During your visit to the National Automobile Museum, learn about the Museum’s heritage and explore the history of the automobile during an audio tour that brings the Museum to life through storytelling, sounds and endless amounts of information. You will discover important milestones, records of provenance and delightful human-interest stories about cars and artifacts in the Museum’s collection. Automotive-themed gifts and keepsakes are available to purchase from the Museum Store.
Exhibits
Pedal Cars: Kids Classic Rides
Learn about the history of Pedal Cars in Pedal Cars: Kids Classic Rides. The exhibit includes a whole host of models, from the kid-size version of Nellybelle to the jeep driven by comic sidekick Pat Brady in the popular Roy Rogers TV Show, the Casey Jones Cannonball Express locomotive to the coal tender trailer from Ralph and Sandy Theiss.
Even In Africa
View Reno, Nevada artist Robert Cinkel’s series of paintings Even in Africa. This unique group of paintings depicts automobiles from the Museum’s collection in various locales including the Nevada desert, India, Egypt and Africa.
Celebrity Autos
See autos owned by celebrities and those that have appeared in feature films in the Celebrity Autos exhibit. Automobiles owned by celebrities include: Andy Griffith’s 1912 Baker Electric Model V Special Extension Coupe, John Wayne’s Chevrolet Corvette 2934 Convertible, Frank Sinatra’s Ghia L.6.4 Hardtop, John F. Kennedy’s Lincoln Continental 86 Convertible and Elvis Presley’s 1973 Cadillac Eldorado Custom Coupe. Among the Museum vehicles that have appeared in movies are: a 1912 Rambler 73-4CC Cross Country from the 1997 blockbuster movie, Titanic; a 1949 Mercury Series 9CM Six-Passenger Coupe driven by actor James Dean in the 1955 movie Rebel Without a Cause; and a 1960 Flying Caduceus Experimental Streamliner from the 2005 film, The World’s Fastest Indian, starring Anthony Hopkins.
Art and Collectibles
The Museum’s Art and Collectibles exhibit includes eight paintings by Jerome Biederman, a pioneering artist of inventions in transportation that moved on land, in the air, and above and below water. Throughout his time, Biederman’s works of art were featured in Playboy magazine, Automobile Quarterly and Horseless Carriage Gazette. Collectibles featured in the exhibit include vintage automobile advertising signs, car badges and emblems, gas pumps and vintage clothing.
Hardware Store
Learn about the evolution of auto repair tools in the National Automobile Museum’s Hardware Store. Upon entering the Hardware Store, stocked with old tools, Henry Ford will describe the success of his universal car, the Model T Ford, and the advances in tools that kept them on the road.
Thomas Flyer
Discover the exciting story and experience the thrill of the New York to Paris automobile race. In the dead of winter in 1908, six cars from around the world embarked on this grueling journey. The exhibit is complete with maps of the route and the only American entry, the 1907 Thomas flyer that won the race.
Bill Harrah 1911-1978: Legendary Collector
The story of legendary collector and gaming industry pioneer, Bill Harrah, awaits you in the Bill Harrah 1911-1978: Legendary Collector exhibit. Bill Harrah founded the world-famous Harrah’s Automobile Collection which opened to the public in 1962 and grew into the largest, most significant collection of its time. The exhibit chronicles Harrah’s story from his passion for automobiles to the unfortunate turn of events that lead to the disbursement of most of his collection and the public outcry that saved some of the best items within the collection and soon after, formed the core of the National Automobile Museum.
Shopping in the Museum Store
Stop by the Museum Store. Automotive-themed gifts and keepsakes including a large selection of books and DVDs, apparel and replica signs are available to purchase.
- Be sure to catch a presentation in the beautiful 157-seat Theater. The Bill Harrah Story and the Magic Carriage are shown every hour, on the hour.
- Do not forget your camera. There will be exciting photo opportunities during your visit to the National Automobile Museum.