Petersen Automotive Museum - the PH tour

From Bugattis to Walt's Pontiac Aztek from Breaking Bad join us for a wander around LA's Petersen Automotive Museum

By Dan Trent / Tuesday, 22 November 2016 / Loading comments

As you'll know we were in LA last week for the Auto Show but before looking at new cars we went to kick tyres of some old ones at the Petersen Museum. Well, figuratively at least. Actual tyre kicking would see your visit cut rather short, given the quality of the cars on display. More so, in fact, with the ones that aren't on display and only available for viewing on a private vault tour.

The public galleries are impressive enough though. Reopened a year ago after a $90m refit, the museum's dramatic architecture houses an incredible array of cars, staggering in its range as well as its value. From a selection of 20 Bugattis - including a Type 41 Royale AND a Type 57SC Atlantic and many, many more - to racing cars and iconic movie and TV machines there's a fascinating range of stuff here and truly something to satisfy every petrolhead taste.

Before hitting the main museum we had our guided tour of the underground garage, which costs $20 in addition to the $15

general admission

. Sadly there are no cameras allowed downstairs so you'll have to take our word for it on how special the contents of the vault are, vehicles that stand out including two very different machines owned by Steve McQueen. The first was a plain looking Hudson Wasp; his chosen runabout for the school run and when he didn't want to attract attention. The other? Rather more attention seeking, being the original Jaguar XKSS he famously drove around Hollywood and one of the four most important cars in the collection by our guide's reckoning. Shortly after our visit Jaguar took over to launch its fresh batch of

continuation XKSS models

, the McQueen original worth many multiples of the 'over £1m' Jaguar sold these additional nine cars for. Across the way from the XKSS was a DeTomaso Pantera owned by Elvis Presley ... and then shot at when it failed to start. The bullet holes are still in the dash. And so it continues, from Duesenbergs to Fred Astaire's 1927 Rolls-Royce and US presidential limos to a Mercedes S600 'liberated' from original owner Saddam Hussein. Custom cars, film cars, racing cars - they're all here and kept running by the in-house mechanics.

We'll let the pictures do the talking henceforth though as we take you on a stroll among the Bugattis, Hollywood cars and temporary 'Precious Metal' exhibition themed around a stunning selection of machines linked by their chosen paint colour. And because they're beautiful.

If you're in LA yourself and fancy a visit check out the museum's website for all the necessary info.

Bugatti Type 41 'Esders' Royale by Binder

One of six Type 41 Royales, this car belongs to Bugatti itself and was built in 1932. Highlights include the 14-foot chassis and 12.8-litre engine, the rearing elephant mascot designed by Rembrandt Bugatti. Originally fitted with a cabriolet body by Jean Bugatti, this car was rebodied into its current Coupe de Ville shape by Binder in 1938.

Bugatti Type 35C

Built in 1925 and described by the Petersen as 'Ettore's tour de force', the Type 35 is the definitive racing Bugatti, its delicacy, speed and distinctive aluminium wheels all marking it out as something very special.

Bugatti Type 57C Atlantic

One of the most beautiful 30s cars, the Type 57C Atlantic's rivetted aluminium bodywork combines references to engineering and styling fashions of the period and is described in the exhibition as 'Jean Bugatti's masterpiece'.

Bugatti Type 57C Atlante

Like many of the Bugattis on display this car is on loan from the Mullin Automotive Museum, the Gangloff body described as a 'faux cabriolet' in the official text. Originally a pre-war design this car dates from 1949 after production restarted following hostilities.

Ferrari 250 GT SWB

You'll probably recognise this one! Included in the 'Precious Metal' display of silver coloured cars this SWB comes from a private collector. This or a 250 GTO then?

Fiat 8V Supersonic by Ghia

One of just eight built, this rather lovely looking Fiat was apparently called the '8V' because the Italians thought Ford had trademarked 'V-8', not that any self-respecting American car would have one displacing just two litres.

Lola GT Mk6

Included in the Precious Metal exhibition, this dinky little Lola dates from 1963 and famously provided the inspiration for the GT40 after Ford acquired it as a development mule - it also stands 40 inches high and has a mid-mounted 289 Ford V8. The current owner of this car was apparently a driver and mechanic for one Carroll Shelby back in the day and bought it in 1965 for $3,000.

Mercedes W196 streamliner

When Mercedes returned to Grand Prix racing in 1954 it did so with the enclosed wheel streamliner version of the W196 driven to double championship success by Fangio, supported by a young upstart by the name of Stirling Moss. Designed for the flat-out plains of the Reims road circuit, open-wheeled versions of the W196 dominated the 1954 and 1955 seasons.

Porsche 904 Carrera GTS

Fibreglass-bodied and originally fitted with a four-cylinder engine the 904 GTS is one of Porsche's more beautiful racing cars; this particular car was later upgraded with a six-cylinder engine, proving the current outcry over the 718 Boxster and Cayman going four-cylinder is nothing new!

Magnum Ferrari 308 GTS

Given the Petersen's location cars from film and television are a big presence in the collection, Tom Selleck's iconic Ferrari from Magnum P.I. included in the screen influenced display.

Back To The Future DeLorean

There's a gold-plated DeLorean in the vault collection; the one on display in the public area meanwhile has all the Doc Brown enhancements...

Breaking Bad Pontiac Aztek

Described as 'the anti-hero car', Breaking Bad fans will recognise this spectacularly humdrum piece of Americana as the signature wheels of Walter White. On loan from Sony Pictures Television, the Fleetwood Bounder RV that served as the mobile meth lab can be seen at the Sony Pictures Studio Tour in Culver City.

Great Gatsby Duesenberg II SJ

There are original Duesenbergs in the vault but this one is a modern V8-powered reproduction of the SJ, used in the Baz Luhrmann adaptation of The Great Gatsby and driven on screen by Leonardo DiCaprio.

1932 Ford "Ray Brown Roadster"

What was your project car when you were 17 years old? For Ray Brown it was this classic lake racing Ford Hot Rod, built in 1946 and stored shortly after for 40 years in dry storage before restoration into its original racing configuration. An iconic slice of SoCal motorsport culture!