italian design & aerodynamics @ the petersen
since I shamefully missed the supercar and scooter exhibits at the petersen a few months ago, i caught myself up to speed today on the two current exhibits: italian design & aerodynamics.
the last time i was in the petersen, i noted the complete absence of anyone else there. to my surprise, the museum had what must have been some serious patronage on a sunday afternoon. if you haven’t been to the petersen before, there is a large permanent exhibit on the first floor that was built to mimic commercial and residential streets, a car dealership from yesteryear, a speedshop, and some home garages. you can walk along the street scenes admiring the parked cars. there is a significant amount of los angeles lore and history among the signage, and a lot of cars from 1939. it seemed to be that everywhere i turned there was a car from 1939, with world’s fair plates.
the first exhibit that i entered was that of italian design. just as i expected, there were several beautiful alfas, fiats, and lancias. although there were a handful of cars newer than 1980, the vast majority were vintage/classic. i was really hoping to see an alfa gta, but alas, no luck. the cars that did make the cut, were really gorgeous and this exhibit alone was worth the trip. there were even a couple classic ferraris that i didn’t expect to see. the presentation of the exhibit was classic, and down played. aside from some paper backlit signage, the black glossy floors and track lighting showcased the cars adequately.
the second exhibit was all about aerodynamics and its history. although interesting, the exhibit was far smaller, presentation lacking, and the variety and quality of cars disappointing. of course the bugatti veyron made the cut, alongside some other interesting cars, but many of which are part of the museum’s permanent installation (nothing new to see here). there were some interesting old hand crafted models of cars, along with an original salt flat racer that I felt really was the heart of the exhibit.
here are a few things that caught my eye:
