This car was purchased from the Harold Coker collection and is regarded as being the most
authentic Thomas Flyer in existence. It was formerly in the Garganigo, Zimmerman, and Imperial Palace
collections. This model 25 is well known in the collector community and is reported to be the car that William
Harrah coveted but was never able to purchase.
In the early 1960s this car was on exhibit in Albert
Garganigo's Princeton Auto Museum in Massachusetts. When the museum closed in 1963, the car was sold to
the
Eugene Zimmerman collection in Pennsylvania and it was placed in his Automobilorama Museum in Harrisburg,
Pennsylvania. It was later purchased by the Imperial collection in Nevada until Harold Coker purchased the car
in 1999.
The wood frame and sheet metal body are original and, for this reason, the car has become a
revered
icon as the most authentic known. It attracts pilgrims from the Thomas collector community who make
measurements and take pictures in aid of their own restorations.
This car has recently been
re-commissioned
after a long period of inactivity, and it runs and drives well. Genuine Thomas cars are in constant demand and
this is certainly one of the most significant and desirable ones available today.
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