Plymouth Hub-Cap or 'America's Plate'
Subject or historical figure
Ben Lexcen
(1936 - 1988)
Date1983
Object number00054990
NameHubcap
MediumMetal
DimensionsOverall: 60 × 360 × 360 mm
ClassificationsTools and equipment
Credit LineANMM Collection
DescriptionA Plymouth hub-cap - "America's Plate". This is a flattened and scrunched up wheel hub-cap from a Plymouth car with an engraved text in the centre reading 'Plymouth Division'.
Shortly after the presentation of the America's Cup, the New York Yacht Club's Commodore, Robert Stone Jr, gave Ben Lexcen this special gift - an old Plymouth hub-cap that had been flattened. This was in response to Ben Lexcen's remark "If AUSTRALIA II wins the America's Cup I'll take the "Auld Mug" on to New York's West Street and run over it with a steam roller and make it "America's Plate".
The America’s Cup has been the most prestigious trophy for yachting and internationally is one of the most significant trophies and contests in any sport Up until 1983 it had been held by the USA and the New York Yacht Club for 132 years, the longest winning streak in sporting history. The Cup was symbol of American supremacy, and had traditionally been a race between the USA and England, the two strongest yachting nations. When Australia challenged for the cup it was seen as a David and Goliath contest, but after Australia won races and showed strong challenges in 1962 and 1970 there was considerably more respect for them from the American yachtsmen.
Defending and retaining the Cup, which was bolted to a pedestal in the NYYC rooms in New York, was matter of intense pride. When it was lost to AUSTRALIA II in 1983 the NYYC faced a situation that had been unthinkable, the cup had to be unbolted and handed to another club. This was made more difficult because of the controversy over the series, along with previous abrasive and stirring comments during other challenges from the Australians, always playing themselves as the underdogs.
To their credit, the NYYC handled the 1983 ceremony extremely well and expressed their respect for the Australian team without referring to any of the controversy or other elements of bad feeling from the past. Commodore Stone then brought a moment of light relief to the proceedings by asking designer Ben Lexcen to come forward and receive his own special trophy or memento - a damaged hubcap, given in reference to Lexcen’s comment from the early 1970s that when he won the Cup he would flatten it, a remark designed to antagonise and irritate the USA yachting establishment at the time.
HistoryThe flattened Plymouth hub cap represents a key moment in the New York Yacht Club’s ceremony to hand over the America’s Cup to the winning Australian team and the Royal Perth Yacht Club in 1983. The race was between clubs representing their nations, and so the cup itself was officially given to the Commodore of the RPYC, and shared amongst the team members to hold. Shortly after in an unannounced break from the scheduled run of events, NYYC Commodore Robert Stone Jr then asked AUSTRALIA II designer Ben Lexcen to come forward to receive a special trophy, and to Lexcen’s surprise and everyone else he gave him the flattened Plymouth Hub cap.
This was a good humoured and light hearted moment that showed a fine sense of the occasion and appreciation of the Australian endeavours for so many years. In one of Lexcen’s earliest encounters with the American sailors he had been admonished by them for looking over one of their 12 metres uninvited and claimed then that he would come back and win the Cup. During the lead up to the 1983 races he made the remark "If Australia II wins the America's Cup I'll take the "Auld Mug" on to New York's West Street and run over it with a steam roller and make it "America's Plate". Commodore Stone reminded everyone of this and asked that Ben would accept this in lieu of carrying out his “threat”.
SignificanceThis 'trophy' remained with Lexcen and is one of the most significant supporting artefacts of the famous 1983 win, an event that made international headlines and has been seen as perhaps the most significant sporting event in Australian sporting history to this point. 
