The legend of Bonnie and Clyde, the notorious outlaw duo, continues to captivate the world. Their crime spree during the Great Depression era cemented their place in history, and so did the bullet-ridden 1934 Ford V8 Deluxe sedan, famously known as the “Bonnie and Clyde death car.” For those intrigued by true crime history and wondering, where is the Bonnie and Clyde death car today, the answer might surprise you. It’s not in a museum of history or a law enforcement archive, but rather on display in a rather unexpected location: a casino in Nevada.
This infamous vehicle, stolen from Jesse and Ruth Warren in Topeka, Kansas, became Bonnie and Clyde’s last ride. On May 23, 1934, in Louisiana, law enforcement officers ambushed and fatally shot the couple in a hail of gunfire, leaving the Ford riddled with over 160 bullet holes. After the dramatic demise of the outlaws, the bullet-scarred car was returned to its owners in Kansas and subsequently sold, beginning its bizarre journey into popular culture.
For years, the “death car” toured county fairs and carnivals, becoming a morbid spectacle for curious onlookers. This chapter of its history took an intriguing turn in 1973 when Peter Simon, a 22-year-old casino owner from Jean, Nevada, acquired the vehicle at a Massachusetts car auction for a staggering $175,000 – approximately $1.2 million in today’s dollars. At the time, this purchase marked the Ford as the most expensive antique car in the world, a testament to its dark history and notoriety.
Simon was not just any casino owner; he was the operator of Pop’s Oasis, having inherited the property from his father. At just 22, he was also Nevada’s youngest gaming licensee. Instead of parking this unique piece of crime history in a private collection, Simon had a more public-facing plan. He established a museum within Pop’s Oasis specifically to showcase the Bonnie and Clyde death car, alongside other related artifacts. His vision was clear: to attract visitors driving into Las Vegas on Interstate 15, offering them a unique roadside attraction.
Simon’s gamble paid off handsomely. Between 1973 and 1975, the museum drew in over 100,000 visitors. Charging an admission fee of $2.50 per person, the Bonnie and Clyde death car helped generate around a quarter of a million dollars for his casino. However, by December 1975, Simon declared his intention to sell the car. He stated that it had “done its job” in attracting publicity for his casino. Furthermore, with the construction of the Jean Conservation Camp, a minimum-security prison for women, nearby, Simon felt keeping the car on display would be in poor taste.
The Bonnie and Clyde death car was then acquired in 1988 at auction by Gary Primm, son of Ernest Primm, the namesake of Primm, Nevada, for $250,000. This marked another chapter in the car’s journey, relocating it to Whiskey Pete’s casino in Primm in 1988. Adding to the macabre display, Barrow’s bloodied shirt joined the exhibit over a decade later, further enhancing the attraction’s grim appeal.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, the display experienced a brief relocation to the entrance of the Primm Mall at Primm Valley Resort and Casino. Most recently, in late 2022, when Buffalo Bill’s casino reopened after a three-year closure, the death car found its current and perhaps final resting place.
So, to definitively answer the question, where is the Bonnie and Clyde death car now? Today, you can find this infamous vehicle on the casino floor of Buffalo Bill’s in Primm, Nevada. It is encased in a large glass box, carefully preserved and presented alongside mannequins of Bonnie and Clyde, memorabilia from their era, and even Bonnie and Clyde-themed slot machines. This unique and somewhat unsettling display ensures that the legend of Bonnie and Clyde, and their bullet-riddled Ford, continues to fascinate and draw crowds in the Nevada desert.
