I've written a little bit about concours detailing in the past. Concours is all about points. Those points are given or taken away (depending on the judging structure) based on a set of specific criteria. Those criteria can be very vague or very specific and even so, they are up to the interpretation of the judges. For instance, how much overspray should there be on the undercarriage? Scoring is often split into two categories, authenticity and workmanship. What I deal with is primarily workmanship; cleanliness and finishes, though there are situations where authenticity takes precedent. For instance, on this GT500, I would normally thoroughly clean bolts, but the judging criteria requires that they be oiled, so if I clean them, I must also put oil back on them. The upper air ducts have a sealant around them where they attach to the body, that sealant needs to look a little sloppy or the car will lose points, so I can only clean it up so much. This is the world of concours. My primary goal is to make the car perfect, but there are areas that I cannot correct without sacrificing points, and points are the ultimate goal here.

This particular vehicle had been restored over the last few years. It was originally intended as a driver's car, but in the middle of the process, the owner decided he wanted to show it at the concours level. This takes a normally difficult task of immaculate cleaning and turns it into a case of immaculate reconditioning. While I may spend 8 hours doing 2 steps of paint correction to a daily driver, I spent 20 hours doing 1 step and some surgical buffing. I spent another 10 working on the engine, door jambs and undercarriage, on a chassis with probably 100 miles on it since being restored. While there is room to make it better, I took it to a condition that will earn the most points.

I am please to say that this car took home a gold award in division 2, and the owner was asked to return for a premier award in division 1. The car will also be featured in an upcoming historical text written by the SAAC historian.

Process

Wheels cleaned with meguiars D114
Tires cleaned with steam
Body recieved a hybrid rinseless wash with ultima waterless wash and optimum no rinse
Polish residue & splatter was removed with steam and meguiars D114
Mechanically decontaminated with traditional clay bar
Paint was polished with HD Polish+ on a Flex 3401 with a LC white hybrid pads
Tight areas were corrected with HD Cut+ and Polish+ on a Flex kompakt with various pads
Paint was protected with Son1c wax Breast in Show
Chrome trim was polished with Werkstat Prime Strong
Exhaust cleaned with Werkstat Prime Strong
Engine was cleaned with Meguairs D114 and various brushes
Jambs were cleaned with Meguiars D114, steam and polished same as the paint
Undercarriage was cleaned with Meguiars D114 and steam