Visiting the 'new' Petersen Automotive Museum

[John Z Goriup]

I fully concur with Mark Smedley's contention ( as posted in "Bestest event hands down" in this forum ) that the L..A. Lit Show, held over 3 very enjoyable days last weekend is one of the great all-Porsche gatherings anywhere.

This year my trip to that annual event was greatly enhanced by a visit to the newly and quite spectacularly remodeled Petersen Automotive Museum on Wilshire Blvd. in Los Angeles.

Centrally and conveniently located, with plenty of covered, secure parking, user-friendly hours ( open every day except a few national holidays ) superb lighting for a refreshing change in modern automotive museum interior design fashion, and a wonderful collection of significant and historic cars of all eras, ranging from a M-B Classic factory built recreation of the first automobile ever created, to the latest 'supercars. Personally, after visiting the museum Sunday after the Swap-meet at the Phoenix Club on the way home to the San Francisco area, I have added the Museum to my list of 'must-do' events / venues of the LA Lit show weekend……….fully as enjoyable and important as a visit to Wilhoit's and / or European Collectibles.

Many who have visited the Petersen in the past have commented that they thought it was a somewhat disconnected and 'funky' melange of dioramas, movie cars and nostalgia, but this is most certainly no longer the case. Magnificently remodeled, with brilliant lighting, logically flowing arrangements of the various exhibits and sub-themes, effective emphasis on the best cars featuring great variety, something of interest to every automotive taste and reasonable prices………..all ensure that a visit will be time well spent.

It should be remembered that this is for all intents and purposes a brand-new enterprise with scant connections to the old museum. New directors, all-new management and curators, a focus on the best cars world-wide from the most fabulous private collections and manufacturer's and national museums, combined with a clear vision for the future as envisioned by some of the most accomplished, influential and energetic 'car guys' in the business, as opposed to the 'Universal Studios Tour' atmosphere of the old Petersen, holds the promise for many interesting and informative future return visits.

Some images from my visit…………..Enjoy.

JG
__________________________________

When first entering the lobby from the parking garage, you encounter this enormously large & long one-off Rolls-Royce Coupe with perfectly circular doors. Impressive……..and I swear the thing must be over 20 feet long - hate to think what it weighs.

The Museum is housed in a four story building, with automotive exhibits / cars occupying the lower three floors and the top floor devoted to meeting rooms, auditorium, spaces for special art and non-automotive events / exhibits, and the basement containing the 'vaults' ( call ahead for appointments and special viewings of that part of the collections ) of cars not on disply as part of the main exhibits are kept. It is recommended that vistors take the elevator to the third floor and work their way to the street level, but I spotted the first two exhibit cars cars shown, i.e. the Mullen Collection ice blue Bugatti Atlantic and David Sydorick's Zagato Ferrari at the entrance to the museum proper and my plans to follow the recommended schedule instantly went out the window, so I reversed the order and started at the end as it were. The tables with some very detailed and beautifully finished kit & scratch-built models and dioramas are also situated on the street level floor and weel worth viewing……….in fact, the entire visit is pretty much overload from beginning to end.

[767driver]

A big +1 on the Petersen. The cars on display can only be accurately described as "art". Some of the most elaborately styled vehicles you will ever see are contained within this building.

[CarmelSkip]

Great photos. Last time I was there they had a 901 and I noticed it had the wrong ( later model with plastic inserts on the upper back side) front chrome bumpers.

[John Z Goriup]

The next two sets and the first three photos of the fourth set all illustrate items from the first ( street-level ) floor and virtually all are on loan from the Peter & Merle Mullen Collection of pre-war ( WW II ) French cars, which is normally housed in the ex-Otis Chandler museum / storage building in Oxnard, which Mullen had completely re-decorated for his own purposes and which these days houses the unique, exquisite and fabulous Mullen Collection.

As a side note, I counted 5, Yes, five, Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance 'Best of Show' winners from the last 25 years, and that's without going into the vaults or even inquiring how many more treasures were not available for viewing at this time. When you think about it, this museum is really starting its current Phase as a world-class collection of collections, meaning that famous and important cars have been invited & gathered from other, existing, collections in the hands of sympathetic owners who loaned / donated their cars to the Peteren to help it in becoming a truly world-class center of classic cars in one of the most important and influential cities in the world, automotively speaking.

As I see things developing, that also implies that other fanatics, followers of classic / collector cars and vintage enthusiasts will have probably seen most if not all of the featured cars before at one time or another, and in one place or another, and that the Petersen has finally become a most suitable and fitting place where the best of the best can be temporarily housed under one splendid roof for viewing by the public, and by constantly revising the 'current' mix on display will be kept interesting, to allow genuinely interested enthusiasts to eventually see most of the world-wide total of the most highly regarded collector cars.

When you read the roster of luminaries at the helm of the Petersen since its re-opening, I submit there's absolutely no reason to believe they won't succeed in this quest.

My recent 1st visit to the 'new' facility certainly convinced me to support the museum with a visit every time I'm in the Los Angeles area.

[John Z Goriup]

The second set from the 1st Floor.

[John Z Goriup]

As mentioned, the first 3 images are from the 1st floor level, then we ascend to the second floor with its various general interest cars, hot rods, relly old stuff and special displays, such as the Ed Pink-buit '67 Ford 4-cam "Indy" motor, just like the unit Jim Clark drove to 500 mile oval victory.

[John Z Goriup]

This set concentrates solely on motorcycles, of which there are some very interesting and rare examples, including the Münch Mammut ( 20 total produced ), a 1994 Morbidelli, one of only 4 made since it was Pininfarina's first 2-wheeled styling venture, and even though the 847cc 4-cam, 120 HP V-8 motor was capable of 140+mph performance, the styling was considered unacceptable, not to mention the outlandish projected price of $60,000. Please note the immaculately restored Vincent 'Black Shadow', and the 4-cyl. Honda 750 with a Triumph Bonneville next to it, identical examples of which shared space in my garage simoultaneously in the late '60s, when I was much younger and not quite as concerned about incurring various degrees of road rash.

[John Z Goriup]

Another from the second floor.

[John Z Goriup]

………and another series of images from the 2nd story 'General interest' section of the museum.

One can't help but be impressed and utterly charmed by the thought devoted to the sequences in which these cars are placed and displayed. It's all very seamless and logical……….and very enjoyable.

[John Z Goriup]

As usually happens when presenting these photo essays, whether it's Pebble Beach, or a vintage racing meeting or the Petersen museum, there always seems to be one clearly special car that I consider sufficiently significant, historic and extraordinary that I devote an entire set to that one object.

On the third floor in the center of the display area was an entire large room dedicated to what the museum calls the "Precious Metal Collection". All the cars in that room, about a dozen or so I'd estimate, were painted metallic silver and displayed under a slightly lower level of illumination that really brought out the brilliance and depth of their silver paintwork. These cars were not specially prepared for this display, rather they were invited because I believe someone with real imagination, ideas and incredible connections had the inspiration to gather these pinnacles of elegance, historic significance and motorsport achievements in one place……and to leave those fortunate enough to witness this accomplishment with memories for a lifetime.

At the Petersen a few days ago the car that almost brought me to my knees was the enclosed wheel, streamlined, race-winning, ex-Juan Manuel Fangio 1955 Mercedes-Benz W 196R Grand-Prix car, on loan from the Indianapolis Speedway Museum. I had no idea that jewel was there, and by pure coincidence had purchased Anthony Pritchard's two-volume masterfully researched and written opus about the post-war M-B race cars until the LeMans tragedy caused their withdrawal from motorsports at the wonderful Burbank 'Aerobooks' bookstore last year………..and there was the car, in the metal. A very special moment indeed, and in my opinion well worth every one of the 10 photos that follow.

Not to brag or try to impress, but this 'sighting' completes for me seeing & photographing all the historically important M-B race cars that were built and so totally dominated motorsports from '52, starting with the first German victory at Lemans by a 300SL Gullwing Coupe, the famous Moss / Jenkinson #722 Mille Miglia 300SLR, the equally famous and extremely rare 'Uhlenhaut' 300SLR Coupe, the open-wheeled version of the W196R GP racer and now this final missing piece of the puzzle from '55, the year a 300SLR plowed into the grandstands at LeMans, killing 81 and forcing an end to M-B's participation in international motorsports as a manufacturer for almost 50 years.