originally for the newest TT, the system has already spread into the R8 and, as an option, the Q7 and the next A4. It can show either a digital replica of the traditional analog two-dial dash or be customized in multitudes of ways to deliver just about any information to the driver.
According to Hudl, “the customer who chooses the base A3 won’t choose this option. If they choose a higher engine or a higher, well-equipped car then they will choose it—no doubt. The price reduces very fast with more people using it and the Virtual Cockpit is an Audi signature now.”
We don’t know what the next-generation A8 will look like, so here’s a picture of the S8 Plus.
The 1-TeraFLOP A8
A claimed auto-industry record of more than a teraFLOP of computing power will be stuffed inside Audi’s next A8, we’ve been told. With Audi spending four times as much on developing in-car electronics as it did just five years ago, everything it knows will be brought to bear on the next-generation A8, due in 2017.
According to Hudi, booming demand for gadgetry and new systems has put unprecedented strains on his department. “It is a significant double-digit percentage of Audi’s total research and development spend today,” he said. “There will be more than a teraflop of computing power in the A8. It will need it, and it’s affordable.” A large slice of that computing power will be soaked up by the adoption of touch screens for both the multimedia and ventilation systems, plus the next iteration of the Virtual Cockpit.
“If you just look to the camera in the [all-new 2017] B9 A4, it’s a 3D camera that does everything from recognizing traffic signs to active cruise control with its Mobile Eye. It has 245 gigaFLOPS of computing power. The world’s biggest supercomputers only just had that 15 years ago. To give you an example of how it’s moving, I now have a budget four times more than when I started in 2009 as the head of the electronics development.”
Staying Ahead of the Hackers
A team of professional hackers gets access to every Audi before it ever reaches the market, we were told. Having its vehicles offer constant internet connectivity is now standard operating procedure for Audi, Hudl took exception to suggestions the cars were as vulnerable to being hacked as, say, Fiat-Chrysler’s fleet.
“Our internet systems are encrypted and when we think we are at the point where the concepts are right, we regularly pay people to hack them,” Hudi said. “We pay companies to take our cars away to hack them, before they get to production. We give them our cars and say, ‘Take as long as you want, but please try to attack it, in whatever way you can.’ Basically we tell them they can use all ways available, including straight vandalism, to get access to control the car’s electronic systems. For what I can see, that’s the best way to improve security,” and he admits that the hackers have shown Audi ways to defend its cars and drivers.
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Donning the Blue Blazer: What It’s Like to Judge at the Pebble Beach Concours [Sponsored]
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With 2015 marking its 65th year, the Pebble Beach Concours d’Élégance, held on the 18th green at Pebble Beach Golf Links, is the world’s premier vintage-car event. The coveted Best of Show trophy at the Concours is the holy grail of the old car world. As a Pebble Beach judge for 26 years, I’ve witnessed the joy of victory and the agony of defeat countless times. Jay Leno, a frequent entrant, likes to say that “this is the only car show where a simple millionaire can beat the billionaires.” But it’s much more serious than that. Here’s a look at what it’s like to judge the world’s most prestigious car show.
Let’s start with the cars. To show a car at “Pebble,” you first must apply. More than 750 would-be entrants annually vie for about 220 places. It’s hard to get in, difficult to win your class, and nearly impossible to capture the top prize. The finest and often the rarest automobiles ever built are divided into twenty classes, several of which may change each year.
Splendor in the Grass
Entrants often work for years to restore their cars, although well-preserved cars are equally welcome in the Preservation Class. From the moment the show cars emerge out of the early morning mist and take their assigned positions on the 18th green in front of The Lodge, Pebble Beach becomes a colorful and dramatic pageant. Suspense builds throughout the day. While elegantly dressed men and women sip champagne and crowd around the cars, knowledgeable class judges in blue blazers meticulously scrutinize each car for restoration accuracy or preservation integrity, as well as for mechanical function. Points are deducted for any imperfections, inaccurate details, and over-restoration, and are awarded for style, beauty, color, and field presence. A perfect score is 103 points. Each winning entry must be driven over the show ramp to claim an award.
A class victory at Pebble Beach confirms that a car is historically correct, very close to the way it originally came from the factory or coachbuilder, and arguably perfect. But even that’s not enough. From those class winners, the Best of Show is chosen by a secret ballot cast by the Chief Class Judges, along with a cadre of Honorary Judges, many of who have been or are presently automobile designers, along with the event Chair, Sandra Button.
A 1937 Delahaye at the 2015 Concours.
Any Pebble Beach award increases a car’s value, compliments its owner, and honors its restorer. Once you and your car have won an award at Pebble Beach, recognition follows you throughout the old-car world. Multiply those accolades by a big factor for winning Best of Show. Although a few past Best of Show winners have restored their own cars, most have been restored professionally. Very few people have the talent or the equipment to do a car on their own.
“Winning Pebble Beach establishes your shop as a brand,” says Paul Russell (whose entries for Ralph Lauren and for Paul and Chris Andrews have won Best of Show three times), “and it establishes the credibility of the winning car. There’s not much you have to say after that. You’ve added another important chapter to the car’s story.”
Serving as a judge at Pebble Beach is a great honor. I have done it 26 times, and it’s still a thrill. This is what it’s like.
The Long Road to Pebble Beach
It all starts with car selection. The Pebble Beach Selection Committee—of which I am a member—meets in January or February. During the three-day meeting, which usually involves a side trip to a prominent collection or two, we review as many as 750 cars and finalize classes. Applicants send lots of information on their cars including vintage and recent photographs, the car’s history, provenance documents such as old registrations, previous awards, etc. You can’t carbon-date a car, but it is easy to fake photos and documentation, so we like to see as much information as possible. The combined automotive knowledge on the committee usually ensures an applicant’s car is the real deal—we don’t accept replicas—but we can’t be too careful. Each of the 20 members is an expert on several makes. Their combined knowledge helps ensure we don’t accept any ringers or fakes.
We vote to accept or reject each car. Sandra Button, as chairperson, has final approval. The results are posted on a special website that only the committee members can access.
The official Pebble Beach Concours acceptance letters—addressed to the owners of all the cars that have been approved—are then mailed, usually in April, to their delighted recipients. Rejection letters are sent at the same time. Class Judges receive assignments shortly afterward.
Racing legend Jackie Stewart, center, has been a judge at Pebble Beach.
Here Come the Judges
The strength of Pebble Beach lies in its judges and its judging system. Pebble Beach judges are the most qualified experts available. Many have been Pebble judges for decades, and they often judge the same classes each year. They know the cars; they know the details, from correct hose clamps to paint type. “We’re preserving history,” former Chief Judge Ed Gilbertson likes to say. Generations from now, people will look back on these cars and know, that for this moment in time, they were the best they could be.
Depending upon classes, we will have about 100-to-110 class judges and about 50 Honorary Judges (more about them in a moment). Most class judges have gained prior experience as CCCA (Classic Car Club of America) or AACA (Antique Automobile Club of America) judges. Ferrari, Rolls-Royce, Bugatti, Bentley, and other important marques are almost always judged by qualified people from those marque clubs.
The Chief Judge is Chris Bock, from Nevada City, California. He attended the event for the first time at age 18, and has been a Judge or a Chief Class Judge since 1973. Glenn Mounger, formerly co-chairman of the event for many years, is the Chief Honorary Judge. Jules Heumann, Pebble co-chairman from 1972 to 1998, is the chairman emeritus. He’s over 90 years old and sharp as a tack. As you can see, long experience abounds. We have twelve judges with more than 30 years experience at Pebble, thirteen judges with 25 years experience, and eleven judges with more than 20 years experience. Chris Bock told the assembled judges this year that the combined Pebble Beach judging experience in the room exceeded 1970 years.
Honorary Judges are industry luminaries and many of them are automotive designers, retired and active. This year, Honorary Judges included former Chrysler design chief Tom Gale and the present head of Fiat-Chrysler Design, Ralph Gilles; Pulitzer Prize-winning author Paul Ingrassia; former racer Jochen Mass; former Mazda head of design Tom Matano; Gordon Murray, the designer of the McLaren F1 and the Mercedes-Benz SLR; the Wall Street Journal auto critic and Pulitzer Prize winner, Dan Neil; Jackie Frady, Director of the National Automotive Museum; Sir Jackie Stewart, former F1 champion; racing icon Sir Stirling Moss; and Design Directors Christopher Svensson (Ford Motor Company), Freeman Thomas (Ford Motor Company Strategic Design Group), Dave Marek (Acura Global Design), and Shiro Nakamura (Chief Creative Officer for Nissan Motor Corporation), to name just a few. Past Honorary Judges have included Bob Lutz, Jim Farley, Keith Crain, Parnelli Jones, Piero Lardi Ferrari, and the late Denise McCluggage.
Dawn Patrol: A Mercury custom enters the show field.
Chief Class Judges and team members include this writer, along with Leigh and Leslie Keno (whom you may know from Antiques Roadshow); restorers Scott Grundfor, Ivan Zaremba and Patrick Ottis; Villa D’Este announcer and columnist Simon Kidston; writer/photographer John Lamm; and knowledgeable enthusiasts/editors such as Jonathan Stein, Don Montgomery, Peter Larsen, Alan Boe, and many more.
If there’s a one-time featured class, like Facel-Vega or Pegaso, the judging team will consist of an experienced Pebble Beach judge and a marque expert or two. That’s a good way to become a judge, at least for that one time. Once you’ve had that experience, and if you have expertise in other brands, you may be asked to return in the future, if there’s a vacancy. The best advice is to watch the Pebble Beach announcements about what’s coming. If there’s a rare marque like Ruxton or DuPont coming up and you can prove your expertise, you might ask to be considered. People joke that someone has to die before a new person can be a judge at Pebble Beach, but that’s not really true. That said, there’s very little turnover. And there’s a long waiting list.
The Judges’ Meeting
The official judges’ meeting, on the Friday afternoon preceding the Concours, runs about two hours. It’s not mandatory but the discussions are always interesting. For new judges, it’s helpful to know the procedures and timing. If you’re an experienced Pebble Beach judge, you benefit from discussing topics like what constitutes over-restoration. Or how much of a car’s original bodywork must remain before points are deducted. And considering questions like, which period accessories are acceptable? When was metallic paint first used? How long after a car was built can the bodywork be changed, and will it still be eligible? And so on.
After 10 years of service, The Concours rewards judges with a commemorative pin in five-year intervals. Judges wear these proudly, like decorations on the chest of a service veteran. It’s a badge of honor. Every judge is a volunteer. If there’s anything that could be construed as a perk, it’s a posh Robert Talbot necktie that’s given to each judge each year, usually commemorating the featured marque from that year. They can choose to wear it that day or not.
Degrees of Perfect
The comprehensive, 103-point judging sheet, derived from Classic Car Club of America criteria, has been carefully refined over the years. There’s a subjective factor of three points for elegance, presence, historic significance, color, etc., so a perfect 100-point car—and there are several of those each year—may be out-pointed by a 99-point example with better field presence, more sheer elegance, etc.
Historic significance, while not specifically judged, is an intangible that can help a car’s worth in some classes. For example, the Dean Batchelor Memorial Award, presented when there’s a biannual Historic Hot-Rod Class, is given to the most significant car in the class. For 2015, it was awarded to the ex-Bob Hirohata 1951 Mercury owned by Jim and Sue McNeil.
“Pebble Beach is the toughest concours,” Paul Russell says. “The judges there are the most knowledgeable of any show. They’re judging technical authenticity, competence, style and elegance, compared to events where judging is purely subjective in the ‘French style.’ We don’t prepare a car any differently for Pebble, but we do mount a spirited defense for our authenticity choices. It starts with extensive research on each car. We make that into a book that we have on hand during judging.”
A Concours entrant, out on Highway 1 during the Tour d’Élégance.
The Pebble Beach Tour
Preparing a car for the Concours is hard enough, but then there’s the Pebble Beach Tour d’Élégance, a 65-mile drive around the Monterey Peninsula that occurs the Thursday before the concours. About 120 cars destined for the show field typically participate. There are no points for the Tour, but if two cars are tied in points, and one of them has completed the Tour, that car wins. “The Tour is a challenge, because we’re pretty much sticklers for authenticity,” says Russell. “We don’t use auxiliary fans or electric fuel pumps. So you might have a Ferrari that’s built to run well on open roads, stuck in a long line of traffic. But it’s a chance to see the cars dynamically, to hear them run, and that’s important.”
“The Tour is a grueling trip, a real test of the car,” says Mario Van Raay, whose RM Restoration cars have won Best of Show five times (including 2015), “but we try to encourage the owners to enter. It creates a lot more work for us, but we’ve never had a car fail. We are set up to help anybody’s car and we will if we’re needed.”
“I have mixed feelings about the Tour,” says Rich Fass, owner of Stone Barn Restorations and a past Best of Show–winning restorer. “But I think it’s something that should be done. You want the cars to run as good as they look. Customers feel they spent all this time and money getting the car ready, having it trucked out to California, getting it prepped, then you go on the Tour, and there’s more dirt and more cleaning. Each car is the best when it leaves the shop, so you’ve kind of wasted all that [preparation] time.” Stone Barn works with its customers to compensate. “When you leave my place,” Fass says, “the billing is finished. Now it’s up to the Judges.”
On the Show Field
On Concours Sunday, we start with another Judges’ meeting at 8:30 a.m., but this one is just to introduce everyone, have breakfast, and for Chris and Sandra hand out the coveted long-service pins. Judges get their show folders, score sheets, and those neckties.
“Official” attire on Sunday is a blue blazer and tan slacks or a tan skirt. Most people wear straw hats. It can be cold in the early morning hours at Pebble but it warms up in the 80s before the day is over and the sun can be brutal. It’s only rained once in 65 years, so that’s not an issue.
About 350 people are on the field at 5 a.m. to watch the cars come in. Hagerty Insurance sponsors this popular “Dawn Patrol” event and distributes coffee, donuts and commemorative hats. Meanwhile, on the lawn, owners are giving their cars final wipe-downs. We walk right to where our class is placed on the field, and we greet the Class Host, who’s there to round up owners and help with last-minute details. Then we walk the row of cars, not really judging, just seeing how they look and whether any car or cars just jump out. Then it’s time for business.
Pebble Beach judges doing their thing.
Judgement Time
If there are eight cars to be judged in the class, which is typical, we start at 9 a.m. sharp and allow about 20 minutes per car. We introduce ourselves the owner or his representative—sometimes it’s the restorer himself—and ask how they obtained the car, what they know about its history, and what they did to the car: i.e. a full restoration, a partial redo, etc.
This is as much to help the owner relax as it is for our information. Most judges have done their homework already because the Chief Class Judge is allowed to let Class Judges access the application forms and photos filed online on the special Pebble Beach Judges’ website for their particular class. So we know the cars we’re going to see, we just don’t know how they will actually appear on the field.
For my classes, I always ensure my team has read this online material. In some case, I have even gone to see a car while it’s in restoration. One year, I drove from Virginia up to Baltimore to look at a historic hot rod. The owner was appreciative that I had gone to see his car, and he offered to pay me for my time and for travel expenses. I said that wasn’t necessary and that we weren’t allowed to be paid. He said, “I am a florist. Can I at least give you a bouquet for your wife?” I decided that was probably okay.
The official scoring sheet used by Pebble Beach judges (click to enlarge).
The 103-point judging form procedure mandates that we ask the owner to start the car and let it run for a few minutes. Once it’s started, one of us looks under the hood and under the car for leaks (sometimes a float sticks and a carburetor is dripping), another ensures all the instruments are operating, and we then we check headlights and taillights, the brake lights, and, if installed, directional signals. If the car won’t start, we move on to the next car. The owner has until we finish judging that next car to get his car running. This year, one car’s horn didn’t work. That half-point deduction became critical when the final tallies were made.
It’s hard to get under a car when you’re wearing a blazer, a tie, and slacks, but I usually manage. People love to take photos when you’re bent over on the ground, as they think that such a thing never happens. They’re wrong—we do it all the time. Undeterred by onlookers, oblivious to them really, we carefully examine the engine, the exterior, and the interior, looking for paint flaws, blemished chrome, incorrect equipment—anything that’s not correct. We never touch a car, not even a door handle. We ask the owner or presenter to do that.
High Anxiety
Owners are often very anxious, even though they may be captains of industry. We try to put them at ease, but sometimes, they’re so nervous they can’t even get the key in the ignition.
Jay Leno likes to tell this story: “Years ago, a guy, who should remain nameless, had a car there. The judges came around with their clipboards. The car looks good. Oh! The clock is not working. The owner said, ‘Oh, um, let me get my restorer, okay?’ Now the owner is frantically looking; he can’t find the restorer. The judges say, ‘We’re going to have to deduct points because the clock doesn’t work.’ He goes, ‘No, no, hang on.’
“He runs off. He can’t find the restorer. So the judges say, ‘Tell you what, we’ll make our rounds. On the way back if you’ve got the clock running, we won’t deduct any points.’ He’s frantically looking all over for the restorer and can’t find the guy. Finally, the judges come back and the clock is still not working. They go, ‘Sorry, we’ve got to deduct two points.’ As the judges walk away, the owner sees the restorer, with a Coke in his hand and a sandwich, eating it. He starts screaming at the guy: ‘They dinged me and the clock doesn’t work!’ The restorer says, ‘Did you wind it?’
“That owner just assumed it was an electric clock. He didn’t even know.”
That’s not typical of every owner, but it’s pretty funny. (In reality, we’d deduct only half a point for an inoperative clock—but I’m not telling that to Jay.)
Jay Leno is a regular at Pebble Beach.
Keeping Score
My team and I carefully score each car against its individual judging sheet. The goal is to hurry without looking hurried. If owners have a restoration book with before and after pictures, we give it a look. Then we walk to one side, out of earshot of the owners, to do our deliberations. If we deduct, say, half a point for a slightly wrinkled convertible top, we make sure to be consistent with that deduction from one car to another, for the same penalty.
The entrants needn’t worry. We judge the car, not the owner or the restorer. And we don’t judge the trunks, so entrants have a place to store anything they bring on the field. If a car is a convertible, we judge it the way it’s presented. If the top is up, we judge the top. If not, we check to see that there is a top, and proceed accordingly.
I act as scorekeeper, deducting a point or a half point where applicable, if a detail is incorrect, or if a component is not up to original standards. Over-restoration—excess plating or a polished part that should be unfinished or simply painted—is discouraged and penalized. A car can be painted a different color than it was originally, but the paint type must be correct for the period.
Tasteful vintage accessories, like Trippe spotlights, which are mounted on a bar with a bellcrank that lets the lights turn with the front wheels, are permitted on classics, but if a car is over-accessorized, it may lose a half point, a point, or more. We see a lot of Trippe lights on classics. Most are exact reproductions, and that’s permitted. But if every car in the classic era had been equipped with Trippe lights when it was new, the Trippe Lighting company would still be in business. Radial tires in the correct size are permitted, but I have a preference (and that’s allowable) for the correct vintage tires. The same is true for halogen bulbs.
Upgrading to disc brakes, adding power steering, installing an electric fan (except in race cars which weren’t designed to be on a show field and run cool), modern Aeroquip fittings, incorrect modern brake lines, etc., are all frowned upon and you will lose points.
Cars must be clean but we don’t obsess about it. After all, many of the entrants drove in the Tour and inevitably, the owner will miss some dust or the odd grease spot. That’s okay, as Ed Gilbertson, former Chief Judge liked to say, “Cars are meant to be driven; motorcycles are meant to be ridden.”
And the Winner Is . . .
After we finish judging each car (and we do judge each car, even if an entrant is display-only), we sincerely thank the owner, then step away to double check the deductions. We don’t add the scores and we don’t add any points—at this time—for presence, elegance, etc. That’s done after we’ve completed all the cars and we’re back in the judging room.
Owners and restorers watch our every move so we take copious notes as to why we’ve deducted points. “Pebble Beach judges know what they’re looking for,” says Rich Fass. “They key into every little aspect of the car. You have to be good to be invited out there in the first instance, so the judges have a very hard job, but they do a very good job of judging. As a restorer, I appreciate that.”
Finally, we check all the scores one more time, pick the first three winning cars (and a fourth in case one won’t start—they have to drive over the ramp to claim their trophy), and turn the forms in by noon. We’re treated to an elegant lunch in the Judges’ room while score sheets are reviewed and results officially tallied. Sometimes, Sandra Button or a member of the team that tallies the scores has a question, so we stay briefly after lunch, just in case.
Many times, like this year, it’s very, very close. Sometimes we have several cars with perfect 100-point scores, so it boils down to the subjective factor of the last three points.
For the 2015 concours, I judged historic Mercury customs, with restorer David Grant and hot-rod racer and author, Don Montgomery. We three have judged together for many years, so we work very smoothly. We’ve had hot rod classes since 1997 in alternate years. This was the first time we’ve ever had Mercury customs on the show field, and it was a trip to see the chopped ex-Bob Hirohata and Fred Rowe Mercurys, cars that starred in classic B-movies like Running Wild with Mamie Van Doren, displayed on the same field as Delahayes and Duesenbergs.
With the results submitted, we’re then free to enjoy the show, and I like watching the cars being announced and crossing the ramp. Most people are good sports—after all, it’s an honor just to be on the field with your car. But we’ve had whiners, complainers, and even one disgruntled loser who trashed his room at The Lodge when he failed to win a trophy—but thankfully, that’s the exception.
As a Chief Class Judge, I have one vote for Best of Show and that has to be tallied after all the class winners are selected. As each first-in-class winner is named, the owner is directed to a special holding pen that’s set up near the oceanfront. When all the class winners are finalized, the Chief Class Judges and Honorary Judges are asked to walk down to that area, and select the car they’ll nominate for Best of Show. After that’s done, I drop my ballot in the box and head to the Mercedes-Benz balcony for a glass of wine with my wife, Trish, and a birds-eye view of the last cars to cross the ramp.
The 2015 Pebble Beach Best of Show, a 1924 Isotta Fraschini.
The Moment of Truth
Best of Show is the big moment everyone’s waiting for. It’s always exciting, and while I’ve correctly picked the winners some years, and I’ve also missed. The three or sometimes four finalists gather in their cars at the foot of the ramp. Everyone holds his breath. Who will win? Will it be prewar or postwar? Will the car start?
When Best of Show is announced, the runner-ups stay in place and the winning car slowly drives over the ramp where the excitement quickly reaches fever pitch: Trumpets blare, cameras snap, confetti and streamers fly, and, more often than not, there are a few happy tears from the owner. The restorer breathes a sigh of relief.
“Best of Show is like winning the World Series,” says restorer Rich Fass. “The enthusiasm, the tears coming out of their eyes, it’s special. I want to be there every year and I love the competition. When there’s only one winner, it means a lot to them, and it means a lot to me. There’s not another show in the world like it.”
In 2014, when John Shirley’s 1954 Ferrari 375MM Scaglietti Coupe became the first postwar car to win in decades, there was a lot of high-fiving on the balcony. The 2015 winner was Jim Patterson’s 1924 Isotta-Fraschini with body by Worblaufen, so you could say things have returned to normal at Pebble Beach. That is to say that the winner is an exotic marque from the prewar period with a custom-built body, in either coupe or roadster form, with a majestic grille, a long hood, a little cabin, and a flowing tail. This was Jim Patterson’s second Pebble Beach Best of Show win, but judging from his smile, it was just as exciting as the first time.
Jim and Dot Patterson and their winning 1924 Isotta Fraschini.
Our work as judges for the year is over, but the Selection Committee work begins again almost immediately. Each year always feels like a tough act to follow, but in an effort to help create the best Concours d’Élégance in the world, we’re always up for the task.
I love attending this event more than anything I do all year in the car world. I was surprised and honored to receive the Lorin Tryon Trophy in 2014—it’s the only award at Pebble Beach that’s given to a person, not to a car, and it’s for contributions to Pebble Beach and the old-car hobby. I was very proud.
And lastly, a confession that reveals how deeply I love this event: Some years ago, my brother called to say that he was remarrying; he had met his high-school sweetheart after decades had passed and they planned an August ceremony. When he told me the dates, I said, “Oh, Pete . . . it’s Pebble Beach weekend.” He said, “So just skip it one year.” I replied, “I can’t skip it.” Bless their hearts, they changed the date of their wedding.
There’s only one place I’d rather be in the third week of August, and now you know why.
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