Star cars up for bids at Imperial Palace

Friday, April 20, 2001 | 8:50 a.m.

An auction of classic and antique cars that has been held twice a year at the Imperial Palace is being reduced to an annual affair, beginning with a sale Saturday and Sunday.

Don Williams, who along with Richie Clyne, created the Auction at the Imperial Palace 15 years ago, said hosting one show will be better than two each year.

"It will be a larger event, with higher-quality cars and more diversity," Williams said.

In the past the event was held in April and October. Williams said the latter show competed against one of the largest old-car events in the country -- the Antique Car Show and Swap Meet in Hershey, Pa., which more than 500,000 people attend.

The 25-year-old Hershey show and sale usually will be held Oct. 12. Williams and Clyne will have 60 vehicles at the event.

Williams said they decided to discontinue the October auction in Las Vegas because he and Clyne want to participate in the Hersey event, and it is "hard to prepare for two events in one month."

For now the men are busy preparing for this weekend's event at the Imperial Palace, at which more than 700 old cars will be on the auction block.

The Imperial Palace used to operate an automobile museum, but two years ago the casino turned the museum over to Williams and Clyne (who had incorporated their auction in 1987).

The two turned the museum into a showroom, where the exotic cars that once were just for display can now be purchased.

More than 1,000 bidders -- paying $100 to bid -- are expected to attend the auction.

Meanwhile vehicle owners putting their car (or cars) up for auction pay a consignment fee of $350, as well as commission fees for the cars sold.

Many of the vehicles at the auction have historic interest or a connection to a celebrity.

Williams said a 1952 Chrysler Imperial, used as a parade car by President Dwight Eisenhower during his two terms, will be one of the most important cars at the sale, from a historical perspective.

"Chrysler built three cars during the Eisenhower adminstration -- one for New York, one for Los Angeles and one for Detroit," Williams said. "The cars were centered in the section of the country where he would be traveling."

Williams said cars once owned by John Kennedy Jr., Elvis Presley and Tammy Wynette will also be at this year's auction.

But many of the automobiles are celebrities in their own right -- classic cars of the '50s, '60s and '70s, such as a '72 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme, a '66 Ford Mustang Fastback and a '66 Pontiac GTO.

Although a shopper can spend anywhere from $100,000 to more than $1 million for a car, there are plenty of vehicles available in lower price ranges.

"The auction is a good venue for selling (famous) cars," Williams said, "but that's not what the auction is all about. Sure, there are rare, one-of-a-kind cars, but not every car is $100,000 or more.

"You can buy a good collector car, an antique or classic, for $50,000 or less."

So while a person can find a Rolls-Royce or a Mercedes-Benz, a Corvette or a Thunderbird, he also can see a 1957 Ford Skyliner, a 1971 Buick Skylark or a 1966 Volkswagen Sundial camper.