Petersen Automotive Museum hits the restarter
Three new exhibitions look at some of the flashiest, fastest and grittiest cars
Ever dream about flooring it down the 405 at 200 mph? Well, the Petersen Automotive Museum has cars that could pull that off, if it wasn’t totally illegal.
After being closed for the past year due to the coronavirus pandemic, the Los Angeles museum is flooring it right out of its reopening with a trio of exhibitions anchored by extreme high-performance rides that car fans dream about.
But there’s also something for the gear heads and the tough-as-nails off-roaders, too, in the newly opened exhibitions, “Supercars: A Century of Spectacle and Speed,” “Extreme Conditions” and “Redefining Performance.”
“All of the cars are extreme, that’s for sure. None of these are mundane. They’re all exciting to see,” said Bryan Stevens, exhibitions director for the museum, which reopened Thursday.
The museum must follow several guidelines because of the coronavirus, including operating at 25% capacity. Visitors will need to make reservations for timed entry, wear masks and follow set navigation paths for the exhibitions.
But once inside, they’ll get to see some really cool vehicles. The main exhibition is “Supercars: A Century of Spectacle and Speed,” comprising 30 cars that could have driven off posters hung in a car lover’s room.
“These are the kind of cars that children dream about; that adults still dream about,” Stevens said. “We look at a supercar as the most extreme, most superlative, most audacious, fastest, most expensive cars of their given era,” he said.
Cars in the exhibition include a 1998 McLaren F1, which at 680 horsepower is considered the “ultimate supercar” for melding the highest performance possible with usability and comfort, Stevens said.
“Many people believe that it’s the greatest automobile ever engineered,” he said.
Another vehicle on view is a 1991 Ferrari F40, which was Ferrari’s first production vehicle to go faster than 200 mph.
People didn’t usually take it to those speeds, but for car fans, just knowing you could go that fast was enough, Stevens said.
“That’s part of the appeal. It’s just bragging rights,” Stevens said.
One floor below the supercar exhibition gallery is the “Extreme Conditions” exhibition, which will appeal to those who prefer off-road adventures over speed.
“We’re looking at the modification of road cars for off-road use. Whether it’s for racing off road or adventuring outdoors or working outdoors,” Stevens said.
The 11 vehicles have been modified with extreme off-road capabilities, including a bright green, 1958 Jeep FC-170 that had its tires replaced with what basically looks like tank tracks to let it trek through just about any terrain.
There’s also a 1970 Chevrolet Nova that has been lifted and outfitted with truck tires to compete in off-road races.
The third and smallest of the new exhibitions is “Redefining Performance,” which is aimed at gear heads as it looks at a handful of cars that show how Porsche blends the technology the company uses in its race cars with its production vehicles.
On display are cars including a 1977 Porsche 934 RSR, which was the first racing version of a Porsche available to the public, and a 1979 Porsche K3, a race car based on the 911 road car.