Life is a highway, or at least it is in the Copperstate 1000 — a vintage car rally where 85 pre-1973 vehicles of various makes and models drive all over Arizona and the Southwest.
From April 15-19, the 33rd annual Bell Lexus North Scottsdale Copperstate 1000 is one of three philanthropic events organized by the Men’s Arts Council (MAC) of Phoenix Art Museum. “We’re guys that like to do good things in the community,” MAC president Joel Coen says. The MAC works in tandem with the Phoenix Art Museum as the “main base to make an impact on the community.”
This aforementioned impact is found in funding programming for the community to drive engagement in both art and the Phoenix Art Museum. Money raised by the MAC has manifested in a free-visit program for students attending Maricopa County Community Colleges, free family nights and new artwork and installations at the museum. Through the Copperstate 1000, good causes are made possible by “some of the coolest cars on earth and going to see some of the greatest spots that Arizona has to offer,” Coen says.
With every cool car, there is a tremendous story. Enter Bradley and Lisa Tank, who have been participating in the Copperstate 1000 for more than a decade.
The event was not only the Chicago natives’ introduction to Arizona, but the catalyst for a part-time residence.
The family fell in love with Arizona, as many Valley transplants often come to do. “Arizona is spectacular,” Bradley Tank says. “You’ll hit a spring bloom in the desert — which is phenomenal … April up north is nice, but it’s not Arizona.”
Beyond the beautiful, sought-after Arizona weather, and the incredible views of the 1,000-mile American Southwest joyride, it’s the community that Tank has been coming back for every Copperstate 1000 since 2010. “The people part of it is a big deal,” he says. “You meet a lot of people — fellow car enthusiasts … you have people from all over the country, from all walks of life kind of coming together here in Arizona. And most of the talk is car talk, road talk, and trips and car adventures and things like that.”
That said, the Tanks are “not only hooked on the event but also committed to the cause.” They are big fans of the Phoenix Art Museum, the Men’s Art Council, and the number of charities supported by the MAC and events like the Copperstate 1000 — namely the 10-90 Foundation, which supports Arizona state highway patrol officers and their families. Tank himself is a member of the MAC. “It’s more than just the event. It’s [about] the people in the Men’s Art Council and Phoenix Art Museum,” he says.
This year, the Tanks are driving a 1967 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray, one of the last of its kind. Tank says his car is “the final iteration of the second-generation Corvette,” — one of the 3,754 originally produced in ’67. “The engine and transmission option that happens to be in my car is… the biggest, fastest ’67 Corvette you could buy at the time.” This half-a-century-old car has a V8 engine and pushes sub-500 horsepower.
This will be the ’67 Stingray’s third time in the Copperstate 1000, but Tank has also driven his 1965 Shelby GT350, 1954 Jaguar XK120 and 1965 Shelby Cobra in previous years. “1950s, 1960s and early 1970s American and European sports cars — that’s pretty much the bread and butter of the Copperstate rally,” he says.
As a driver in the rally, Tank, and his ’67 Stingray, will be at the Copperstate 1000 Roadrunner on April 16 at Tempe Diablo Stadium. Attendees of the free, public event will have the chance to meet Tank, and get up close and personal with his car, along with the other 85-plus cars and drivers participating this year. The Roadrunner acts as a sendoff event for the drivers, who get to meet with the public before departing and starting their journey on the road.
“People can come in and look at all these vehicles, and it’s kind of an amazing experience, truly,” Coen says. “Kids get to come in and experience truly what, in our mindset, is a work of art — in the form of a car.”
Tank is eager to get this year’s 1000 under way, but he has no intention of slowing down. “I mean, we would envision doing this whenever we can for as long as we can drive,” he says. “We’ve got some participants that have been driving it since year one — that are well into their eighties. So, it’s something I envision doing for a long, long time.”
This year’s Copperstate 1000 will be held from April 15-19. The Copperstate 1000 Roadrunner event will be held April 16 with free entry for the public, from 7:30 to 11:30 a.m. (rally drivers depart at 10:00 a.m.) at Tempe Diablo Stadium with ballpark concessions. To follow and receive updates about the rally itself, visit the Copperstate 1000’s official Instagram and website.
