Gary Cox, a member of the local Taree Antique and Classic Car Club, has won the Council of Heritage Motor Clubs NSW Concours d'Elegance 2022 with his 1981 DeLorean DMC 12.
The Concours was conducted as part of a four-day rally at Singleton from April 1 to 4 that attracted vintage, veteran, and classic cars from all over NSW.
Concours d'Elegance is a term of French origin that means 'competition of elegance' and refers to an event where prestigious vehicles are displayed and judged.
Related: Gary goes back to the future
Concours events are judged by classic car experts and focus on originality, presentation, and condition. Entrants start with 100 points and the judges will deduct a point for each non-compliant component or poor presentation.
At this Concours, judges made allowances for vehicles driven to the event as some arrived on trailers. The winner is the owner who retains the most points.
The aim is to have the car as close as possible to the way it came off the production line. According to the judges, this is where the DeLorean was a strong contestant - "authenticity" was the term they used at the presentation dinner.
Gary said when the win was announced he had to "pick (his) jaw off the ground".
"I was a little bit stunned. It had some very strong competition, that's for sure. This is a State-wide concourse. And I hadn't really cleaned the car or done that much to it.
"But having said that, when I look back at the car, I've kept that thing in almost immaculate condition. And it's exactly the same way that it came off the production line, effectively," he said.
Bill said during the rally the car attracted a lot of attention from couples and families.
"The public really responded to the car. The massive reception gave me a great sense of joy.
"It's a stunning car people just go berserk when they see it."
The DeLorean was made famous in the Back to the Future movies.
It's not the first time a member of the Taree Antique and Classic Car Club has had a prestigious win.
In 2018 Trevor Hudson won the Pre-War USA competition at Motorclassica, "the absolute pinnacle of concours judging of motor vehicles in Australia" according to Gary, with his Stutz Black Hawk L6 Roadster.
It's not the first time Gary has entered a concours, either. He entered his Morgan 4/4 into the Sydney Harbour concours in 2014, and earned a mention.
"But I've never actually won an official prize!" Gary said.
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