Historic cars heading to historic casino

Gremlins, Hornets, Javelins and Matadors will be roaring through Railroad Pass casino on Nov. 7, and, no, they're not science fiction characters.

The 10th annual Las Vegas American Motors Corp. Reunion will be rolling into the self-proclaimed nation's longest-running casino with makes and models from the early 1900s.

"I've been in the hobby for 40-plus years," said Mark Ogulnick, who's putting on the event. "This reunion is everything in the AMC family tree. It's a blast."

The car show is free to the public and will be held from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., with an array of cars from a 1927 Nash to a 1941 model made before car production stopped during World War II.

The cost is $40 to register vehicles for the show.

Ogulnick said Boulder City is the perfect spot for the event, with members of the car show club coming from all over the country. This year, Ogulnick expects residents from New York to British Columbia, Canada, to show up, and is hopeful to hit a club-record of 75 to 80 cars.

"Last year we had 65 cars, which was a record for us," Ogulnick said. "This year, I've had calls from everywhere and I know a bunch of groups are coming."

The Friday before the show will be a members-only cruise to Techatticup Mine, followed by a barbecue hosted by the Southern Nevada AMC club.

Included at this year's event will be T-shirts, dash plaques, raffles and awards.

The raffles are donated by companies around Boulder City, according to Ogulnick, including Alpaca Pete's and O'Reilly's, and are mostly car-related.

For the 10th anniversary, Ogulnick said attendees will be graced by two historic vehicles.

A 1968 Playmate AMX, given to Playboy's Playmate of the Year that year, has been repainted and restored and will be brought to the car show.

After receiving the pink '68 AMX, Ogulnick said the playmate painted to car brown because of all the attention she would receive. A few wrecks, bumps and bruises later, the car was left for dead.

According to Ogulnick, two men discovered it was the original Playmate AMX after seeing pinks chips underneath the brown paint, as well as the AMX plate that listed the playmate's measurements. The two men bought the car, then restored and repainted the vehicle its original color.

The other show highlight is a 1969 AMX that was bought and made to look like a replica of the '68 version.

Ogulnick said they are the only two AMX models known.

"These are all cars you don't see anymore," Ogulnick said. "You can go to big shows with hundreds of cars and you won't see one AMC. Our show is unique. I tell people if you come once, you're going to come back."

Contact reporter Randy Faehnrich at rfaehnrich@bouldercityreview.com or at 702-586-9401. Follow him on Twitter @RandyFaehnrich