Bonhams|Cars has been appointed to auction more than 110 vehicles from the National Automobile Museum in Reno, Nevada, on Saturday, June 13, 2026. The sale will disperse remnants of the legendary Harrah Collection alongside cars from the Minden Automobile Museum Collection — and with all lots offered without reserve and no pre-sale estimates announced, it stands as the most consequential institutional deaccessioning of American collector cars in recent memory.
Bill Harrah, the Reno gaming magnate who assembled what is widely regarded as the greatest privately held automobile collection in history, died in 1978. The National Automobile Museum opened in 1989 to steward the survivors. What comes to the block in June is the result of a deliberate deaccession following a multi-year, $4 million renovation — a strategic streamlining designed to broaden gallery diversity and expand event space. Over 80 of the 110 lots trace directly to the Harrah Collection. The remaining 30 come from the Minden Automobile Museum, founded in the 1950s by the late Ted Bacon to rescue abandoned Vintage and Brass Era motorcars from the West Coast.
The Headline Lots
Six confirmed lots define the sale’s ambition. None more theatrical than the 1960 Flying Caduceus Jet Propulsion Land Speed Car (Chassis No. 1525) — built by Los Angeles physician Dr. Nathan Ostich and powered by a surplus General Electric J47 turbojet from a Convair B-36 Bomber, the same axial-flow unit fitted to military aircraft, with a speedometer calibrated to 700 mph. Ostich campaigned the car at Bonneville in 1960, 1962, and 1963, battling fuel-delivery issues and directional instability throughout. The chassis is fabricated from square-section steel tubing on Chevrolet truck suspension components, riding Firestone forged-aluminium wheels. There is nothing else like it.
Equally singular is a 1961 Fiat 600D Model ‘Y’ (Engine No. 1186742), a one-off Pininfarina concept personally gifted to the Harrah Collection by Sergio Pininfarina. Built as a production-ready follow-on to the 1960 Project X, the Model Y retained a conventional four-wheel layout and is believed to be the direct work of Sergio himself — son of founder Battista ‘Pinin’ Farina.
The 1959 Scimitar Station Sedan Experimental (Chassis No. 100678), by Brooks Stevens and Reutter & Company, is one of three prototypes unveiled at the 1959 Geneva Motor Show. The sweeping scimitar-blade body form carried through all three concepts — Station Sedan, Hardtop Convertible, and Town Car Phaeton. The car later appeared at the 1961 New York International Automobile Show.
Racing provenance arrives via the 1954 Lincoln Capri Carrera Panamericana Coupe (Chassis No. 54LA900611), which won the large stock car class and finished ninth overall in the fifth and final running of the Mexican Road Race with Ray Crawford and Enrique Iglesias, averaging 92.22 mph over 20 hours, 40 minutes, and 19 seconds. Rounding out the announced headline group: a 1936 Experimental Supercharged Cord — formerly the personal property of E.L. Cord himself — and a 1902 Capitol Chariot Prototype, steam-powered, acquired directly from its maker.
From the Minden Collection, a 1947 Ford Super DeLuxe Sportsman Convertible bought new by a member of the Bacon family — reportedly among the first Woody Convertibles off the line — has remained in the collection for over 60 years.
What the Industry Is Saying
“This prestigious sale will represent unique opportunities to acquire a broad selection of ‘Harrah’ and ‘Minden’ cars. The sale will offer a generational opportunity to own the ‘best-of-the-best’ and, in some cases, perhaps the last surviving example.”
— Mark Osborne, Global Director of Motorsport, Bonhams|Cars
“Streamlining the collection and expanding our educational and event spaces ensures that we remain one of the premier automobile museums in the world.”
— Phil MacDougall, Executive Director, National Automobile Museum
Bonhams — A House in Motion
The Reno sale isn’t the only news out of Bonhams this spring. On March 27, 2026, the company named Julie David as Global Managing Director, replacing Whitney Maxwell, who has already stepped down from the role but will continue to work within the business until May. David arrives from Stellantis, where she served as Vice President for Premium Brands and Managing Director of Alfa Romeo, DS, and Peugeot — with prior Global Director roles at Jaguar Land Rover.
Separately, Bonhams confirmed a multi-year agreement with WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca for its annual Monterey auction. It’s the first venue change since the event launched at The Quail in 2003. The 2026 sale is set for Thursday, August 13, opening Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion week.
What to Watch
The full catalog is not yet published — Bonhams typically releases lots four weeks prior — making the April 13 consignment deadline the next meaningful milestone. No reserves. No estimates. Across all 110 lots, the June 13 Reno sale will be a genuine price discovery event for Harrah-provenance material. When the full lot list drops, expect significant attention on any surviving sole examples within the group.
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