The Yellow Cab was the last acquisition made for the A to Z Collection. Mr. Moir recounts that he had been desperate to find a ‘Y’ that he found interesting: “A friend had offered me a Yugo, but…no.” Finally, one day in 2000, a friend showed him a photograph of a 1923 Yellow Cab on exhibit at the Imperial Palace Auto Collections in Las Vegas, which was known for its vast assortment of weird and wonderful automobiles. Instantly, he knew that this was the ‘Y’ to have.

Shortly thereafter, Mr. Moir attended a fellow car collector’s party in Wolfboro, New Hampshire, and told his host, “I wish I could just talk to the Imperial Palace’s curator, Richie Clyne.” The host replied, “Well, you can, he’s across the room tending the bar.” Mr. Moir walked over and was immediately informed that the Yellow Cab was still in Las Vegas and actually for sale. He soon acquired the last car for the alphabet collection.

The car’s known history has been traced back to Ray Graber, of San Diego, California, from whom it was acquired by Harrah’s Automobile Collection. It was still in its very original and period Union Cab Company livery when it was sold at the 1979 Harrah Auction. Later, it was acquired by the Imperial Palace and restored. The car still wears that restoration, in the classic taxi colors of black and yellow, and it has hard-wearing brown leather upholstery in both the front and rear. Its accessories are wonderfully complet, including its correct meter, a “For Hire” sign, a “Vacant” light, and the correct headlamps mounted on the cowl. Mr. Moir was able to acquire two authentic Yellow Cab jacks for the car at Hershey, and these accompany it, along with an original Hertz manual and some documentation of its history.

To say that this is a much-loved automobile in the Moir family is an understatement, as it was used for his son Alan’s wedding, among other occasions. It will no doubt provide endless opportunities for entertainment for a new owner who, like John Moir, appreciates the wonderfully unusual.