Bonnie Elizabeth Parker and Clyde Chestnut Barrow, more famously known as Bonnie and Clyde, were bandits notorious for robbing small banks, gas stations, and restaurants during the Great Depression. The duo was also responsible for several deaths associated with their crime sprees.
By 1934, the FBI was hot on their trail. Wanted flyers that included their pictures, descriptions, a list of their crimes, and other pertinent information were distributed in hopes of locating the bandits. Bonnie and Clyde had an accomplice named Henry Methvin, and authorities knew that Methvin had a family home in Louisiana. They had information that the duo often traveled from Texas to Louisiana and vice versa, and they hatched a plan to apprehend them. They asked Methvin’s father, Ivy, to help capture the duo.
Authorities knew the two would return to Louisiana on May 23. Before sunlight, officers from Texas and Louisiana positioned themselves on Highway 154 in Bienville Parish, Louisiana. They hid behind bushes and waited for Bonnie and Clyde’s vehicle — one they had stolen — to pass. At about 9:15am, a tan Ford vehicle came driving down the highway. At that point, Ivy was positioned with his truck by the side of the road, pretending to have trouble with his tire. They two, realizing it was Ivy on the side of the road, slowed down to help. The officers then opened fire, killing Bonnie and Clyde instantly.
Bonnie and Clyde’s death car is still intact to this day
The car — a tan 1934 Ford Model 40 B Fordor Deluxe — was stolen from the garage of Kansas residents Jesse and Ruth Warren. The vehicle was riddled with more than 150 bullet holes after the ambush, and it was displayed in exhibitions throughout the United States until it was sold at auction in the 1970s. The buyer was Peter Simon, a casino owner, who built a museum where the car was displayed. He charged $2.50 for visitors to view the infamous vehicle and earned hundreds and thousands of dollars from the car before deciding to sell it. In 1988, Gary Primm bought the car at auction for $250,000 (about $664,000 in today’s money).
Today, Bonnie and Clyde’s death car is displayed at Buffalo Bill’s Resort & Casino in Primm, Nevada. It is surrounded by thick plexiglass for protection. The display also includes two mannequins — a male and a female — dressed like Bonnie and Clyde and armed with guns. Apart from the death car display, visitors can also view photos that were taken right after the ambush, as well as newspaper articles from back in the day detailing what had taken place. Another artifact from that fateful day that is on display is the shirt Clyde was wearing when he was killed — with bloodstains and bullet holes — which was authenticated by his sister. Visitors are welcome to view the historical true crime artifacts at no cost.