2003 The Auto Collection

The Auto Collections at the Imperial Palace was advertised as the world's largest and finest selection of antique, classic, muscle, and special-interest automobiles. The collection contains nearly one thousand automobiles, 200 of which are on a rotating display at the hotel.

In 1980, Ralph Engelstad, who built the Imperial Palace on the Las Vegas Strip, owned a sizable automobile collection. Engelstad also built the Las Vegas Motor Speedway, but in 2000, he decided to liquidate his holdings except for his casino hotels. Don Williams and Richie Clyne were hired to sell the vehicles. Instead of selling all the cars, Williams and Clyne had the idea of opening the collection as a museum/showroom.

After Ceasers Entertainment Corp. purchased the property, it underwent a couple of name changes. The Auto Collection had a 90-day lease for the last three years before closing permanently to the public on December 30, 2017.

Below are some examples of vehicles on display during a 2003 visit.

This is the 1985 Porsche 962C Brun Motorsports. The Porsche 956 and its successor, the 962, were outstanding sports racing cars in the 1980s. Porsches won the Group C World Championship five years in succession, 1982-86. The car's success was from the factory team and privateers. The 962C chassis is a sheet aluminum monocoque with a rear subframe. The engine in the Porsche is a 2,994-cc aluminum block with DOHC aluminum cylinder heads. The twin-turbocharged motor has an output of 780 bhp at 8,200 rpm.

On display was this factory-prepared 1976 Porsche 934 RSR built for the FIA Group 4 category. Group 4 rules require that a minimum of 400 production vehicles be built. The 934, which was manufactured in 1976 and 1977, is based on the turbocharged 911. The 3-liter flat-six cylinder engine produces 480 horsepower, which could be tuned to produce 550 horsepower. The 2,403 lb. Porsche is equipped with a 120-liter fuel tank. This package has a top speed approaching 190 mph.

The names Lotus and Colin Chapman are synonymous with post-war British motor racing. The Lotus 16 was the second single-seat racing car designed by Chapman. The 16 was constructed to compete in Formula One and Formula Two classes. The model on display is a 1959 Lotus 16 with a 2.2-liter Coventry Climax engine. Unfortunately, the Lotus was unreliable.

The plan was to produce only 500 of the Shelby Series One. However, the production run from 1998 to 2005 was 249 units. This high-performance Roadster was designed by Carroll Shelby and produced by Shelby American. It was powered by Oldsmobile's 4.0-litre L47 Aurora V8 engine. The engine is rated at 320 horsepower, with two upgrade options available. The Shelby was available in 2003 for US$160,000.

This is a recreation of the 1957 Maserati Tipo 250. Thirty-two Tipo 250 were built between 1954 and 1958. Engines included six-cylinder and V12 variants. The early cars were equipped with four-speed transmissions. The next generation had five-speed gearboxes and modified brakes. The last version was a lightweight chassis. Drivers like Harry Schell, Sterling Moss and Jean Behra piloted the Maserati. Juan Manuel Fangio won the 1957 Formula 1 World Championship in the Maserati 250F.

The Auto Collection at the Imperial Palace included this 1966 Ferrari 275GTS. The 275GTS was produced from 1964 to 1966, and 200 cars were manufactured. The GTS is a Spyder (convertible) version of the 275GTB and is almost mechanically identical. The models share a 3.3 liter V12, which produces 260 horsepower. However, the appearance is entirely different. The all-steel 275 GTS body was designed and manufactured by Pininfarina. All 275 GTS were equipped with a folding cloth convertible top.

During the 1958-59 European racing season, the Cooper was the only rear-engine Formula 1 car. This is the 1961 Cooper Climax. The Cooper was designed by Owen Maddock and built for the 1959 Formula One season. The Cooper is powered by a 2.5-liter four-cylinder Coventry Climax. The engine produces 240 horsepower at 6,750 rpm. Australian Jack Brabham won the 1959 and 1960 Formula 1 World Championship in a Cooper chassis.

This 1963 Jaguar XKE Lightweight race car had an estimated value in 2003 of $3,500,000. Twelve Jaguars were built in the factory to compete against the Ferrari 250 SWB and Aston Martin DB4GT. The aluminum-bodied car weighed 2465 lbs. It was powered by a 3,781 cc six-cylinder engine with a cast iron cylinder block and aluminum cylinder head, which produced 265 horsepower at 5,500 rpm. The Lightweight went from 0 to 60 mph in 7.1 seconds and has a top speed of 149 mph.

The 1957 Aston Martin DB2/4 MkII Touring Spyder is only one of three Mark IIs built as a convertible. After being displayed in Paris and London, the company was expecting a large number of orders; however, they never materialized. Aston Martin built the DB2/4 MkII between 1955 and 1957. Engine sizes and power outputs varied throughout the model the final motor was 2.9 liters with an output of 165 horsepower.

On display was this 1951 Jaguar XK120 Fixed Head Coupe, which is believed to be the first XK120 Coupe to be built. The XK120 was produced from 1984 to 1954 with a total of 12,055 units. The 120 refers to the car's 120 mph (190 km/h) top speed. All models are equipped with a 3.4-liter DOHC six-cylinder engine.

In the mid-50s, Cooper Cars, headed by Charles Cooper and his son John, produced a series of formula and sports racing cars. One of their successful models is the 1960 Cooper Monaco Type 57. The chassis is a steel-reinforced tubular space frame with a fiberglass body. The Cooper uses a 2.7-liter four-cylinder Coventry Climax engine, which produces 220 horsepower and 200 lb-ft torque. The 1,125 lb car is equipped with a four-speed gearbox. From 1961 to 1965, the car won 26 races (plus 6 additional class wins).

This is an excellent example of a 1969 Chevrolet Corvette 427/435 L-89 Roadster. The L-89 427 cubic-inch V8 is a factory rated to produce 435 horsepower. Some features of the L-89 include three two-barrel carburetors and aluminum cylinder heads, which helped this engine make considerable power. The big block is bolted to a close-ratio Muncie M21 four-speed manual transmission and a 3.70-geared posi-traction rear differential.

The Jaguar XJR-9 was built by Jaguar for the FIA Group C and IMSA Camel GTP racing. The XJR-9 was designed by Tony Southgate and built by Tom Walkinshaw Racing. For the 1988 World Sports Prototype Championship, the XJR-9 was equipped with a 7.0-liter 60-degree V12 engine. In IMSA configuration, the Jaguar used a 6.0-liter 60-degree V12 engine. On display is chassis No. 188, which finished third in the 1988 24 Hours of Daytona.

The 1983 Lancia LC-2 Martini Group C race car, chassis# 001, was raced during the mid-eighties in the FIA World Endurance Championship. Fiat wanted an endurance car to beat the Porsches, so they built the Lancia LC-2, which uses an Abarth-tuned Ferrari 3-liter V8 turbocharged engine that produced 720 bhp. The car was faster than the Porsches but wasn't reliable enough to beat them.

This is 1 of 120 Lamborghini 350GT built between 1964 and 1966. The 350GT was the first Lamborghini vehicle to be produced. The car is equipped with a 3.5 liter V12 engine. This Lamborghini was owned by noted car collector Frenchy Jacques Harguindeguy, who won Best of Show with his Delahaye at the 2001 Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance. This particular car has 102,893 km (63,500 miles)on the odometer. The 350GT was sold in 2003 for $55,000.

This 1947 Delahaye 175S Figoni et Falaschi Aerodynamic Coupe was displayed at the 1947 Paris Auto Show. The rear-wheel-drive Delehaye is powered by a 4,455 cc straight-six engine with two valves per cylinder. The overhead valve motor produces 128 horsepower. Bolted to the engine is a four-speed manual transmission. 1988 the car was first in class at the Pebble Beach Concours D'Elegance.

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