Why the Petersen museum should be on your must-do list in LA

L.A has one of the biggest and most diverse car cultures in the world - and it's all here at the Petersen Museum. (image credit: Malcolm Flynn)

Think it looks good? This '58 Impala won the "Lowrider of the Year" three years [2015-2017] in a row. (image credit: Malcolm Flynn)

Los Angeles is easily one of the most exciting cities in the world, but once you’ve done the celeb tour, seen the big sights and picked your jaw off the ground at the sheer poverty and filth of most of Hollywood, any self-respecting car head has to visit the Petersen Automotive Museum in central LA.

Founded by magazine publisher Robert E. Petersen and his wife Margie in 1994, it’s grown to be one of the biggest car museums in the world.

You probably know the Petersen Publishing Company’s work from the world-leading YouTube shows like Roadkill and Dirt Every Day, but the Petersen museum forms an epic celebration of motoring from around the world and the USA, with some of the biggest two and four-wheel starts of the screen thrown in for good measure.

Unveiled at the 1935 Paris Motor Show, the Type 57SC Atlantic features design motifs that pay homage to the aviation industry. (image credit: Malcolm Flynn)

...though you probably know it best from Grand Theft Auto V. (image credit: Malcolm Flynn)

There may be many special Ferraris, but the 1947 Ferrari 125 S was the very first to feature the iconic name and logo. (image credit: Malcolm Flynn)

Back in

The American Bosley GT not only mixed a Chrysler HEMI, a stylish and aerodynamic body, and a 208 litre fuel tank into one car. But a top speed of 257km/h as well. (image credit: Malcolm Flynn)

Even though it was built in

This 1954 Plymouth Explorer concept might be American, but its body was made by Carrozzeria Ghia in Turin, Italy. (image credit: Malcolm Flynn)

Due to its relatively modest power output of 82kW, the top speed of the 1954 Plymouth Explorer concept was 160km/h. (image credit: Malcolm Flynn)

Not only was the 1956 Jaguar XKSS one of the fastest cars in its day, but this particular model was owned by Steve McQueen himself. (image credit: Malcolm Flynn)

The Jaguar XKSS was the road-going version of the Jaguar D-Type racer. (image credit: Malcolm Flynn)

The 1958 Ferrari 250 TR Spyder - also referred to as the Testa Rossa, or

The concept of the Ferrari 250 Califonia as a chic, expensive convertible for the United States market was pitched to Enzo Ferrari in 1957. He agreed, and the 250 California was born into two wheelbases: long (LWB) and short (SWB). (image credit: Malcolm Flynn)

Built for the four-litre production class at Le Mans, the 1963 Ferrari 330 LMB blended the bodywork of the production 250 GT Berlinetta Lusso with the elements from the competition 250 GTO. (image credit: Malcolm Flynn)

No it

It was designed to be a more of a

Meet the 1965 Ferrari 250 LM - the first ever mid-engined Ferrari GT with a V12. (image credit: Malcolm Flynn)

The Mk.III was the road-going version of the GT40. It was still quick though; 0-100km/h in 5.3 seconds. (image credit: Malcolm Flynn)

It might look ordinary by today

The Ring Brothers AMC Javelin was an amazing standout at SEMA 2017. (image credit: Malcolm Flynn)

This was the second time we bumped into the Ring Brothers Javelin last week. (image credit: Malcolm Flynn)

While this 1972 Ferrari 312 T2 lost to James Hunt

Powered by a twin-turbo V8 making 298kW, only 272 units of the Ferrari 288 GTO were built. (image credit: Malcolm Flynn)

The Porsche 962 C Thierry Boutsen and Frank Jelinski won the 1986 Spa 1000km with. (image credit: Malcolm Flynn)

The C in 962 C referred to its Group C homologation. (image credit: Malcolm Flynn)

Before Dodge put the Viper into production, they made 93 pilot production vehicles. While this one survived, most were destroyed. (image credit: Malcolm Flynn)

This pilot production car was donated to the Petersen Automotive Museum to help illustrate one of the many steps required to make a production vehicle. (image credit: Malcolm Flynn)

The XJ220, while initially supposed to be equipped with a DOHC Jaguar V12, ended up being powered by a twin-turbo Rover V6. (image credit: Malcolm Flynn)

404kW was the final power figure, pushing the car up to its top speed of 350km/h. (image credit: Malcolm Flynn)

Much like the Bugatti Veyron and Chiron models, the 1994 Bugatti EB110 has FOUR turbochargers. This Super Sport example has a higher output over the

It might be from the early

When the GM EV1 was released in 1996 it became the very first mass-produced electric car from a major manufacturer. (image credit: Malcolm Flynn)

You couldn

With over 480kW and a six-speed sequential gearbox, Ken Block

To date, Ken Block

This 2012 Ford Fiesta was featured in Ken Block

Never before has one mismatched wheel been so cool. (image credit: Malcolm Flynn)

This 2015 McLaren P1 - chassis number 168 - was ordered with naked carbon fibre body panels. (image credit: Malcolm Flynn)

Have you ever wondered where the charging port is on a P1? Well, now you know. (image credit: Malcolm Flynn)

Because this particular McLaren was built by McLaren Special Operations - High Sport, it means that it was built to meet the arranged specifications of its owner. (image credit: Malcolm Flynn)

This 1963 Impala, dubbed

This 1964 Chevrolet Impala is called

In April 2017,

This 1968 Impala might look a bit grim, but the Day of the Dead theme is supposed to

While the exterior references death, war, and policing, El Muertorider

The paint scheme of

Jose Alvarez, Jr.

Not only did this 1987 Oldsmobile Cutlass win

...

Originally, the 1987 Oldsmobile Cutlass was marketed as a mid-sized luxury vehicle. I don

Ever seen John Carpenter

This 1963 Volkswagen Beetle, featured in the 2005 movie Herbie: Fully Loaded, has been kitted out with a full roll cage, disc brakes, upgraded suspension, and slick tyres in order to make the racing scenes more realistic. (image credit: Malcolm Flynn)

While many were made for the 2005 film, this particular example was driven by Lindsay Lohan. (image credit: Malcolm Flynn)

While the Mercedes-Benz 600 is famous for being one of the most expensive cars when new, this particular example was driven by Jack Nicholson in the 1987 film, The Witches of Eastwick. (image credit: Malcolm Flynn)

This 1966 Ford Thunderbird was the car used for most of the close-up shots in the 1991 film, Thelma &amp; Louise. (image credit: Malcolm Flynn)

This 1966 Ford Thunderbird was the car used for most of the close-up shots in the 1991 film, Thelma & Louise. (image credit: Malcolm Flynn)

Out of the three cars built for Robert Zemeckis

After spending over 25 years on display at Universal Studios Hollywood, the movie icon underwent a painstaking restoration before being shown at the museum. (image credit: Malcolm Flynn)

Despite being on display for so many years, the star car actually had a missing

Because Magnum P.I.

Compared to a yellow Rolls-Royce used in The Great Gatsby book, Baz Luhrmann decided to use a Duesenberg replica for his 2015 film adaptation. Thanks to the late model Ford engine and transmission, the replica was cheaper, more reliable, and easier to maintain than the car in the book. (image credit: Malcolm Flynn)

This is one of the original Batmobiles used in Tim Burton

This 1939 Bugatti Type 57C belonged to the Prince of Persia and future Shah of Iran, who received it as a gift from the French government as a first wedding gift. (image credit: Malcolm Flynn)

The Batcycle appeared in the

The Batpod was ridden by Christian Bale

The Batpod

We also managed to blag access to the vault downstairs, which along with a workshop to maintain the cars, is also where most of the collection is stored when not on rotation through the three floors of displays above.

Cameras aren’t allowed in the vault, but we got to see the famous Ghia-designed one-off Cadillac of Rita Hayworth, Troy Trepanier’s Sniper 1954 Plymouth Belvedere custom with a Viper V10 heart, and what is believed to have been Preston Tucker’s personal Tucker 48.

What's your Petersen highlight? Tell us in the comments.

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