Mercedes - SLS AMG - Owners Manual - 2017 - 2017

Mercedes-Benz Club of South Africa National Concours 2017 Information Brochure Background and 2017 Updates..................................................................................................................................................... 3 Competitions......................................................................................................................................................................................... 4 Concours d’Elegance ..................................................................................................................................................................... 5 Elements ....................................................................................................................................................................................... 5 Classes............................................................................................................................................................................................ 5 Scoring ........................................................................................................................................................................................... 5 Concours d’Etat ............................................................................................................................................................................... 7 Elements ....................................................................................................................................................................................... 7 Classes............................................................................................................................................................................................ 7 Scoring ........................................................................................................................................................................................... 9 Concours d’Honneur ...................................................................................................................................................................10 Trophies and Sponsorships ..........................................................................................................................................................11 Preparation .........................................................................................................................................................................................13 Rules .......................................................................................................................................................................................................14 Programme ..........................................................................................................................................................................................15 Other Related Matters.....................................................................................................................................................................16 Concours South Africa................................................................................................................................................................16 Annexure A – Registration Forms ..............................................................................................................................................17 Annexure B – Score Sheets............................................................................................................................................................17 Page 2 Background and 2017 Updates The Mercedes-Benz Club of South Africa’s National Concours remains one of the Club’s most prestigious events. We are one of very few, if not the only, car club in South Africa which still holds a true, authentic Concours competition. This event has received a great deal of attention from the National and Northern Region Committees in preparation for 2017 and a number of new, exciting changes have been made to the event. These include: • A beautiful new trophy set; • A re-definition of the competition hierarchies and classes including amendments to certain of the rule sets surrounding the classes in the various competitions; • An amended scoring rule set to ensure fair competition for all entrants. The purpose of this document is to set out the rules of the Concours as well as provide information to prospective participants. The rules have been set up or amended (where relevant) through a consultative process with the Concours organisers, the Club President and other members who have had a longstanding involvement with the competition and understand its rules and after careful scrutiny of the historical results of the various competitions. The rules will be reviewed periodically (not necessarily annually) by the National Committee at the Club President’s sole discretion. Please note that the rules are absolute and no queries will be entertained during the Concours. The judges’ decision is final and no correspondence will be entered into. Page 3 Competitions The Mercedes-Benz Club of South Africa’s National Concours consists of three main competitions: Concours d’Elegance (formerly referred to as “Tops Only”), Concours d’Etat and the highest honour, Concours d’Honneur. Registration forms are attached as Annexure A. The structure of the competitions is as follows: Concours d'Honneur 2017 Concours d'Etat Overall Winner Concours d'Honneur 2016 Concours d'Honneur 2015 Concours d'Honneur 2014 Concours d'Etat Pre-War Concours d'Etat Oldtimer Concours d'Etat Youngtimer Concours d'Etat Newtimer Concours d'Elegance Overall Winner Concours d'Elegance Pre-War Concours d'Elegance Oldtimer Concours d'Elegance Youngtimer Concours d'Honneur 2013 Discretionary Awards: President's Choice Concours d'Elegance Newtimer Ladies' Choice Cars in the Concours d'Elegance will be classified according to the rules for classification of the Concours d'Etat Page 4 Concours d’Elegance Elements This is the easiest category to enter. Many of our members already drive Concours winners in this class. In this competition, vehicles are judged according to what is visible when the car is parked on the ground. It is judged on the condition and cleanliness of its exterior, interior and boot. The engine compartment and under-body areas are not inspected and the vehicle is not subjected to a mechanical test. Classes For 2017, the structure of the d’Elegance competition has been altered slightly: there are four sub-classes in which vehicles compete. These are: o Concours d’Elegance Pre-War; o Concours d’Elegance Oldtimers; o Concours d’Elegance Youngtimers; and o Concours d’Elegance Newtimers. The overall winner of the four classes will be the winner of the Prix d’Elegance. Vehicles are grouped into the above classes based on the rules which apply to the categorisation of cars entering the d’Etat competition (see below). Scoring The d’Elegance competition is scored out of 270 points. The points are broken down as follows: Interior Exterior TOTAL Condition Cleanliness TOTAL 70 50 120 86 64 150 156 114 270 The detailed score sheets may be found attached to this document in Annexure B. Please note that a vehicle will only receive a participation certificate and an award if it scores 80% or more. Page 5 In scoring the d’Elegance competition, since the authenticity of the vehicle is not considered, the penalties in order to ensure fair competition amongst all entrants will be minimal. However, in order to acknowledge that condition of vehicles may deteriorate slightly due to wear and tear and ageing, vehicles will have one (1) point deducted for every completed five (5) year period that the vehicles are younger than fifty years old. This therefore results in a maximum penalty of ten points. Please note that the month in which a vehicle was registered will not be considered – only the year. Example: a 2008 year model vehicle entered for Concours d’Elegance will be aged as 2017 – 2008 = 9 years. This is 41 years younger than 50, so the vehicle’s score will be reduced by 9 points (i.e. 10 – (9 years ÷ 5 (no remainders considered, i.e. 1) = 9). However, a 1982 vehicle will be aged as 35 years and will be penalised 3 points (i.e. 10 – (35 ÷ 5) = 3). Page 6 Concours d’Etat Elements This is the competition which generally attracts the most entries. We encourage members who are considering entering a vehicle for the Concours to participate in this competition. In the d’Etat competition, vehicles are scrutinised very carefully and will be judged according to several criteria: condition, cleanliness, authenticity and mechanical condition. Classes The structure of the classes for the Concours d’Etat competition has been slightly amended for 2017. The d’Etat competition has been broken down into four categories: • Prix d’Etat – Pre-War; • Prix d’Etat – Oldtimers; • Prix d’Etat – Youngtimers; and • Prix d’Etat – Newtimers. The classes participating in each of these competitions are as follows: Prix d’Etat – Pre-War: • All pre-war vehicles Prix d’Etat – Oldtimers: Class Chassis Code(s) Class 170 / 220 W136 / W191 / W187 Class 300 W186 / W188 / W189 Class Ponton W120 / W121 / W105 / W180 / W128 Class Fintail W110 / W111 / W112 Class W108 / W109 W108 / W109 Class /8 W114 / W115 Class Grosser W100 Class 300SL W198 Class 190SL W121 Class Pagoda W113 Page 7 Prix d’Etat – Youngtimers: Chassis Code(s) Class Class W123 W/S/C/V123 Class W116 W116 Class W201 W201 Class W124 W/V/S/C/A124 Class W126 W/V/C126 Class W140 W/C140 Class R/C107 R/C107 Class R129 R129 Class Open * - W460/461/463 (G-Class 1979 / 1990) - W/S202 (C-Class 1993) - W/S210 (E-Class 1995) - C/A208 (E / CLK-Class 1996) - W638 (Vito / Viano 1996) - W168 (A-Class 1998) - W163 (ML-Class 1998) - R170 (SLK-Class 1998) - W/V220 (S-Class 1999) - C215 (S / CL-Class 1999) - C/R197 (SLS-Class 2000) - W/S203 (C-Class 2001) - CL/A203 (C / CLC-Class 2001) - R230 (SL-Class 2001) - W414 (Vaneo 2001) - C/R/Z199 (SLR-Class 2002) Prix d’Etat Newtimers: • All vehicles younger than 2003* or classes not specified above. * NB! Vehicles which fall into the Open Class as Youngtimers or Newtimers will be classified according to the specific year of registration of the individual vehicles. It is therefore possible that two vehicles of the same series may fall into different classes based on their ages. The winners of each of these competitions will compete with each other for the Grand Prix d’Etat. The winner of the Grand Prix d’Etat will automatically be entered into the Concours d’Honneur to compete with the Prix d’Honneur winners of the previous two years. Page 8 Scoring The d’Etat competition is scored out of 1 000 points. The points are broken down as follows: Condition Cleanliness Authenticity TOTAL Chassis 51 34 85 Engine 57 38 95 Interior 78 52 130 Exterior 82 58 140 Mechanical 100 100 Authenticity 450 450 TOTAL 268 282 450 1 000 The detailed score sheets may be found attached to this document in Annexure B. Please note that a vehicle will only receive a participation certificate and an award if it scores 80% or more. Based on an analysis of historical data, in order to allow all the winners of the d’Etat competitions in the various classes to compete fairly for the Grand Prix d’Etat (and, ultimately, Prix d’Honneur), penalties will be applied as follows: • • • • Oldtimers – no penalties, i.e. score will remain as judged; Youngtimers – a penalty of 20 points will be applied (2% of total available points); Newtimers – a penalty of 30 points will be applied (3% of total available points); and Pre-War – vehicles in this class will be awarded a bonus 10 points (1% of total available points). Page 9 Concours d’Honneur This competition is open only to the winners of the Grand Prix d’Etat of the current year and the Prix d’Honneur winners of the previous two years, i.e. a maximum of three participants. The vehicles must be present at the Concours to compete and will be judged against each other. The best of these three vehicles will be awarded the Prix d’Honneur. Should the previous two years have been won by the same vehicle, there will be only two participants in this competition. Scoring and penalties for the Concours d’Honneur are consistent with the methodology used for the Concours d’Etat. Page 10 Trophies and Sponsorships For the 2017 National Concours, a full new trophy set will be purchased. It is intended that this trophy set will be in use for ten years, after which it will again be reviewed. Trophies will be consistent across classes within the same competitions. Trophies will be available for the winners of each class. Second and third placed trophies have, in the past, been inconsistent between the classes and will not be renewed. However, second and third placed entrants in each class will be awarded a certificate. Sponsorships have been secured for some of the new trophies. First options to sponsor certain trophies were given to our Club president, past presidents and long-standing sponsors of the Club and the Concours event in particular. We are very pleased to announce that the following trophies have already been sponsored: • The Carl Benz trophy for the winner of the Prix d’Honneur has been sponsored by MercedesBenz South Africa; • The Gottlieb Daimler trophy for the winner of the Grand Prix d’Etat has been sponsored by Hein Lorentz (McCarthy Mercedes-Benz Life Style Centre); • The Wilhelm Maybach trophy for the winner of the Prix d’Etat – Pre-War has been sponsored by Waldo Scribante; • The Ferdinand Porsche trophy for the winner of the Prix d’Etat – Oldtimers has been sponsored by Steve Rademeyer; • The Paul Bracq trophy for the winner of the Prix d’Etat – Youngtimers has been sponsored by Etienne Geel; • The Dieter Zetsche trophy for the winner of the Prix d’Etat – Newtimers has been sponsored by Dirk van der Westhuizen; and • The Emil Jellinek trophy for the winner of the Prix d’Elegance has been sponsored by Sven Krassnokutski; and • The Bertha Benz trophy for the winner of the President’s Choice has been sponsored by René Scribante. • The Mercedes Jellinek trophy for the winner of the Ladies’ Choice has been sponsored by AnnaLee dos Santos • Prix d’Etat Class trophies: o Class 170 / 220 has been sponsored by Lizaan Kemp o Class 300 has been sponsored by Louis Coetzer o Class Ponton has been sponsored by Gary Dodds o Class Fintail has been sponsored by Chris Carlisle-Kitz o Class W108 / W109 has been sponsored by Koos du Toit o Class /8 has been sponsored by Leon Fourie o Class 300SL has been sponsored by Clive Winterstein o Class 190SL has been sponsored by Vinesh Ramdass o Class Pagoda has been sponsored by Yousuf Mohamed o Class W123 has been sponsored by Carika Aucamp o Class W116 has been sponsored by Jan-Willem Wielsma o Class W201 has been sponsored by Waldo Scribante o Class W124 has been sponsored by Johan Kemp Page 11 o o o • Class W126 has been sponsored by Johan Kemp Class R/C107 has been sponsored by Paul van Wyk Class R129 has been sponsored by Johan Kemp Prix d’Elegance Class trophies: o Pre-War has been sponsored by Kurt Stassen o Oldtimers has been sponsored by Northern region o Youngtimers has been sponsored by Southern region and We thank all our sponsors for their generous support of the Club and the National Concours. However, sponsorships are still required for: • Sponsorship opportunities will be open to paid up Club members in good standing, who will have until 28 June 2017 to make their sponsorship offers. The sponsorships available are as follows: • Prix d’Etat Class trophies: R2,500.00 each. The classes are: o Class Grosser o Class W140 o Class Open (see table above for details). • Prix d’Elegance Class trophies: R2,000.00 each. The classes are: o Newtimers Please note that in the event of more than one sponsorship offer being received for a certain trophy, the prospective sponsors will be notified and invited to increase the sponsorship amount being offered. The sponsorship will go to the member who makes the best sponsorship offer on the first revert. The sponsorship offer form is available as Annexure C. The successful sponsors will be contacted and payment details confirmed. All sponsorships are to be paid into the Club’s account by no later than 5 July 2017. Should sponsorships not be settled by then, the sponsorship will be forfeited and another member given an opportunity to sponsor that trophy. Page 12 Preparation Preparing a vehicle for a Concours d’Etat or Concours d’Honneur entry is meticulous and time-consuming work. The following areas are of particular importance: • The vehicle must be clean. On the exterior, all paintwork, bright work and glass must be clean and polished and all rubber and plastic components must be in excellent condition. On the interior, all surfaces must be clean and polished where necessary, and all worn components must be removed and replaced. Remember to remove all personal belongings from the vehicle when it is presented for judging. • Remember, for the Concours d’Etat, the under-body area and engine compartment will be checked just as thoroughly as the interior and exterior of the vehicle, and must be just as clean. • Everything on the vehicle must work. All switches, lights and equipment must work as intended, and the vehicle must start and drive correctly. • The vehicle must be authentic, but not necessarily original. Manufacturer-approved parts should be used where possible, even small things such as clamps, pipes and insulation material. However, period-correct accessories such as radios, alternative wheels, tow bars and seat covers that were available when the car was manufactured will not be penalised, even if they were retrofitted. While preparation for a Concours d’Elegance entry may be less in-depth than for a Concours d’Etat or Concours d’Honneur entry, it is important to note that vehicles should nonetheless be thoroughly cleaned and care taken to ensure that vehicles are presented at their best. Guidance as to the specific areas which are focused on during judging may be gleaned from the score sheets for the various competitions, which are attached in Annexure B. Page 13 Rules 1) 2) 3) 4) 5) 6) 7) 8) 9) 10) 11) 12) Only vehicles that have been registered for the Concours will be allowed to participate. Judging will take place according to the event programme in the next section. Please note that all vehicles entered for the Concours d’Etat will be judged on Saturday. Any vehicle that participates in the Concours must be driven into the judging area. Vehicles may be brought with a trailer, but must be removed from the trailer and driven from there. The owner (or driver) of the vehicle must be with the vehicle for the whole duration of the Concours, to start the vehicle, open the bonnet, and operate the switches. The judges may not be interrupted while evaluating the vehicles. There will be an expert on hand to answer any Concours-related questions. There are no second chances: if anything fails, the owner of the vehicle cannot quickly fix it and have it re-evaluated. Owners may not put their vehicles up for sale in the dealership parking lot during the Concours event. Score sheets will be handed to the owners on completion of the Concours. Vehicles may only be entered for one competition during the weekend. Vehicles which are eligible to participate in the Prix d’Honneur competition are obliged to do so (i.e. they may not be entered in the d’Etat competition). Participants are encouraged to enter the most difficult competition they can. While every effort is made to try to have the same judges at the event over years to drive consistency, this is not always possible. Judging is a subjective matter and different judges may assess vehicles differently. Participants are therefore advised that the judging of a particular section of the scoring may not be fully consistent year-on-year, but as the same individuals judge all vehicles in any given year, the judging will be equitable and consistent for all participants. The judges’ decisions are final and no correspondence will be entered into. Any participants wishing to enjoy our host’s hospitality will have to obtain a meal ticket. The person distributing these tickets will be identified at the event – please ask an official once you are there. Please note that the new trophy set will be retained by the organisers. Trophies will be awarded to the winners, who will have an opportunity to have photographs taken with the winning cars. Trophies are, to be returned immediately for engraving and safekeeping. Page 14 Programme Our kind sponsor of many years, Hein Lorentz of McCarthy Mercedes-Benz, has again generously agreed to host us for the Concours weekend. The 2017 National Concours will be held at the McCarthy Mercedes-Benz dealership in Centurion on Hans Strydom Drive on 09 and 10 September 2017. The programme is as follows: Saturday 09 September: Concours d’Etat and Concours d’Honneur participants 09:00 11:00 17:00 18:00 Dealership opens. The wash bay will be available for final preparation. Concours d’Etat and Concours d’Honneur judging commences. Judging adjourns. Dealership-sponsored dinner for all participants, judges and their families. Sunday 10 September: Concours d’Elegance participants and Open Day 08:30 09:00 12:00 12:30 13:00 Breakfast for all Club members and their families. Concours d’Elegance judging commences. Judging adjourns. Lunch for all Club members and their families. Prize-giving ceremony and conclusion. Page 15 Other Related Matters Concours South Africa The Mercedes-Benz Club will consider sponsoring the entrance fee (excluding any other costs) of the winners of the Prix d’Honneur for the Concours SA event which is held annually at Sun City. Application for sponsorship to enter this event may be submitted in writing to the Club President at [email protected]. The President’s decision in this regard is final. Page 16 Annexure A – Registration Forms 2017 Concours d'Honneur Entry Form.pdf 2017 Concours d'Etat Entry Form.pdf 2017 Concours d'Elegance Entry Form.pdf Return Annexure B – Score Sheets Concours Concours d'Honneur and Concours d'Etat Score Sheet.pdf d'Elegance Score Sheet.pdf Return Return Annexure C – Sponsorship Offer Sponsorship Offer.pdf Return Page 17