Treasures of the Petersen Automotive Museum

Extensively rebuilt in 2015 with a dramatic exterior design, the Petersen Automotive Museum is a tribute to all things automotive, located in a city marked by the automobile like no other: Los Angeles. Its amazing regular collection is frequently enhanced by special collections. Autocar recently visited the museum, and here are the highlights:

CHEVROLET IMPALA (1963)

After inheriting a 1963 Chevy Impala, Albert de Alba, Sr. began the six-year process of constructing El Rey (Spanish for "The King"). El Rey is covered with custom candy paint, chrome plating, and metal etching. The geometric design emphasizes on the lines of the car's body, and extends into the engine bay, boot, and wheel arches. El Rey has been named Lowrider of the Year by Lowrider Magazine for three years in a row (2011-13), being dubbed the "pinnacle of modern lowrider culture.”

CHEVROLET IMPALA (1968)

The artwork on this Impala was created in 2006. It addresses various themes relating to the culture of lowriding. The design features imagery reminiscent of Western art history and ‘Dia de los Muertos’ (Day of the Dead), a holiday rooted in both native spiritual practice and Spanish Roman Catholicism. The distinctive design was created by utilizing "negative" transfer technique which replicates the effect of woodblock prints.

1950 CHEVROLET SEDAN

Artist Gilbert "Magu" Lujan (1940-2011) transformed his family's 1950 Chevrolet sedan into a lowrider with this distinctive paint job. He made use of pin striping brushes and lacquer-based textile crayons to create the unique paint job. Food features prominently on the car with chili peppers, burritos, a tamale, tacos, and taquitos making tongue-in-cheek references to the "tuck and roll" upholstery technique used by hot rodders.

1966 BOSLEY INTERSTATE MARK II

The Interstate Mark II was a scratch-built car built by horticulturist and engineer Richard Bosley, based on a 1956 Chevrolet Corvette chassis fitted with a Pontiac V-8 engine. The body was made of hand-laid fiberglass over a tubular frame and took on a form that wasn’t too dissimilar to Ferraris of the period. Bosley considered making his Interstate body available to other Corvette owners, however his vision never materialised.

After construction of the GT Mark I, Bosley set about creating a second version more in keeping with the aesthetics of the mid 1960s calling it the Interstate Mark II.

Top speed: 160 mph

Horsepower: 345

Number built: 1

1961 INTERNATIONAL SCOUT 80

Coming from a stable of farming vehicles and pickups, the Scout 80 went on sale in 1961 as an attempt by International Harvester to take on the Jeep CJ. This example is the twenty-second Scout produced and is configured as a half-cab pickup with a fold-down windshield and sliding side windows. Later Scouts were available with removable full-length tops and four-wheel drive, a surprisingly popular option. A hugely influential vehicle, the Scout was a precursor of the sophisticated SUVs that have come to dominate car sales today.

Top speed: 70 mph

Horsepower: 92

Number built: 100,000

Price when new: $2,100 ($16,700 today)

1966 VOLKSWAGEN TYPE 265 DOUBLE CAB PICKUP

Volkswagen transporters became a popular alternative to pick-up trucks in America due to their unusual rear-engine design and smaller size. The Type 265 (a designation that denotes its double-cab configuration) features bed sides and a tailgate that fold down for easy loading of cargo up to a weight of 940Kg. This particular Double Cab pickup was purchased new in Newport Beach and saw service as a transporter of surfing and band equipment prior to a decade-long restoration using only new-old-stock parts.

Top speed: 65 mph

Horsepower: 53

Number built: 3,700 (Total 1966 Double Cab Pickups)

Price when new: $2,500 ($18,800 today)

1953 BOSLEY GT MARK I

The Bosley GT Mark I was intended as a dual-purpose touring/racing car, powered by a Chrysler Hemi engine fitted to a lightweight fiberglass body, it had a proposed top speed of more than 160mph. Fitted with a 55 gallon (250L) fuel tank it was ideal for long distance drives or races. However, Ohio-based creator Richard Bosley was unable to secure funding to produce his car in any great number and this prototype remained the only Bosley GT Mark I ever produced. 

Top speed: 160 mph

Horsepower: 180 (est.)

Number built: 1

1910 FORD MODEL T ROADSTER

Before the Model T, motoring was a toy for the super-rich. After it, a tool for everyone. The Model T was the first affordable car and sold over 16 million units during its 20 years of production, despite being notoriously difficult to start. Initially priced at $825 when introduced in 1908, the price was slashed to as low as $260 thanks to the efficiencies that were made possible after Henry Ford optimised the moving assembly line.

Interestingly, despite Henry Ford’s proclamation that ‘any customer can have a car painted in any color that he wants, so long as it is black’, the Model T was not available in black until 1913.

Top Speed: 45 mph

Horsepower: 20

Number built: 1400 (Total 1910 Ford Model T Roadster)

Price when new: $900 ($22,918 today)

1955 MERCURY D-528 CONCEPT

Never intended for mass production, the D-528 was a one-off car built to test advanced concepts in safety, lighting, and passenger comfort. The D-528 featured hinged rear wing bulges which were both stylistic and functional features; concealing a spare tire on one side and a fuel tank on the other.

Not seen publicly until its appearances in the Outer Limits television series and the 1964 Jerry Lewis movie The Patsy, the D-528 would likely have proved a popular seller should it have entered production. For its appearance in the movie the Patsy, the D-528 was modified by George Barris and given the nickname “Beldone”.

Top speed: 110 mph (est.)

Horsepower: 130

Number built: 1

1953 DODGE STORM Z-250 BY BERTONE

The 1950s American sports car market was dominated by the Chevrolet Corvette and Ford Thunderbird and Chrysler needed an answer. The Storm Z-250 was developed by Chrysler engineer Fred Zeder, intended to be a dual-purpose sports/racing car. For racing, the touring body (currently fitted in the image) could be removed by unscrewing four bolts and replaced with an ultra-light fiberglass body. Company politics and excessive development costs meant the Z-250 never entered production.

Top speed: 100 mph (est.)

Horsepower: 250

Number built: 1

Price when new: n/a

1954 PLYMOUTH EXPLORER BY GHIA

Like many of other Chrysler Corporation "dream cars" of the period, the Plymouth Explorer was styled by Italian coachbuilders Carrozzeria Ghia. The Explorer’s hand-formed bodywork is distinguished by carefully sculpted contours and highlighted by horizontal spears on the sides that were painted white to contrast with the striking metallic green body colour. Interior features included leather upholstery, fitted luggage and concealed radio controls.

Top speed: 100 mph (est.)

Horsepower: 110

Number built: 1

Price when new: n/a

1956 CHEVROLET BEL AIR CONVERTIBLE

Powered by a 4.3L V8 the Bel Air Convertible was the perfect highway mile cruncher for Americans who wanted to ‘get away from it all’ in style and luxury. Dominated by the popular two-tone styling made popular by Harley Earl, the head of design at General Motors, the 1956 Bel Air featured an optional 2-speed ‘Powerglide’ automatic gearbox.

Top speed: 90 mph

Horsepower: 140

Number built: 41,268 (Total 1956 Chevrolet Bel Air Convertible)

Price when new: $2,300 ($20,200 today)

1947 CISITALIA 202 COUPE

Following the cessation of hostilities post WW2, numerous Italian firms popped up building sports cars using Fiat mechanical parts. Cisitalia was one of these companies and built the 202 Coupe in a limited production run between 1947-52. The taut lines and low hood of the 202 Coupe’s Pinin Farina-designed body set a new standard for automotive beauty.

Considered a work of art in its day, an example was acquired by the New York Museum of Modern Art after its inclusion in the landmark 1951 “Eight Automobiles” exhibition. A 202 still forms part of the museum’s permanent collection today. 

Top speed: 100 mph

Horsepower: 70

Number built: 170 (Total 202 Coupes)

1989 BATMOBILE - BATMAN

As Los Angeles is the home of America's all-conquering screen entertainment industry, it's fitting that the museum hosts a series of famous cars from television and the movies:

At almost 20ft long, the 1989 Batmobile was based on the platform of a 1967 Chevrolet Impala and was powered by a 327-cubic-inch V8 Chevrolet engine. Rolls-Royce jet engine components were used to form the air intake, and turbine blades in the nosepiece were sourced from a British Harrier fighter jet. Five Batmobiles were ordered by Warner Brothers for use in the movies and for promotion of the 1989 and 1992 Batman movies.

Production designer Anton Furst created the Batmobile and won an Academy Award for Gotham City’s set design.

Top speed: n/a

Horsepower: 235

Number built: 5 (1989 Promotional Bat Mobiles)

Price when new: n/a

1984 DUESENBERG II SJ - THE GREAT GATSBY

This car appeared in Baz Luhrmann’s 2013 adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s 1925 classic The Great Gatsby, starring Leonardo DiCaprio. In the original novel Gatsby drives a 1922 Rolls-Royce, but Luhrmann elected to use an early-1930s Duesenberg for the film. The version selected was a Duesenberg ll, a modern reproduction of the Model SJ, which maintained the authentic period styling, but benefitted from a higher rate of reliability and required far less maintenance thanks to its modern Ford V8 engine and transmission.

Top speed: 120 mph

Horsepower: 365

Number built: 100 (est.) (Total Duesenberg II SJ)

1932 FORD FLATHEAD ROADSTER - IRON MAN

Featured in both Iron Man and Iron Man 2 this 1932 Ford Roadster serves as metaphor for Tony Stark's (Robert Downey Jr.) transformation from a rebellious, eccentric billionaire to the flying superhero. The car’s appearance in the first movie is used to explain the colour choice of Iron Man’s gold and red suit which Tony Stark dubs “hot rod red”.

Seen undergoing restoration work in the first movie, panels were removed from the car by the film crew to make the work look more genuine. The car is actually owned by Iron Man director Jon Favreau.

Top speed: n/a

Horsepower: 200 (est.)

Number built: 1

Price when new: n/a

1966 FORD THUNDERBIRD - THELMA & LOUISE

Louise's vintage Thunderbird convertible reflects the free spirited personality of the lead character played by Susan Sarandon. In an effort to add excitement to their mundane day-to-day lives, Thelma (Geena Davis) and Louise set off on an adventure that rapidly takes them from picturesque countryside to a flight from the law. The final scene of the movie sees Thelma and Louise drive their Ford Thunderbird off the edge of a cliff; however the car in the image survived filming.

This particular Thunderbird was used primarily for filming close-up and interior shots. 

Top speed: 120 mph

Horsepower: 275

Number built: 5,049 (1966 Thunderbird Convertibles)

Price when new: $4,845 ($36,000 today)

1981 DELOREAN DMC-12 “TIME MACHINE" - BACK TO THE FUTURE

The most famous of time travelling cars, the DeLorean was the vessel for Marty Mcfly’s journey back to 1955. This particular car was the first of three DeLorean Time Machines built for the original Back to the Future movie starring Michael J. Fox and Christopher Lloyd. It appeared in all three films and spent 25 years as an attraction at Universal Studios Hollywood.

However time and tourists had taken their toll on the DMC-12. A skilled team of fans worked meticulously to restore the iconic car, including replacing the part most integral for time travel, the flux capacitor. As the Hero “A” Car, this DeLorean was the most detailed of the Time Machines and received most screen time.

Top speed: 130 mph

Horsepower: 170

Number built: 8,583 (Total DeLorean DMC-12’s)

1982 FERRARI 308 GTSi - MAGNUM P.I.

This 1982 Ferrari 308 GTSi was the actual car driven by Tom Selleck for the 1982-1983 season of the television series Magnum, P.I. In order to facilitate Selleck's towering 6-foot-4-inch frame, modifications to the car had to be made. The seat rails were relocated and the material from the driver's seat bottom cushion was removed. For the majority of filming the car was driven with its roof removed, which better facilitated filming of the car’s interior.

A new car was used for each season of the show, with each being auctioned off at the end of filming. The popular crime drama series ran from 1980 to 1988.

Top speed: 142 mph

Horsepower: 205

Number built: 1,749 (Total 308 GTSi)

Price when new: $60,000 ($148,300 today)

1979 VOLKSWAGEN TYPE 2 TRANSPORTER - LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE

This Volkswagen is one of five identical vehicles used in the movie Little Miss Sunshine. The comedy followed the dysfunctional Hoover family on a road trip from New Mexico to California, a journey riddled with the same mechanical difficulties suffered by the film’s screenwriter on one of his own family trips in a similar vehicle.

The independent film debuted at the 2006 Sundance Film Festival and was sold to Fox Searchlight Pictures in one the biggest deals in the festival’s history. In July 2006 Fox Searchlight invited VW bus owners to a screening of Little Miss Sunshine at drive-in theatre in California; 65 microbuses made the journey.

Top speed: 75 mph

Horsepower: 68

Number built: 186,870

Price when new: $7,595

1958 PLYMOUTH FURY - CHRISTINE

The 1983 film Christine, adapted from the novel by Steven King, follows a possessed Plymouth Fury that wreaks havoc on the life of its owner and those around him. A total of 24 Plymouth Furys were acquired for production, and this was one of only two stunt cars in running condition used during filming.

Coded "Muscle Two," the stunt car was supposed to be crushed after the movie debuted, but was saved by current owner Martin Sanchez. He used parts from the other Christines to restore the car back to original condition. During filming the cars suffered from mechanical problems with their push button selection gear box which often delayed filming while mechanics made repairs. 

Top speed: 120 mph

Horsepower: 290

Number built: 24 (est.) (“Christines”)

Price when new:  $3,067 ($25,600 today)

1914 RENAULT TYPE EF BY EARL AUTOMOBILE WORKS

This rare Renault once formed part of then Hollywood superstar, Roscoe “Fatty” Arbuckle’s car collection. The body was designed by  Harley Earl, who went on to become head of design at General Motors following the experience he gained working for his father’s company, Earl Automobile Works.  

Top speed: 60 mph (est.)

Horsepower: 35 (est.)

Number built: 1

Price when new: $525,000 ($596.600 today)

1988 YAMAHA V-MAX CAMERA BIKE BY MOTOCAM

Custom built for use as a filming platform, the MotoCam camera bike could be configured to use both forward- and rear-facing cameras. It was designed to support a camera mounting system that would provide stable images during even the hardest of riding. The bike in the image was used to film scenes in the Arnold Schwarzenegger movies Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991) and True Lies (1994).

Top speed:  80 mph

Horsepower: 120

Number built: 1

Price when new:  n/a

1992 ALUMA COUPE BY BOYD CODDINGTON

Built by hot rod design legend, Boyd Coddington, the Aluma Coupe is a one off, custom hot rod. It combined the style and feel of a 1950s hot rod with the modern engineering techniques of the day. This aluminum-bodied vehicle debuted by Mitsubishi to debut at the 1992 New York International Auto Show.

Top speed: Unknown

Horsepower: 320

 Number built: 1

Price when new: n/a  

1948 DAVIS DIVAN

Built just after the Second World War by Gary Davis, the Davis Divan was set to be the car of the future. It sought styling inspiration from the aviation industry and featured four-abreast seating and a three wheel design. Owing to poor company management and a lack of financial backing the project never got off the ground and only 16 vehicles were produced. 

Top speed: 75 mph

 Horsepower: 57

Number built: 16 (Total Davis Divans, including three ‘jeeps’)  

Price when new. $995 ($9800 today)

1996 GENERAL MOTORS EV1

The EV1 was the first mass-produced electric vehicle. Featuring a lightweight construction and an ultra-aerodynamic body, the EV1 had a range of 70-100 miles making it great for short distance commuters. The cars were not for sale; instead customers leased them from selected detailers in the States of California, Arizona and Georgia. However just four years of production, spiralling costs saw the EV1 cancelled and all but 40 were dismantled.

Autocar first drove the EV1 back in 1996 and although limited by its 90 mile range from weighty 500kg batteries, we praised GM for their "creation of a milestone in the evolution of the electric car"

Top speed: 80 mph (Electronically limited)  

Horsepower: 137

Number built: 1,117 (Total EV1S)

Price when new: $299-$574/month (S445-S855/month today)

1922 CHEVROLET SERIES 490 COUPE

The Chevrolet proved to be a popular alternative to the highly successful Ford Model T during the early 1920s. It featured a conventional gearbox and came with a self-starter, eliminating one of the major draw backs to the Model T. The sleeker design of the Series 490 also contributed to the car’s popularity. The combined affordability and ease of operation provided Chevrolet buyers with a practical means to freely explore their surroundings.

Top speed: 45 mph

 Horsepower: 26

Number built: 243,479 (Total 1922 Chevrolets)

Price when new: $850 ($12,200 today)

1953 NASH-HEALEY BY PININ FARINA

A 1951 collaboration between the Nash motor company and British engineer Donald Healey to produce the Nash-Healey. The car combined the chassis of the race-ready Healey Silverstone with the powerful and reliable six-cylinder Nash engine. The body of the Nash-Healey took styling influences from Italian automobile designer Battista "Pinin" Farina, combining recognisable styling elements of full-size Nash vehicles with the sleek, taut silhouette of the Italian designer.

Top speed: 105 mph

Horsepower: 140

Number built: 507 (Total Nash Healey’s)

Price when new: $5,908 ($53,400)

1929 FORD ‘NIEKAMP ROADSTER’

Winner of the first ever America's Most Beautiful Roadster trophy at the National Roadster Show in 1950 the hot rod was constructed from parts of many different cars. Bill NieKamp took a 1927 Essex frame, a modified 1942 Mercury V8 engine, and a 1939 Ford rear axle to build the NieKamp Roadster Intended to be a road-going car, modifications to the car saw it achieve a top speed of 142.40 miles per hour at El Mirage dry lake in 1952.

Year completed: 1949

Engine: 239 Cubic Inch V8 (Mercury)

Horsepower: 100

1933 FORD ROADSTER ‘IMPACT’

The striking Impact roadster was based on a design by Chip Foose and built by Barry White. The painstakingly put together car won the 2001 America's Most Beautiful Roadster award, the most coveted prize in the hot rod community. Impact was one of the earliest roadsters to be equipped with the Chevrolet LS series engine, now the preferred choice of most builders of modern street rods.

Year completed: 2001

Engine: 345 Cubic Inch V8 (Chevrolet)

Horsepower: 345

1932 FORD ROADSTER "0032"

A hot rod for the new millennium, the 0032 was styled by renowned automotive designer Chip Foose. Originally painted yellow for its 1996 debut at the Grand National Roadster Show, which it won, it was painted black for its 2000 National Roadster Show appearance. It was during this show the car won America's Most Beautiful Roadster (AMBR) award for the second time.

Year completed: 2000

Engine: 350 Cubic Inch V-111 (Chevrolet)

Horsepower: 300

1933 FORD ‘POSSESSED’ BY SCOTT’S HOT RODS

Built from scratch in just two years, this roadster won the prestigious America's Most Beautiful Roadster (AMBR) award in. It features an elongated nose, electric switches in place of door handles, and gauges replicating a Breitling chronograph watch. Perhaps the roadster's most unique feature is the custom-built luggage, which includes a picnic and bar set.

Year completed: 2010

Engine: 392 Cubic Inch V8 (Ford)

Horsepower: 640 (est.)

FORD GT CONCEPT SHELL

The new Ford GT stunned spectators at its unveiling during the 2015 Detroit Motor Show. Unlike its 1960s and 2005 predecessors, the 2017 GT uses a twin-turbocharged EcoBoost V6. The car features a carbon fibre body, which features advanced aerodynamic styling which lets air pass through the body as well as around it. When the GT entered production in 2016, it commemorated 50 years since Ford's original GT4Os took first, second and third places at the 1966 24 Hours of Le Mans race.

Year completed: 2017

Engine: n/a

Horsepower: n/a

1967 FORD T40 MARK 111

The Ford GT40 Mark III was the road-going version of the successful GT40 race car. For road use the suspension was softened, interior comfort was improved and extending the rear of the car was elongated to facilitate luggage storage. Powered by a specially developed V8 engine, the GT40 had a zero to 60 of just 5.3 seconds. Together, the 1967 GT40 and its 2017 counterpart illustrate how famed racing success can create consumer demand for generations of high-performance road cars.

Top speed:  165 mph

Horsepower: 306

Number built: 7 (Total Mark 111’s)

Price when new: $18,500 ($129,000 today)

1998 REYNARD 98i INDYCAR

This Indycar was driven by Robert “Bobby” Woodward Rahal who’s racing career spanned 18 years and 264 races. Racing for five different teams he took pole position 18 times and stood on the top step of the podium 24 times. He retired in 1998 and went on to become a principle owner of Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing. As an owner, Rahal has overseen the growth of the team and developed some of the most promising young talent in open-wheeled racing.

Top speed: 245 mph

Horsepower: 875

Number built: 1

Price when new: n/a

1971 MCLAREN M8E/F

The M8F was the ultimate development of McLaren’s Can Am cars, featuring a strengthened chassis and improved aerodynamics mated to an 8.3 litre engine. The car is longer than the M8 series vehicles that proceeded it, giving the F much greater rear end stability.

New Zealanders Bruce McLaren and Denny Hulme were especially successful in Can Am and their combined run of successes during the 1969 season led some to dub the series "The Bruce and Denny Show."

Top speed: 180 mph

Horsepower: 400 (est.)

Engine: 350 Cubic Inch V8 (Chevrolet)  

2016 MCLAREN MSO HS

The MSO HS (McLaren Special Operations—High Sport) is a limited production supercar built to the specifications of each owner, ensuring that no two are exactly alike. Powered by a 3.8 litre twin-turbocharged V8 engine, the HS benefits from the use of more weight-reducing materials such as polycarbonate for the engine cover and a carbon fibre body.

The rear spoiler is adjusted electronically and its modified bodykit generates 220kg of down force, and its three cameras work in conjunction with a data logger, recording track running to offer additional driving analysis.  

Top speed: 203 mph

Horsepower: 678

 Number built: 25 (Total 2016 MSO Hs's)

Price when new: $5550,000+

2015 MCLAREN P1

The P1 was designed with only one thing in mind: to be the ultimate hypercar. Of the 375 P1s built, chassis 168 (shown above) is a unique; it was the only McLaren P1 to be ordered with visible carbon fibre on all body panels directly from the factory.  The P1 is powered by a twin-turbo V8 engine paired with an electric motor, making it McLaren's first hybrid hypercar. The P1 takes advantage of active aerodynamics in the rear wing and underbody to maximize down force. Adjustable suspension also features, allowing for better handling. 

Top speed: 217 MPH (Electronically limited)

Horsepower: 903 (Combined fuel and electric motors)

Number built: 375 (Total PI'S)

Price when new:  $1.3 million

1993 MAZDA RX-7 CONCEPT MODEL

As the third-generation Mazda RX-7 was to be powered by the most highly developed Wankel-rotary engine to be installed in a production car it believed that it should sit under an equally advanced stylistic body. The design for the RX-7 was an internal competition between Mazda’s design studios in Japan and California.

This model of the winning design was created by Art Center College of Design graduate Wu-Huang Chin at the Mazda’s facility in Irvine, one of the first studios established in Southern California by a Japanese automaker.

Top speed: n/a

Horsepower: n/a

Number built: 1

Price when new: n/a

1886 BENZ PATENT MOTORWAGEN (REPLICA)

Last but very much not the least, the car where it all began… Karl Benz's Patent Motorwagen built in 1885 is regarded as the world’s first production car, powered by an internal combustion engine. The engine was a petroleum-fuelled four-stroke design and powered the rear two steel-spoke wheels.

All three wheels on the Motorwagen were fitted with solid rubber tires. Although today’s cars are light-years ahead in technological terms, the Motorwagen pioneered features that are still widely used; rack-and-pinion steering, a water-cooled engine and electric ignition for example.

Top speed: 10 mph

Horsepower: 0.75

Number built: 1 (Prototype), 25 (Modern replicas by John Bentley)

THE VAULT

No visit to the Petersen should go without a visit to its famous Vault in the basement of the building. There cars go when not on show, and a few stay down there forever. Occurring regularly throughout the day, tours cost an extra $20 and are led by passionate and well informed guides. Sadly photography isn’t allowed down there, but these are the highlights:

A De Tomaso Pantera owned by Elvis Presley - complete with a bullet hole in the steering wheel after he got enraged with its failure to start following a row with his girlfriend. The picture is from 2003, when it appeared in the main museum. 

Preston Tucker’s personal Tucker.

A Mercedes-Benz 600 Landaulet formerly owned by Saddam Hussein and rescued from the Jordanian desert after the 2003 American invasion of Iraq. Given the notoriety of its past, the museum has decided to keep the car in its current unrestored state, complete with flat tyres.

A Mercedes 500SEL formerly owned by Imelda Marcos, the former First Lady of the Philippines. It was equipped with James Bond style equipment such as the ability to lay down an oil slick behind and high powered lights to blind pursuers.

THE VAULT

One of just six examples of the Ferrari Sergio. This was a special derivative of the 458 Spider, sold to hand-picked Ferrari customers for $3.2 million apiece. PICTURE: Ferrari press photo.

A Du Pont Model G. The Du Pont chemicals giant made a ton of money selling paint to the big automakers, but in 1919 decided to make some cars itself. It never sold very many, but in 1928 it launched this imperious & expensive speedster. With the crash of the stock market the following year, this was unfortunate timing, and the car firm went out of business in 1931.

The dramatic-looking 1925 Rolls-Royce Phantom I Jonckheere Coupe. The Phantom car was ordered by the widow of Horace Dodge – who made a fortune supplying Ford before building cars himself. She never took delivery and the car for some reason, and in 1934 the Belgian company Jonckheere gave it a dramatic new body.

The armoured Lincoln limousines of Presidents Franklin D Roosevelt and Richard Nixon respectively.The first ever Honda imported to the USA – a 600.

Petersen Automotive Museum

The museum opens every day from 10am to 6pm, except Christmas Day – it closes early on New Year’s Day. A visit is a must for all car fans everywhere.

Current museum entry fees are:

Adults: $16

Seniors (62+): $13

Children (3-12): $8

Students (13-17, or with college ID): $13

Children under 3, members, and active members of the military (with ID) get in for free.

Vault entry to see the cars not currently on display - highly recommended - is $20 on top of the above for a 75 minute tour or $30 for a 120 minute tour.

If you can convince them you have a substantial social media following, you may even get in for free… Ample parking is available.

Petersen Automotive Museum

6060 Wilshire Blvd

Los Angeles

CA 90036

Phone: +1 323-930-2277