By TR Robertson
It was a sunny, hot, humid day on Wednesday, August 12, 2026, as well over 150 individuals, most owners of Corvettes, gathered at the western parking lot of The Shoppes in Carlsbad to take part in honoring and commemorating the establishment of a Guinness World Record by Carlsbad resident William (Bill) Lloyd Hatch. The event, sponsored by the 67 members of the North Coast Vettes Corvette Club, was to celebrate the establishment of Bill Hatch as the Guinness World Record Holder for Longest Ownership of a Vehicle from New. This is defined by Guinness as “The greatest time for which a motor vehicle has been in the continuous ownership of the same person, after having been purchased new by that person”. Other eligibility requirements include that: “The record must be claimed by a single person, the original purchaser of the vehicle; The vehicle must have been purchased new, not used of pre-owned, by the claimant from an authorized dealer; The claimant must have maintained unbroken, sole legal ownership of the vehicle from the original date of purchase to the present; and the vehicle must be any comme4rcially available four-wheeled road vehicle that is powered by an engine and is able to carry a small number of people” The previous record holder was Harold Lehman who purchased a 1956 Chevrolet 210 on August 30, 1956, owning the car for 67 years and 314 days. These cars are referred to as “Survivors” if they remain in off-the-line factory condition.
Bill, age 94, has owned his 1957 Corvette since purchasing it on August 12, 1957, at Bates Chevrolet in Arcadia, California, maintaining ownership for 69 years. He was a 25-year-old high school teacher at the time and had gone to Bates Chevrolet with the intention of purchasing a Bel Air but was convinced by the salesman to take a look at the Corvettes on the back lot. He said there were three Corvettes, a red one, a white one, and a black one. He was drawn to the black one and $3,400.00 later he drove off the lot as a proud Corvette owner. Bill said he was hoping the extra money he made from coaching high school basketball would help with paying for the roadster. To save money on the purchase of the Corvette it came with no air conditioning, no heater, no power brakes or power steering, no seat belts and an AM only radio. The car today remains the same as he bought it. In today’s dollars the Corvette would have cost $41,744.00, but the 1956 Vette today far exceeds that in value to classic car enthusiasts. The Hatch’s Vette currently has around 171,200 miles on the odometer.
The celebration on Wednesday was the brainchild of Cary and Nancy Thomas, friends of Bill and his wife of 64 years, Marilyn, and members of the North Coast Vettes Club. Also assisting was NC Vettes President Scott White, NC Vettes Media Rep Yvonne Finocchiaro and numerous club members. Bill and Marilyn are also members of NC Vettes. Prior to the arrival of Bill and Marilyn at the celebration, Corvettes of every style and year began to arrive in the parking lot, forming a large series of rings around a stage area that had been set up. DJ Rick was cranking out nostalgic tunes from the 50’s-60’s and Vette owners, family members and friends of Bill and Marilyn filled the area, visiting, taking photos and enjoying the music. Also arriving and joining the rings of Vettes were Corvette club members from Temecula Valley, Palm Springs, San Diego, Southwest, North County and Pacific Coast from Orange County.
A little before 2:30 pm, two classic corvettes pulled down the road leading into The Shoppes parking area with a black Corvette roadster following behind. A lane opened up, lined along the way with numerous people in attendance, applauding and cheering as Bill and Marilyn drove in. Parking and exiting their Vette, Bill and Marilyn were met with lots of handshakes, hugs and congratulations. After a short time period, North Coast Vettes President Scott White invited all red shirt North Coast Vettes members to gather by the side of the black Vette for a group photo. After this, a short presentation was held featuring an introduction by Scott White. Scott thanked Premier Chevrolet, a sponsor, for their help and assistance and Cary and Nancy Thomas for their hard work in setting up the event and getting all of the information on establishing a Guinness World record. Cary said the Hatch’s story is also a love story, one of a love for a car and a love of family. Scott next thanked everyone for attending, especially the other Corvette club members who showed up. He then introduced Carlsbad Mayor, Keith Blackburn.
Mayor Blackburn also introduced Carlsbad City Councilmember Kevin Chen. The Mayor also extended congratulations to Bill and Marilyn. Mayor Blackburn was also once a Corvette Stingray owner. Next to the podium was Bill and Marilyn Hatch. Bill told his story about purchasing the Corvette and enjoying driving to the beaches in the Vette, especially beaches with volleyball courts, when he was a single young man. He also remembers traveling to Mexico with a friend and racing other drivers along the streets of Mexico. He said he once got the Vette up to 118 mph, but it shook so much he never did that again. Several years after purchasing the Vette, Bill married Marilyn, also a teacher. They would honeymoon in Yosemite, driving the Vette for the trip. Both Bill and Marilyn thanked everyone for attending and for their support in making all of this happen, especially the North Coast Vettes Club. While on the stage, Bill brought up daughter Lisa and granddaughters and a great grandson. Their other daughter lives in Switzerland.
With that, everyone was invited to join the Hatch’s with a slice of cake, featuring a model Corvette on top and most importantly, Bill Hatch and wife Marilyn are now the proud owners of a Guiness World Record of the Longest Continuous Ownership of a Vehicle.
