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B.E.A.T. stops in Cottonwood
By STEVE AYRES
Contributing Reporter
Issue Date: Wednesday April 21, 2004
A group of foreign car enthusiast converged on Cottonwood Saturday afternoon as
part of a tour that took them from Phoenix to Flagstaff by way of Arizona 89A.
B.E.A.T., which stands for the British Euro Auto Tour, made Riverfront Park one
of their rest stops for their annual 500-mile long event.
Mike and Janice Goodwin of Phoenix, owners of a vintage Jaguar, started the
event initially in 1997* and organize the tour each year. This year’s event had
110 cars participating.
Now in its eighth year, the B.E.A.T. draws car owners form around the state, the
nation and even one from Canada.
Eligibility is based on only one thing; the vehicle must been made by either an
English or European carmaker. There is also a $100 entrance fee per car.
This year’s collection included vehicles manufactured from 1952 to 2004, with a
1952 Bentley 4.5 Liter Mark VII owned by Tom and Karen Barnes of Glendale being
the oldest.
Among the other vehicles was a 1967 Silver Shadow owned by Steven Gold of
Phoenix. It is one of the last of its kind that is still in original factory
condition, all the way down to the original paint. Yes, it sleeps indoors.
Jerry Blakemore of Scottsdale, a collector of fast (and expensive) cars, drove
his 1994 Lamborghini Diablo VT. The sports car with gull wing doors, V12 engine
and four-wheel drive is priced at a quarter of a million dollars and will do 210
mph.
The Cottonwood Chamber of Commerce hosted the stopover, which only lasted for
about an hour and included ice cream and sodas for the participants. After that,
they left for Flagstaff, via Sedona, for an all night stop.
* Roger Guzowski initiated this tour and Mike & Janice has continued the event after His death.