NCRS DUNTOV Mark of Excellence Award®

This award was created by the National Corvette Restorers Society in 1985, in honor of Mr. Zora Arkus-Duntov, long-time Chief Engineer for the Chevrolet Corvette, who retired from General Motors in 1975. The Duntov Award recognizes individuals for the restoration and preservation of 1953 -1974 Corvettes. To achieve this coveted award, an owner must attain a judging score of at least 97% out of 100 % based on an original "as manufactured" standard at a National or Regional NCRS event; as well as present the car for a rigorous performance test of all vehicle mechanical components and functions, all of which must operate as those of a new car, without a single failure. Finally, the car must again score at least 97%, at a National NCRS Convention, to receive the Duntov Award. The process of achieving the Duntov Award requires attendance at a minimum of three events, and must be completed within a three year period. Only 1,485 Corvettes have achieved the NCRS Duntov Mark of Excellence Award.

NCRS Top Flight Award

This award was created by the National Corvette Restorers Society in 1974 to recognize cars that have been preserved or restored to the highest level of achievement through the NCRS Flight Judging Process. These cars have to achieve 94% or above of 4500 available points to earn "NCRS Top Flight" in a rigorous judging process of Operations Check, Exterior, Interior, Mechanical and Chassis Judging. As of today 17,383 have gone through NCRS Flight Judging in attempting to earn this important mark of superiority.

Bloomington Gold is the longest running continuous national Corvette show and it has set the standards by which other Corvette events are measured.


The Roots of Bloomington Gold

Bloomington Gold can trace its roots back to 1973, when a group of Corvette enthusiasts gathered in Bloomington, Illinois to display their cars and swap extra parts with one another. They called it the Bloomington Corvette Corral, a one-day show on a two-acre section of the McLean County Fairgrounds. It was a hit from the start, with 1500 people in attendance, 112 Corvettes shown in the concours show and 19 vendors with parts and products at $3.00 per space. Spectator admission to the show was just a buck.

As word spread about the show, in 1974 it was expanded to two days, Saturday and Sunday, and a gymkhana event was added. Attendance for the show tripled and 82 vendor spaces were sold at $5.00 each. The number of Corvettes grew to 684, and judging classes for restored, original, custom, and semi-custom cars were added.

The Bloomington Corvette Corral continued to gather momentum, adding an all-Corvette auction in 1975 with over 100 cars entered. Other Corvettes were offered for sale in the Show & Sell event, while 300 cars were pre-registered to compete in the concours. Over 1200 Corvettes were on hand with several thousand enthusiasts in attendance.

By 1977 the Bloomington Corral had grown to be the biggest Corvette event in the country, with people attending from across the nation and around the world. The show was expanded to three days this year, and both attendance and Corvette numbers again grew considerably.


David Burroughs Introduces Certification Judging

Prior to 1978, judging at Bloomington was based on "car versus car" competition. There were class winners and best of show winners, and, of course, there were losers. All that changed for the Corvette and collector car hobby when, in 1978, David Burroughs unveiled Gold Certification judging.

Burroughs' plan was to enable any Corvette to be a winner if it met high standards of authenticity. Gold Certification would require Corvettes to be judged not against one another, but as to the car's level of accuracy compared to the day it left the factory. A Corvette would earn a Gold Certification if its condition was within 95 to 100 percent of the way it rolled off the assembly line - no better, no worse. Being 100 percent factory authentic, though, did not mean the car was 100 percent perfect, because Corvettes weren't perfect when new. A group of judges were assembled from the nation's most knowledgeable Corvette experts and the National Corvette Certification Board was born The Gold Certification judging procedures thus established became the benchmark for judging of all types of automobiles.

In 1984 the show became officially known as Bloomington Gold Corvettes USA and three prestigious new events were added -- the Special Collection, the Restoration Workshops and the Silver Salute.

The Special Collection began as, and continues to be, a showcase of the rare and most significant Corvettes ever gathered together, with each year's presentation of cars following a different and distinct theme. The Special Collection is always a must-see for Bloomington Gold participants, since some of the Corvettes displayed there that will never be seen anywhere else. It's the automotive equivalent of an assemblage of the greatest works of art all in one museum.

The Restoration Workshops have proven to be one of the most popular programs ever offered by Bloomington Gold. In the first year, just ten instructors offered eight classes, and 175 students attended. Today there are over 20 classes taught by the most knowledgeable Corvette experts in the country. Classes cover all aspects of Corvette restoration, from buying a car and researching its history, to troubleshooting, mechanical repairs, bodywork, and paint.

The Silver Salute became a favorite and well-attended event from the start. The event centered on a special area to display the year's twenty-five year old Corvette. Very often enough Silver Salute cars attended so that all colors and equipment offerings made that year are represented at this one place and time. The Silver Salute has now evolved into the GoldYear.

The 1984 show premiered the Road Tour (now called GoldTour) event with a handful of Corvettes taking to the Illinois highways and back roads for a "Corvette ride through the countryside." In recent years, participation has grown to several thousand Corvettes comprising an incredible twenty-mile long parade.

For 1990, David Burroughs added another milestone judging event to the ever-growing Bloomington Gold show - Survivor judging for unrestored Corvettes. "Worn In, But Not Worn Out" became the theme as Corvettes at least twenty years old are judged in four categories for their originality and to determine whether or not they should best be left unrestored. As in Gold Certification judging, these original Corvettes are not judged against other cars, but against a factory standard.

In 1991, Burroughs introduced the ultimate and most difficult judging category to Bloomington Gold, the Benchmark award. To achieve Benchmark status, an unrestored Corvette must attain Gold Certification and excel in all four categories of Survivor during the same weekend to become a Benchmark Corvette. To this date fewer than 100 Corvettes have received the prestigious Benchmark award.

Bloomington Gold marked its twentieth birthday in 1992 and held a celebration for the show combined with a tremendous gathering of 1967 Corvettes for their twenty-fifth birthday. Besides being the feature of the Silver Salute, the 1967s were the stars of the Special Collection, and an unprecedented number of 1967s were judged in all three of the judging events.