Silver Star Preservation
Silver Star Preservation
About The Class
A number of years back two local MBCA Concours participants, Morgan Taft of the Western Reserve Section and Jim Sweeney of the Pittsburgh Section determined that they loved the shows, but grew weary of cleaning and preening their 3.5 coupes and convertible to the nth degree. Furthermore they each had original and untouched cars and wished to preserve their originality. They also grew tired of suffering deductions and having judges tell them that they needed to replace interior leather and wood pieces and better detail their engine compartments, since they felt that to do so would have spoiled their cars originality. They came up with the idea for a special classification that would recognize original and unrestored cars, now known as the Silver Star Preservation Class, and presented it to Peter Lesler, National Concours Committee chair, for approval by the National Board of Directors of MBCA.
How It Works
Your eligible Mercedes-Benz must be entered in a MBCA sanctioned sectional, regional or national concours. To be eligible, the vehicle must be at least 25 years old and it should be in good working order, driven under its’ own power to the event and be largely original. Your eligible car should have an original engine and drivetrain. There can be partial refurbishments of various components, but no complete restorations can be accepted.
At the event each Silver Star entrant will be given a Silver Star Preservation classification Score Sheet and be instructed how to complete it. The cars are self-judged by the entrant following the form. On the form, the owner informs the judges which aspects of the car are entirely original and which aspects have been altered over time. A Preservation Class Judge, assigned by the Concours Chief Judge will review the completed form with the entrant, evaluating each aspect of the car. If the car has earned enough points to be certified, the Chief Judge and the Class Judge verify the findings and initial the form. A digital photo of the entrant’s car in JPEG format is taken at the show and the completed classification form along with the photo is forwarded to the MBCA National Business Office. The MBCA National Business Office will create and send to the owner an official Silver Star Certificate formally declaring the car to have met the standards of the Silver Star Preservation Class. The owner may also purchase a specially designed grille badge from the MBCA National Business Office.
Cars may be certified at additional shows in succeeding years. We have certified many cars two and three times over the past few years. Though the Silver Star Preservation classification is not yet well known, it is rapidly gaining widespread acceptance. We certified over 80 cars last year and expect to do many more this year.