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Bell Lexus Copperstate 1000 Vintage Car Road Rallye

Susan Frissell

Gearing up for its 14^th Annual Bell Lexus Copperstate 1000 Vintage Car Road Rally in April of 2004, the Men’s Art Council of Phoenix is looking forward to showcasing and hosting more than 60 selected sports, racing and Grand Touring cars manufactured before January 1, 1970.

The Bell Lexus Copperstate 1000, organized by the Phoenix Art Museum’s Men’s Art Council, the rallye is a 4-day vintage auto rallye that travels 1,000 miles through Arizona, alternating its route either through the north high country, or through the Sonoran desert in the south. In 2004, the route will travel through north Arizona. An annual fundraiser all proceeds from the annual Copperstate 1000 benefit the Phoenix Art Museum. Over its 13 year history, the event has raised more than $600,000.

Sponsors for the 14^th annual Bell Lexus Copperstate 1000 rallye include Bell Lexus, Premier Financial Services, Talking Rock, Meguiar’s, Strum Ruger and Company, AAA Arizona, Ed Mell, Arizona Department of Public Safety, Pilot Transport, U-Haul and Arizona State Parks. Media sponsors for the rallye will be Desert Living Magazine and Tribune Newspapers.

The drivers participating in the rallye will travel from Phoenix to Payson, Arizona, Show Low, Pinetop-Lakeside, Springerville, Alpine, Clifton, Snowflake, Holbrook, Winslow, Sedona, Jerome, Wickenburg and finally, Scottsdale. In the past, such vintage vehicles included Jaguar, Mercedes-Benz, Ferrari, Corvette, Bentley, Porsche, Alfa Romeo, Maserati, among others.

The Copperstate 1000 is not for the faint of heart. The rallye’s route traverses over winding roads, hairpin switchbacks, long straight-aways and wide-sweeping curves. The nerve-wracking turns will be offset by the awe-inspiring landscape unique to Arizona. And drivers can also look forward to soothing their souls every few hundred miles being wined and dined.

The rallye drivers depart from the Museum at 12 Noon, via Highway 87-the Beeline Highway-. They will break for lunch outside of Payson at the world’s largest travertine bridge, Tonto Natural Bridge. The Bridge was created by underground springs that built up large deposits of travertine and an aboveground stream flowing through the canyon that eroded a passageway, creating a natural bridge.

The group will be able to stand on top of the bridge or take one of three hikes to see the structure from below. After lunch, they head through Heber, Snowflake and Show Low, and park their boots at Hon-Dah Casino and Resort in Pinetop-Lakeside.

On Monday April 19, drivers are in for an adventurous day as they head out for the White Mountain towns of Springerville, Eager and Alpine. From Alpine, they head south through pine trees, following Route 191 along the historic Coronado Trail and breaking for lunch at Clifton. After lunch, the rallye travels into New Mexico via 180 and returning to Pinetop-Lakeside for the night.

Tuesday April 20, drivers head north on 77 to Snowflake, then Holbrook. They stop at the infamous town of Winslow, Arizona for lunch at La Posada, then head west on Route 260 for Sedona and a luxurious night’s rest at Enchantment Resort.

La Posada, newly restored, is a national historic landmark built in 1929. Designed by Mary Colter, an architect for the Fred Harvey Company, La Posada was built to look like the grand hacienda of a wealthy Spanish landowner. Opening in 1930 as a hotel, La Posada’s design was inspired by the history and culture of the Southwest. Operating until 1957, the hotel was renovated in the 1960s for the Santa Fe Railway offices. During the following decades, it was almost destroyed but eventually purchased for restoration in 1997.

The last leg of the trip begins on Wednesday, April 21, leaving Sedona and heading back to Phoenix via Cottonwood and the old mining town-turned artist haven of Jerome. Drivers will finish the rallye touring through the cowboy town of Wickenburg and then onto Scottsdale for a rest at the Hyatt Gainey Ranch.

For 2004, the Concours d’Elegance, or public display of the vehicles will appeal to all car enthusiasts. Local high-end car clubs have been invited to participate and to display their cars alongside the rallye vehicles. Anyone interested in viewing the vintage cars can do so at the Phoenix Art Museum on Sunday April 18 from 8am-12 Noon; the car club participating from 10am-Noon, right before the rallye begins. Admission is free.

For more information about the Vintage Car Road Rallye, call Patrick Bryson at 602-307-2060 or email him at pbryson@extremezone.com, or visit the Copperstate 1000 web site at www.copperstate1000.com.