Carroll Shelby Museum
Ladies and gentlemen, start your engines!
Another must-see for car enthusiasts while in Vegas is the Carroll Shelby Museum, located at the entrance to the Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
Carroll Shelby is recognized as one of automotive industry's greatest legends. Early in Shelby's career, his accomplishments as a race car driver included breaking land speed records at Bonneville in 1954 for Austin Healey and winning the 24-hour Le Mans in 1959. His performance cars, the Shelby Cobra and Shelby Mustangs made Carroll Shelby a household name. The Carroll Shelby Museum consists of a 100,000 square foot manufacturing facility where they build the new continuation Cobras; about 100 cobras a year on average are being sold. You will also find the showroom filled with 45 years' worth of Shelby performance cars starting with CSX2000 which is the very first Cobra built and valued at around 20 million. I got to see them building the 2011 Shelby Mustang GT350 and the 2005-2008 Shelby F150 Super Snake performance Ford truck.
The museum and gift shop is open Monday thru Friday 8:00am to 5:00pm., with free tours of the production facility and museum starting daily at 10:30am.
http://picasaweb.google.com/gshack3/...39821703944338
Imperial Palace "History on Wheels" at Its Best!
I just visited again the world’s largest and finest classic car showroom with $100 million worth of inventory on display and for sale. You get to stroll among more than 250 antique, muscle, famous, historically significant and special interest vehicles.
Hours
10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., daily
The Auto Collections
Car enthusiasts like me have a field day at the Auto Collections at the Imperial Palace Hotel.
The Imperial Palace is on the east side of the strip, between the Flamingo Hotel and Harrah's.
The Auto Collections is on the fifth floor of the hotel's parking garage in a 125,000 square foot showroom where an ever changing display of over 250 vehicles can be found on the floor at any time.
Even if you aren't a car fanatic, your motor will definitely be purring after seeing what is available. The graceful lines, the craftsmanship, the overall beauty of these cars—not to mention the price tags—grab your attention immediately.
The Auto Collections at Imperial Palace is much more than a car museum. This is an actual showroom—the cars are available for purchase or trade. Imagine coming to Las Vegas for a weekend of sun and fun, and driving home in a Porsche 924 Carrera GTR Race Car!
The great thing about this museum is that the exhibit constantly changes. So, one day you might find a Duesenberg J Holbrook Sedan rubbing shoulders with a Ford Thunderbird Convertible, and the next time see a Jaguar E-type Roadster lined up by a Pontiac GTO. You are also likely to see Rolls-Royce Phantoms, Shelby Mustangs, Packards, Masteratis—the list goes on and on and on. You really need to visit the showroom in order to get the full impact.
Commercial vehicles of bygone days make up the collection from time to time. They include antique buses, military transports, taxis—including the 1908 French model that appeared in the movie version of My Fair Lady, fire engines, gasoline trucks, delivery trucks and vans, dump trucks, and pickup trucks.
A little star struck? Then check out the 1959 Cadillac Fleetwood Special 60 driven by Marilyn Monroe in The Misfits; Al Capone's 1930 V-16 Cadillac; a 1954 Mercedes-Benz 220 Cabriolet currently owned by Wayne Newton; the 1967 Ford Mustang Fastback driven by Nicolas Cage in Gone in 60 Seconds; Howard Hughes' 1954 Chrysler New Yorker (because of his phobia about germs, Hughes installed a special air-purification system that cost more than the car itself and took up most of the trunk!); and a 1933 Pierce-Arrow Silver Arrow, one of only three still in existence today. Every time I make it to Vegas, my camera and I drop in at the Imperial Palace just to see the new cars added to this fine collection. Because of the constant sales and auctions the collection is always changing and worth another visit.
http://picasaweb.google.com/gshack3/...37568850911954
Riverside Casino
On my resent rode trip from Florida to Las Vegas with my wife we stopped in at Don Laughlin's Riverside Resort Hotel and Casino in Laughlin, Nevada. The Riverside Resort is located on the banks of the beautiful Colorado River. Don’s Classic Auto Exhibition is located on the third floor of the south tower. It boasts a glass curtain wall with a commanding view of the Colorado River. The fully climatic hall encompasses approximately 30,000 square feet and includes a gift shop.
Don Laughlin's Classic Car Collection offers an exceptional opportunity to see many of the most unique autos ever created! By taking a step into Don Laughlin's Classic Car Collection Exhibition Hall, you take a step across the decades of automotive excellence. With more than 80 beautiful rare, antique and historic automobiles, trucks & motorcycles, the exhibit is open daily, and free of charge. From Limousines once owned by notorious historic figures, to movie cars, to the battered motorcycle Steve McQueen rode to get away from it all, this collection has something for everyone. Whatever era of automobiles may be your favorite - from the muscle cars of the 60's to the classic horseless carriages - Don Laughlin's Classic Car Collection has something for you!
The exhibit is a rotating collection of antique, classic and special interest autos assembled from private collections. Included among these are several owned by Don Laughlin himself, an avid auto enthusiast and collector. Check out the pictures.
http://picasaweb.google.com/gshack3/...JKl6sS4kMPrQQ#
Ford Model A car show in Laughlin Nevada
Don Laughlin's Riverside Resort Hotel and Casino was founded and established in 1966 as Laughlin, Nevada’s first hotel and casino. The Riverside Resort is located on the banks of the beautiful Colorado River. Owned and operated by Don Laughlin and his family, guests will find a number of fun activities while staying at Laughlin's family-friendly resort. Enjoy Nevada-style gaming action and entertainment 24 hours a day in a relaxed small-town atmosphere.
Being the very first Laughlin Hotel and Casino, Don Laughlin's Riverside Resort Hotel & Casino offers something for everyone. Don Laughlin's Riverside Resort offers 1400 Beautiful Rooms,2 Pools and a Heated Jacuzzi, 24 hour Gaming, Dining, Live Entertainment,2 Night Clubs, 6 Movie Theaters and a 34 Lane Bowling Center, A car museum, and the Best Views of the Colorado River. On the day the wife and I visited the parking lot was full of Ford Model A’s, as a local group was having a little car show and of course as a normal gear head out came my camera and I took many shots so sit back and enjoy.
http://picasaweb.google.com/gshack3/...r0kIiNz8DbogE#
Pictures from my April Road Trip
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