• Each year, dozens of vintage sports cars and other classic cars make their way around Arizona on a thousand-mile rally that shares the collector car hobby with people along the route while raising funds for the Phoenix Art Museum.
• Indy 500 and Le Mans racer Lyn St. James was the grand marshal for the event in 2004.
• Mark your calendar: Next year's dates are April 16-20, 2005.

Dick Belveal says collecting cars and driving them in vintage rallies is an incurable disease, but a wonderful one to have, and he should know. A friend invited Belveal on the second Copperstate 1000 and Belveal hasn't missed one since. What makes Belveal's participation even more significant is that each year he's been in a different car.

This year, Belveal and his wife, Diane, drove their 1957 Gullwing Mercedes-Benz 300SL on the thousand-mile, four-day tour of Arizona. In previous years he's driven a 1918 Stutz Bearcat, a 1954 Kaiser Darrin, a 1933 Packard, a 1952 Muntz, a 1954 Chevrolet Corvette, 1949 Allard M, a 1924 Hudson Speedster, a 1962 Ferrari 250, a 1956 Porsche 365 Speedster, a 1952 Aston Martin DB2, a 1966 Jaguar XKE, a 1952 Nash Healy and probably his favorite collector car, his 1936 Buick, a car he's owned for 20 years.

The Copperstate 1000 is staged by the Men's Art Council to raise money for the Phoenix Art Museum, and also generates contributions to Arizona state police charities. Who knows, maybe Belveal will extend his streak in 2005 with the 1898 DeDion that he's just about finished restoring.

The Copperstate 1000 follows a different route each year as it explores various roadways in Arizona, and this year it briefly ventured across the state line for some miles in New Mexico. The event is sponsord by Bell Lexus, a local Phoenix dealership, and this year had Premier Financial Services as presenting sponsor. As part of its title sponsorship, Bell Lexus provides a car for the event's grand marshal, thus former Indy and Le Mans racer Lyn St. James was at the wheel of a Lexus SC430 for most of the drive. Often, however, Copperstate 1000 participants invited her to take a turn at the wheel of their collector cars.

The route for the 2004 Copperstate 1000 began, as always, at the Phoenix Art Museum, where the cars were on display and attracted a big crowd for the sendoff. From Phoenix, the more than 50 participating cars headed northeast and uphill to Payson and on to Show Low and Hon-Dah (yes, it's pronounced Honda) in the White Mountains for their first overnight stop.

The route for the second day led to the famed Coronado Trail, a two-lane road that twists up and down and around hairpin turns as it goes from the desert floor to some 10,000 feet above sea level and then back again. The road used to be known as Route 666, and while that devilish designation has been changed, the route remains treacherous, as one of the car owners learned when his car missed a turn and hit a tree.

State police ride along on motorcycles and there's a full contingent of mechanical help in trucks, but even before they arrive, trailing cars quickly stop and offer help to anyone who has a problem. It's amazing to see how someone has the right tool and someone else has a spare hose and before long a car is on its way.

The rally returned to the White Mountains for a second night, then turned north toward the old Route 66 before making its way to the enchanting red rock surroundings of Sedona. The final day led the group down the Yarnell Grade and back to Phoenix.

To see our ride for the Copperstate 1000, click here.