One unique feature that separates the Petersen Automotive Museum from other automotive museums is the constantly rotating exhibit spaces. To keep The Museum fresh, relevant, and to keep visitors coming back, it was decided from the beginning not to display the entire Museum Collection at once. In the 100,000+ square feet that comprise The Petersen Automotive Museum, only about 150 vehicles are on display at any one time. The other half of the 300+ vehicle collection is in on-site storage, awaiting the chance to go on exhibition. Depending on the chosen subject, the rotating exhibits can range from 100% Petersen vehicles to 90% on loan.
A large part of The Museum’s focus is to collect and preserve historic vehicles, and a great deal of importance was placed from day one on acquiring a great number of significant vehicles of all shapes, sizes, makes, models, and purposes. As the Museum’s popularity grew as a 501 (c)(3) nonprofit educational institution, people came to realize that it was the perfect tax deductible home for their prized possession. Our first donation was a beautifully restored 1952 Mercedes-Benz 300 Cabriolet from Annapolis, Maryland. Since then, we have taken in donations from all over the world varying greatly from single vehicles, to multiple vehicle collections, rare automobile components, artwork, photographs, books, and automobilia.
If there is one thing that we all have in common, especially in Southern California, it’s the automobile. To some the automobile is an appliance, but to us it is a passion. The Petersen Automotive Museum has been celebrating this passion since 1994 on the corner of Fairfax Avenue and Wilshire Boulevard, the third most travelled intersection in the city of Los Angeles. It anchors one end of the famed “Miracle Mile” created by real estate developer A.W. Ross in 1936. Created in a time before shopping malls, the Miracle Mile centralized shopping in the area and was “The” place to go for high end shopping. Wilshire was also home to various “firsts” including dedicated left-turn lanes and the first timed traffic lights in the United States. Ross also required merchants to provide automobile parking lots behind their stores, all to aid traffic flow.
The Museum’s unforgettable architecture by world renowned architect, Welton Becket was cutting edge when the building was opened in 1962 as Seibu, a Japanese department store. When Seibu left the United States in 1965, Ohrbach’s moved into the building and it became a popular local shopping spot until its closing in 1986. The building stood vacant for approximately 6 years until inspiration struck the late Robert E. Petersen, who was looking for a consolidated headquarters for Petersen Publishing. Upon further investigation, he decided that the near-windowless structure would not be the best choice for an office building, but it would make an excellent museum. To preserve the Museum’s artifacts inside, they need to keep away from the sun’s damaging ultraviolet rays.
Seeing the building’s true potential as an automotive-inspired educational institution, Mr. and Mrs. Petersen put forth a large portion of the money necessary to create the Petersen Automotive Museum. The Museum was to be much more than a large room filled with cars parked in rows like an indoor parking lot. From the beginning, the vehicles chosen for exhibition had to be displayed in context to give them real meaning and a better experience for all who would come to visit. The “Streetscape” was full of architectural elements that were period correct for the vehicles that surrounded them, immersing visitors deep into the stories that were told. The second floor featured rotating exhibit areas and the third floor featured the Discovery Center which taught art and science through the automobile to children of all ages.
The Museum was developed in a mere three years and opened on June 11th, 1994.
Cultura e conhecimento são ingredientes essenciais para a sociedade.
A cultura é o único antídoto que existe contra a ausência de amor.
Vamos compartilhar.
--br
Museu de Los Angeles tem carros que chegam a valer US$ 40 milhões. Atração turística exibe obras primas como um Bugatti Atlantic, de 1936. Museu tem carro fabricado em 1964 para o filme "007 contra Goldfinger".
Em Los Angeles, nos Estados Unidos, os repórteres do Jornal Nacional do Brasil, visitaram uma atração turística que também oferece uma espécie de viagem ao passado.
As loucuras que um colecionador faria por essas curvas. Algumas chegam a custar US$ 40 milhões. Mas essas esculturas não estão à venda. São peças de museu. Obras primas como um Bugatti Atlantic, de 1936.
O Delahaye, da mesma década buscou inspiração em uma novidade tecnológica da época - o avião. E o Duesenberg S-J Arlington parece feito para transportar milionários de história em quadrinhos.
O acervo do Petersen Museum foi reunido por doadores generosos de Los Angeles, a cidade sobre rodas - com avenidas largas e prédios baixos. Tudo fica longe. No local, para se chegar de um ponto a outro, só de carro. Tanto que os moradores costumam dizer que não têm pernas, mas "cabeça, tronco e rodas".
"Em Nova York, Chicago e até no Brasil, você exibe uma joia, um relógio caro, uma bolsa ou um casaco para mostrar sua personalidade. Aqui em Los Angeles, você veste seu carro", diz o diretor do museu.
Na terra do cinema, as grandes atrações do museu tinham mesmo que ter saído das telas. Um carro, por exemplo, foi fabricado em 1964 para o filme "007 contra Goldfinger" e ainda tem todos os dispositivos que o ator Sean Connery usava contra os inimigos. Na marcha tem um gatilho para poder disparar mísseis, um sistema de navegação que era supermoderno para época. Atrás, um outro segredo: um reservatório para despejar óleo na estrada, despistar os inimigos, e na frente uma calota que sai e destrói toda a lataria de quem quiser se aproximar dessa preciosidade.
Numa das cenas do filme, Sean Connery persegue o mustang da bond girl Tania Mallet nas montanhas da Suíça. E acaba provocando um acidente.
O modelo de "Um novo dia para morrer" é mais moderno. Vem até com metralhadora.
E será que o cavalheiro das trevas estacionou no museu? Se a dupla dinâmica for atacada, pode separar a moto e o carrinho lateral do Robin.
A paixão do Warrick é antiga, começou quando ele tinha seis anos e ganhou o primeiro autorama. "Foi amor à primeira vista" - diz ele.
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