The Remnants of Harrahs Auto Collection at the National Auto Museum in Reno, NV

The National Automobile Museum, also known as The Harrah Collection and the Harrah Automobile Museum, is a museum in Reno, Nevada, dedicated to the history of the American automobile. It is one of the largest automobile museums in the world, with over 200 antique, classic, and special-interest vehicles on display. The collection spans over a century of automobile history and includes a wide range of vehicles, from early horseless carriages to muscle cars and luxury automobiles. The museum is housed in a historic building in downtown Reno and provides visitors with an interactive experience that allows them to see and learn about the cars up close. The National Automobile Museum is a must-visit destination for car enthusiasts, history buffs, and anyone interested in the evolution of the American automobile.

Bill Harrah was an American businessman and casino owner, best known for his extensive collection of rare and vintage automobiles. He was born in 1911 in Berkeley, California, and went on to build one of the largest casino and hotel empires in the world. Harrah was an avid collector of cars, and over the years, he amassed a vast collection of over 1,400 vehicles, including classic and antique cars, as well as motorcycles, boats, and other vehicles. He was particularly interested in preserving the history of the American automobile and worked to acquire some of the most important vehicles of the 20th century. After his death in 1978, part of the collection, a mere 175 vehicles were donated to the city of Reno, Nevada. Because the vehicles and museum were owned by his Casino corporation, and not him personally, they were liquidated by The Holiday Inn Corporation, who purchased his casino assets. The donation was a lucky development, it became the National Automobile Museum, also known as The Harrah Collection. Today, the museum is a major attraction for visitors to Reno, and is considered one of the world's premier collections of rare and vintage automobiles. The remaining 1200+ cars were sold off in a massive auction. It was tragic to me that such a large, publicly accessible collection, was broken up in such a way. Many of the cars ended up in private hands. About half a dozen of them ended up in the LeMay collection in Washington State which I later visited. Even though Harrah died when I was very young, visiting this museum provided me with a lot of nostalgia and led me to perform additional research on his life and collection. I can only imagine the excitement Bill must have felt when he purchased and lovingly restored these cars.

If you ever end up in Reno, I highly recommend you visit this museum. It was definitely the highlight of my trip! I wouldn't consider myself a car buff, but I do enjoy the beauty and historical significance of these machines, and they make me nostalgic for times passed.

Here are a few of my favorite autos:

If you'd like to read more aboug Harrah and his collection, here are a fabulous set of articles from Hargerty media from 2021:
https://www.hagerty.com/media/market-trends/hagerty-insider/harrahs-oral-history-classic-car-sale-part-i/
https://www.hagerty.com/media/market-trends/hagerty-insider/it-was-a-party-the-oral-history-of-the-most-monumental-classic-car-sale-of-all-time-part-ii/
https://www.hagerty.com/media/market-trends/hagerty-insider/oral-history-harrahs-auctions-part-iii/