Hidden Gem: Dealership has large collection of classic cars

Behind the main showroom of Lotus of Las Vegas, a new and used car dealership off Centennial Center Boulevard, sits a locked building full of more than 80 classic cars, ranging from a 1932 Pontiac 302 to a 1976 Cadillac Eldorado Bicentennial Edition.

Mark Bucciarelli, managing director of classic cars at Lotus of Las Vegas, said the dealership began collecting classic cars in 2010.

“We have everything from muscle cars to pre-war cars,” he said. “The owner of the company has been in the business for close to 50 years and passion for these cars are a big part for both of us of why we collect them.”

Bucciarelli said while the cars have primarily been collected from areas in the Western portion of the U.S., they’ve been sold and shipped across the world.

“We just shipped one to Germany, and we’ve shipped them to Israel and China too,” he said. “I think being in Las Vegas, it’s easier for people to find our cars because we’re a hub to begin with.”

Chevrolet classic cars represent the largest portion of Lotus of Las Vegas’ classic car collection.

The oldest Chevrolet is a 1935 Cabriolet custom coupe and the youngest is a bright green 1975 Corvette Stingray.

Cadillacs also represent a large portion of the collection. In addition to the 1976 Cadillac Eldorado Bicentennial Edition, there’s a 1952, 1959 and 1962 Cadillac DeVille, a 1976 Cadillac Eldorado Bicentennial Edition, a 1958 Cadillac Eldorado Series 62 Biarritz and a 1958 Cadillac Series 62 Hardtop.

The classic cars range in price from $20,000 to $300,000. The most expensive classic car in the collection is a red 1957 Chevrolet Bel Air convertible.

“We have a full team who maintain them, and we remodeled an old body shop for them to be stored in,” he said. “We also keep the cars moving as part of the maintenance.”

Bucciarelli said supply and demand have kept classic cars at the forefront as well as the most recent economic downturn.

“I think during the last downturn people realized that hard assets were safer as opposed to paper assets,” he said. “Plus you can have fun with them too.”

In the future, while Bucciarelli said he’s not sure how the classic car collection at Lotus of Las Vegas will evolve, he does plan to get more locals involved.

“It’ll always be changing because we’re always selling them, so there’s no telling where the collection will go,” he said. “On the second floor of the showroom is a banquet hall, and I’d love to have local car clubs come in and host car shows in the parking lot too.”

For more information on the classic car collection at Lotus of Las Vegas, visit http://lotusoflasvegas.co/used/classics.cfm.