Petersen Museum

The Petersen Automotive Museum is recognized as one of the world’s top automotive museums. Located in downtown Los Angeles in a striking red and stainless steel building, the museum opened in 1994 and is named after its founding benefactors, Robert E. Petersen and his wife Margie. Mr. Petersen was the Founder and Chairman Emeritus of Petersen Publishing Company.

The Petersen Automotive Museum is dedicated to exploring and presenting the history of the automobile and its impact on American life and culture, while looking ahead to the future of transportation, with both permanent installations and regularly updated exhibitions.

Some of the museum’s most popular exhibits have included extensive lowrider displays, hypercars and cars of film and television. The museum opened 12 new exhibits in 2024 alone. Among the prized vehicles in the museum’s collection are the 1956 Jaguar XKSS previouslyowned by Steve Mcqueen, the 1939 Bugatti Type 57C “Shah” and the 1937 Talbot-Lago T150CS “Teardrop,” which was donated by the Mullin Automotive Museum.

The Vault, housed in the museum’s basement, features over 250 vehicles, including head-of-state cars, American classics, the personal rides of Hollywood legends, award-winning hot rods and other surprises. The museum brings the automotive experience to life for its community with monthly themedCruise-Ins, as well as domestic and international rallies, while the museum’s education department hosts year-round programming for students in kindergarten through high school, including field trips, workshops and virtual programs.

The museum is also home to the Rob and Melani Walton Discovery Center, which offers automotive activities designed just for kids.

To learn more about the Petersen Automotive Museum, visit petersen.org or follow@PetersenMuseum on Facebook, Instagram and YouTube