John (JJ) Carlson has been involved in the collector car hobby since he was born. His trip home from the hospital, after being born, was in a 1929 Model A Ford.
JJ has been judging collector cars since he was 12 years old. He apprenticed with the Vintage Car Clun of Canada for four years. At the age of 16 he was certified as an accredited Concours judge.
As of 2025, he judges at the Pebble Beach Concours and the Arizona Concours. He has judged at many different Concours including Steamworks, Louisville, French Lick, Las Vegas, Cobble Beach, Vancouver Island and the Hilton Head Concours. JJ is a very accomplished (ICJAG) International Chief Judge Advisory Group judge.
His personal car collection includes a totally original unrestored 1932 Ford 3 window ‘Preservation’ vehicle (one of 87) and a 1968 NHRA world record setting COPO L78/L89 1968 Camaro. He is a ‘hands on’ restorer who does his own work.
Dr. JJ is also an accomplished motorcycle racer, piloting a Honda RR 1000. His blistering track times at Portland International Raceway and Laguna Seca Raceway have been well documented on YouTube. In his spare time he can often be found off-roading and wildness camping in the back country in his custom-built Toyota 4Runner AWD.
Dr. JJ owns and practices at Vison Plus, a thriving optometry practice in Oak Harbor Washington. According to his father, NAACC president and ICJAG Chairman John Carlson, “JJ is inspiring to be around and is a great help on the judging field.” As the Director of Media Relations JJ travels extensively to cover collector car events across North America for the NAACC.