Car Lover's Las Vegas Guide Tips
Read these 5 Car Lover's Las Vegas Guide Tips tips to make your life smarter, better, faster and wiser. Each tip is approved by our Editors and created by expert writers so great we call them Gurus. LifeTips is the place to go when you need to know about Las Vegas tips and hundreds of other topics.
Dictator's Rides
If you check out the President's cars at the Imperial Palace, you have to check out their political opposition, too. The collection shows that even the most diabolical dictators can have a soft spot for fine machinery. The collection includes Japanese Emperor Hirohito's 193 Packard (he's the one who sanctioned the bombing of Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941). You can also take a peek at Argentinean Juan Peron's 1939 straight-8 Packard, and Czar Nicholas II's 1914 Rolls-Royce (his assassination began World War I). If that's not enough evil, the collection also includes Adolph Hitler's mine-proof, bulletproof, armored 1936 Mercedes-Benz 770K. It may be the creepiest car in any car collection.
Buy and Sell Collectible Autos
One of the coolest things about the Imperial Palace auto collection is that it's always changing. Every time you visit you'll see a different display of vintage and collectible autos. Why's that? Because the Imperial Palace teams with www.autocollections.com to buy and sell vintage autos through the collection. That's right, any time you visit, quite a few of the cars you view are actually for sale! If you own a vintage auto, you can also list it with Auto Collections and have your cars displayed for sale on the collection floor. So, if you're in the market for a hot rod or two, you need to check out the Imperial Palace auto collection, you never know just what you'll find!
President's Row
One central part of the Imperial Palace collection are the various cars that belonged to U.S. Presidents. It's interesting to see how the presidential limos have morphed through the years. George W. Bush's Cadillac SUV looks like a futuristic ride next to these relics of the past. You can check out President Eisenhower's 20-foot long 1952 Chrysler Imperial or President Truman's 1950 Lincoln Cosmopolitan, complete with a gold-plated interior (certainly not politically correct today). Less flashy is President Roosevelt's 1936 V-16 Cadillac limo, and President Kennedy's 1962 Lincoln Continental (not the car he was riding in Dallas when he was assassinated, by the way). While some of the collection rotates, keeping it fresh and new, these cars stay put, so you can see them whenever you plan to visit the collection.
The Collection
Car fanatics have known about the car collection at the Imperial Palace on the Strip for years (over 20), but even a lot of locals have never taken in the collection. The exhibit includes over 200 vintage cars that will conjure up nostalgic memories in just about every visitor. You can see cars of the stars, and a wide variety of classic autos from every era, chrome to Corvette. One of the best things about this collection is the lack of crowds. Unlike other Strip venues, the car collection just isn't as busy as many other locations, so if you don't enjoy big crowds, this is the entertainment for you. The kids will love it too! Best of all, admission is free, just stop at the Redemption Counter on the main floor of the Imperial Palace Casino and ask for free admission passes. The collection is open daily from 9:30am to 9:30pm, and it's located on the fifth floor of the self-parking garage at the Imperial Palace. By the way, you'd better make plans to see the collection soon, the Imperial Palace has been sold and may be demolished as early as 2006.
Duesenberg Room
Did you know the slang expression "it's a doozy" originated with the name of this prestigious and classic auto? Well, it's true. The Duesenberg was one of the most opulent and classy cars of its' time when it was produced in the 1920s and 30s. It just so happens the Imperial Palace owns the world's largest collection of the Model J version of these cars, and you can visit anytime you visit Las Vegas. The Palace owns and exhibits 43 of the Deuseys, worth over $50 million dollars. The Duesenbergs are located in their own special exhibit room which includes a bar and lounge, so you can take your time looking over these vintage beauties. Deuseys sold for $20,000 in their prime, and in today's market that equates to about $1 million apiece, so now you know why wealthy stars and royalty simply loved these coveted cars!
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