Cutting to the chase: Top Flight! Likely by the skin of my teeth …

… I returned home a little over an hour ago. The last hour or so of driving was in persistent rain—not fun on those now elderly Goodyear HP Ultras especially since rain causes folks around here to lose their minds.

I took deductions on areas I expected—it was the amount of the deductions that had changed since I was last judged at a regional back in 2010. In particular, I took a 96 point deduction (that's 2.1% right there) on my non-original clear targa top. I had taken deductions for that top before, but never a full deduct. That will have to be fixed if I want to take this car further in the judging process.

There was some good news. A lot of the small fixes I have detailed in this thread worked out. Judges liked my various bags, and some of the undercarriage cleaning paid off. I also sailed through operations with only a five-point deduction for the non-popping cigarette lighter. Finally, some of the judges found small things that are cheaply and easily fixed.

I will send a more precise update once I get the judging sheets back—likely in about two weeks. I should have pictures up much sooner.

One more note: Lauren drove beautifully this weekend, both to and from Altoona. This performance was a great and timely reminder of why I love this car.