Las Vegas, Nevada, 2 September, 2011

The centre of the famous “strip” in Las Vegas may seem a strange venue for a classic car museum, but then again Vegas has almost everything else, so why not a car museum! The Auto Collections Museum & Showroom is situated on the 5th floor of the parking building at the Imperial Palace Hotel, which is right across the street from Caesars Palace, if you need a more prominent landmark. The publicity claims that it is the world’s largest classic car museum, with around 300 vehicles on display, in a 125,000 Sq. Ft. display area, at any one time. A number of the vehicles on display are for sale, thus the inventory is always subject to change, which is always good if you plan to make a return visit at a later date. The Auto Collections Museum is a marketing partner with the renowned Blackhawk Collection in Danville, California, which should give an idea of the quality of their offerings.

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The array of vehicles on display is truly eclectic, ranging from their own liveried 1913 Ford Model T Pie Wagon, to an extremely rare 1966 Bizzarini P538 spyder prototype sports racing car. The diversity of cars on display between these dates, together with some more modern examples, is truly amazing, for instance, it is not often that you see a pair of MG Metro 6R4s or a trio of Ford RS 200s together under the same roof. If luxury cars, like Rolls Royce and Bentley are your forte, then you will be well catered for, how about a real leviathan, a one-off Frua bodied 1977 Rolls Royce Phantom VI cabriolet, absolutely enormous and so ostentatious! Then there is the quite bizarrely styled 1954 Rolls Royce Silver Wraith Saloon by Vignale, another one-off creation, which, apart from a full bar and television, also features a toilet under the rear seat, apparently only used for chilling Champagne!

American cars are also well represented, with a wide variety of models on display, including an ex-Elvis Presley Lincoln Continental, Corvettes of various eras, custom cars like the George Barris modified 1951 Mercury “The Rose”, military vehicles, and no collection would be complete without muscle cars, like a 1967 Pontiac GTO and a 1970 Plymouth Road Runner, or classic Cadillac models. For the more sporting minded, there is a Sauber Mercedes sports racing car, along with a Martini liveried Lancia LC-2, plus a Cooper Monaco from an earlier era. Ferrari fans will also gain pleasure from a visit, as amongst the examples on display there was the prototype 330 GTC, s/n 6431, a 250 GT PF S II Cabriolet, s/n 1779 GT, and a RHD 500 Superfast, s/n 8459. Other Italian rarities included a Lancia 037 Stradale, a Lamborghini Diablo VT Roadster and a 1954 Alfa Romeo 1900 SS Ghia Coupe.

If you tire of the ground floor gaming rooms, or are down to your last $10 after a bad day on the slot machines, then take the elevator to the 5th floor and spend it on a visit to this diverse and interesting auto museum, it will be worth it.
Location

Auto Collections Museum
Imperial Palace Hotel
3535 Las Vegas Boulevard South
Las Vegas
Nevada 89109
Opening Hours
Daily – 10.00 – 18.00
Admission
Adults and Children over 12 Years - $8.95
Seniors & Children 3 – 12 Years - $5.00
Children under 3 free admission with adult

Keith Bluemel
09/2011