Bonhams will offer 80 from America’s National Automobile Museum in Reno, Nevada, on Saturday 13 June, following the institution’s decision to streamline and refocus its world-renowned collection. The sale will also include a further 30 cars consigned from the Minden Automobile Museum, taking the total up to 110 cars – all to be offered without reserve.
Founded by casino magnate William ‘Bill’ Harrah, the Harrah Collection was assembled from the 1950s onwards and quickly became one of the most comprehensive automotive archives in the world, notable for its breadth, originality and willingness to preserve experimental and unconventional vehicles alongside recognised classics. Many of the cars selected are sole survivors, prototypes or limited-production machines that never reached series manufacture.
The Reno sale will span the late 1800s through to the 1960s, reflecting Harrah’s encyclopaedic approach to collecting. The early highlights underline the breadth of Harrah’s collecting ambition, and among the most striking is the 1960 Flying Caduceus, a turbojet-powered land speed car conceived by Dr Nathan Ostich and driven by a General Electric J-47 engine sourced from a Convair B-36 bomber.
The catalogue reflects Harrah’s interest in prototypes, with a 1936 supercharged experimental Cord once owned by E L Cord joined by the interesting 1960 Fiat Pininfarina ‘Y’ – a one-off aerodynamic study personally gifted to the museum by Sergio Pininfarina. Other early highlights include a Brooks Stevens–designed 1959 Scimitar Station Sedan prototype and an exceptionally early 1902 Capitol Chariot steam car.
The clear-out forms part of a wider transformation at the National Automobile Museum following a multi-year, $4m renovation programme. According to the museum, rationalising the collection will allow greater flexibility in exhibition planning, improved educational facilities and an increased focus on rotating displays, while maintaining its status as one of the world’s leading automotive museums.
Announcing the appointment of Bonhams to host the sale, Phil MacDougall, Executive Director, National Automobile Museum, commented: ‘We are delighted to be working with Bonhams on the deaccession of such an important collection from the Museum. We are committed to preserving and presenting automotive history in the most compelling way possible. This renovation represents both a renewal of our physical space and a reaffirmation of our mission. Streamlining the collection and expanding our educational and event spaces ensures that we remain one of the premier automobile museums in the world. The deaccession process is part of an ongoing evolution at the Museum, enhancing the visitor experience following a recent multi-year, $4 million renovation. Through this comprehensive modernisation initiative, the Museum has reimagined its galleries to broaden the diversity of the collection and to present larger, more frequent temporary exhibits that engage and resonate with a wide and diverse audience.’
With every lot offered without reserve, the June sale represents a rare chance for collectors to acquire museum-grade vehicles – many of which are unique – that have spent much of their lives out of public circulation.
For more details, see cars.bonhams.com
