NCRS vs. Bloomington

[Dave F.]

What's the difference between the two? The only thing I could find online about the Bloomington certification said this:

"Certification judging is based upon typical factory production, representing the authentic appearance and parts of Corvettes as they left the factory..."

Sounds like NCRS to me.

-Dave

[John S.]

Re: NCRS vs. Bloomington

Just one thing you PAY more money to get a Gold than to get a Top Flight.

[Greg L.]

Re: NCRS vs. Bloomington

The way I understand it is this... NCRS standards are judged as to how a car would be new on the dealer lot or show room floor where as Bloomington standards are judged as to how a car would be as it left the factory. I also think Bloomington leans more towards preservation and the NCRS is more towards restoration but I might be off on that.

[Paul B.]

Re: NCRS vs. Bloomington

...one is done by a group of volunteer judges, the other is paid employee judging.

[Kent K.]

Since when do Bloomington judges get paid

During my 7 year itch as a Bloomington Gold judge, I receive no stipends. When did this begin???
Kent 6201

[Lyle24961]

Re: NCRS vs. Bloomington

Two regionals and a National to get a Duntov will not be cheaper than one day at Bloomington. The friends you make in the two weekends and the week at nationals will be priceless. One Regional Top Flight may be about the same unless you can stay at home and the regional comes to you.
Lyle

[Jack H.]

There are several 'circuits' for Corvettes...

to be judged and three of them are very similar BUT there are differences.

NCRS, National Corvette Restorers Society, is a club with judging done by members for members. Restored Corvettes are judged for both originality and condition using a 4500 point scale with services provided at Chapter, Regional and National meet levels.

NCCB, National Corvette Certification Board, commonly known as Bloomington Gold is a private, for profit company providing judging services. Restored cars cars are judged for originality and condition once a year using a scale of roughly 9800 points (double check this number at Bloomington's web site).

ChevyVettefest is another private organization providing judging services for restored Corvettes. They hold two meets each year and use a 1000 point scale.

Differences are subtle. Since ChevyVettefest is conducted indoors, the operation of the car is NOT checked/tested. NCCB holds several categories of the car 'sacred' and if transgressions are observed, the car can NOT achieve a Gold certification regardless of its actual score. NCRS allows owner participation (driving the car to/from a judging meet) to influence the score and award outcome with a bonus system intended to defray wear/tear/risk for those who actually drive/use their Corvettes.

On all three circuits, you'll encounter judges with NCRS affiliation, but they follow the rules promulgated by the meet sponsor. NCRS publishes their judging rules and the library is rather large, but ALL of the organizations rely on the individual judge's knowledge on fine details.

Since NCCB and ChevyVettefest are limited in terms of how many cars they can take each year, getting a 'berth' there is either by lottery or invitation/acceptance. NCRS is open to all members, but club rules place a limit on how many cars will be judged at each meet to 'level' the judging load.

I've taken one of my Corvettes to all three events and received top awards (Top Flight/Mark of Excellence at NCRS, Gold Certification at NCCB and Gold Spinner/Triple Crown at ChevyVettefest. I found each circuit unique and each time my car was judged I learned new information. But, NCRS was a GREAT place to start the campaign effort because there are so many MORE meets each year and the club encourages owners to IMPROVE on their restoration, bring the car back and have it judged again as many times as you like...

[Dave S.]

Re: NCRS vs. Bloomington

I've never been to Bloomington but have heard a lot about their judging process over the years. Having been through the NCRS system many times including Duntov and Bowtie awards I can't imagine that NCRS leans more toward restoration and Bloomington toward preservation. In my opinion the NCRS Bowtie judging system is far superior to the Bloomington Survivor Award. Bloomington accepts around 50%-60% originality where NCRS works on 80%-855 originality. I can't imagine a Bloomington Gold award more difficult to earn than a Duntov/McCellan award. From an owners viewpoint the NCRS system is well organized and documented w/ the Judging Guides and is getting better all the time. Bloomington has no published criteria the I'm aware of.

[Nick Culkowski]

Re: There are several 'circuits' for Corvettes...

A provoking question, perhaps. Consider a theoretical (maybe I should say theatrical) '67 Corvette (substitute your favorite vintage). What would the ranked list, all inclusive ULTIMATE AWARD "package" with only awards earned post 2002 look like?

[Patrick H.]

Re: Since when do Bloomington judges get paid

Kent,

I believe that they are presently paid $100 in lieu of the "one night hotel stay" that was the previous remuneration.

Patrick

[Kent K.]

Re: Since when do Bloomington judges get paid

Patrick ---- Sorry my NCRS kicked in again. There was some arrangement for NCCB to pay for one night hotel for judges.

Dave ----- I believe Jack's response answered your initial question regarding differences between NCRS and NCCB judging. We should add that many of the judges at one venue are also judges at the others. For what its worth, NCCB judges have been seen using NCRS judging guides as reference material (I did for 7 years).

Of all the Corvette judging experiences under my belt, NCRS national when going for the Duntov was the most rewarding.

Kent 6201