Our awards are like the rest of the show, nice and relaxed. We have a team of people to walk the show field and find what we think are the winners in each category, then they meet up and discuss their shortlists. Sometimes it is unanimous, sometimes there is much back and forth, there is however never a clipboard and check list in sight. Whilst our methods are relaxed our winners in the past have been some of the finest modified cars in the world, so you stand in could company if you walk away with a Retro Rides Gathering award. Let's look at the categories and what we'll be judging on this year.
Car Of The Year - Our star prize, we're looking here for the all-round package. It can be a well-executed idea, a fantastic quality of build, a cohesive theme that works, something that just 'feels' right, something that is the ethos and aims of Retro Rides made flesh. We do expect the cars to be well presented, but won't be judging whether you got the inside of your exhaust clean enough. This is probably hardest award for us to define, it is a car that is just right. Some years it is very hard to pick between a number of cars, other years we've known what will win as soon as we've seen it drive through the gate.
Truck - Ahhh pickup trucks, one of our favourite types of modified cars, from super low minitrucks to custom trucks to kei trucks to lifted 4WD, we love them all. However there aren't as many floating round the UK retro scene as we'd like, in order to encourage a bit more action we've created this award. Now there is entirely the possibility that only one truck will turn up and walk away with the prize, of course you should probably tell your truck owning friends to bring theirs to make sure that doesn't happen
Racer - Got a genuine race car? Got a car done up in race car livery? Well we've got the award for you. Maybe. The winner of this one will be a great looking race car. Whether that is a faux racer, a retired racer or a currently active racer is up to those that turn up. Extra points for authenticity, but we're a broad church so we'll be considering all comers.
Engine - Sometimes beauty on a car is more than skin deep. For this prize we'll be looking for crazy engine swaps, or interesting engine bays. So if you've managed to shoe horn a V12 into a Fiat 127, or you've got a swap so well done it looks OEM, or you've smoothed and cleaned your engine bay enough that you can eat your dinner off of it we're looking for you.
Cool - In previous years we come across a car that we feel deserves a prize but it doesn't really fit any of our previous year categories. For this situation we've made the Cool award. It is hard to describe what we'd be looking for here, just a car that we look at and say to each other "that is cool". Maybe it is a good idea, or just a nice car, or just well put together, or just cool. We know it when we see it
Different - Dare to be different is one of our favourite phrases. This award is for those that have gone so far outside the box that the box is just a dot to them. So bring on your bosozoku, your lifted, your single digit obscurer, your Brazilian VWs, your weird and always wonderful.
The Low Set Award - Our friends at The Low Set like to give out a prize each year for a car they feel deserving of it. It isn't purely being super low, although it never hurts your chances, it is about being a complete package, something right in the eyes of the guys at The Low Set.
There you have it, our awards for this year. Judging will take place in the morning, prize giving will take place on the show field, near the Retro Rides merch tent during the lunch break.
