Concours is short for Concours d'Élégance, or in simple terms, a car show, but with a difference. Unlike the many ‘show and shine’ events that take place in the summer in North America, a concours is a judged show where the entries are evaluated by a team of qualified judges. To learn more about the JCNA version of concours I'll explore the JCNA concours rulebook, discuss the entrants’ experience and talk with the Chief Judge of the Jaguar Car Club of Victoria on the west coast of British Columbia, Terry Sturgeon.
THE JCNA BACKSTORY
Jaguar Clubs of North America (JCNA) is a social organization that has chapters in Canada, the United States and Mexico. Each chapter is based in a particular region or city and primarily has events for the local members, such as social get-togethers, drives, slaloms and concours. It is somewhat similar to the UK Jaguar clubs, as there are member services such as a magazine and tool loan program. One of the main differences between the UK clubs and JCNA is that there is a very strong (and extremely serious!) concours component to many of the JCNA club events, with most clubs holding an annual concours meeting. Each individual JCNA affiliated club is responsible for organizing and hosting their concours, but it need not be exclusively concours-only entrants. Many clubs have a summer show and concours is only a part of the show; Jaguar owners can also show their cars without having them judged. Sometimes, there might be a People’s Choice or other award for the non-judged cars, but that
