Museums

By David Boldt
MyCarData.com

(August 15, 2023) LOS ANGELES — It began (as I did) in 1953. The American economy was booming, but then, so was Wisconsin’s senator, Joe McCarthy. And while the election of Dwight Eisenhower put World War II fully behind us, the Cold War was heating up. With that, a handful of execs at General Motors believed the company should be building a sports car, and while the all-new Corvette was not yet America’s Sports Car, the basics were there, and at least one engineer, Zora Arkus-Duntov, recognized its potential.

(March 20, 2023) LOS ANGELES — A recent donation to the Petersen Automotive Museum will ensure that generations to come can enjoy one of the quintessential American hot rods.
Renowned car collector Bruce Meyer recently handed over the keys to his 1932 Ford “McGee Roadster” to Terry L. Karges, executive director of the Petersen Automotive Museum.

(March 13, 2023) BOLOGNA, Italy — Ducati is updating the Borgo Panigale Experience, a path the company has developed for everyone who wants to enter the world of Ducati in Borgo Panigale. Ninety years of history and passion inside the Ducati Museum where, walking between the production lines, you can have the chance to see what goes on within the factory.

(May 30, 2022) GIRONA, Spain — The history of Hispano Suiza is showcased, for the very first time, in the Peralada Castle Museum here where visitors will be able to contemplate the past and present of the legendary car brand founded in 1904 by Damián Mateu and Mark Birkigt.

(April 22, 2022) Mazda Motor Corporation’s Museum, located in its Hiroshima (Japan) headquarters, has undergone a full renovation. The museum showcases historic vehicles and exhibits of the company’s history since its foundation more than a century ago. Due to open to the public on May 23, the museum’s spatial design and displays have seen a complete makeover with the aim of providing customers and people in the community with a space in which they can grow closer to Mazda, as well as to strengthen the museum’s role as a base for communication of the Mazda brand.

(December 5, 2021) Museums aren't just places to store old stuff, they're places to tell the stories that mean something to us using that old stuff as a medium. The staff at the Wally Parks NHRA Motorsports Museum knows this all too well. A video series that curator Greg Sharp and racer Jack Beckman put together earlier this year tell fascinating stories of drag racing and hot rodding history.

(November 26, 2021) OXNARD, Calif. — The Mullin Automotive Museum has announced that it is the recipient of the 2021 Historic Motoring Awards title of Museum/Collection of the Year, which was announced during the awards ceremony that took place at the Rosewood Hotel in London, England on Nov18. This is the museum’s first win. It is the second Historic Motoring Award for Mullin founder and CEO, Peter W. Mullin, who won the Personal Achievement Award in 2016.

(November 12, 2021) LOS ANGELES — The Petersen Automotive Museum has announced a new exhibit that explores the world of hypercars, the fastest and most exclusive cars money can buy, which is coming to the museum on Dec. 4.  Over the next 18 months, the exhibit Hypercars: The Allure of the Extreme will rotate up to 30 vehicles that highlight what hypercars stand for and why they continue to captivate the global automotive community.

1959 Deutsch-Bonnet HBR5 Coupe

(April 1, 2021) LOS ANGELES — The Petersen Automotive Museum has added eight new vehicles to The Vault presented by Hagerty, offering guests an updated tour experience. New Vault cars include a 1959 Deutsch-Bonnet HBR5 Coupé, 2015 Chevrolet Camaro art car, 1964 Chevrolet Impala “Gypsy Rose,” 1960 Plymouth XNR Replica, 1982 Knight Industries Two Thousand “K.I.T.T.” car, 1948 Bentley Mk VI “New Look” Saloon, 1939 Packard Twelve Landaulet, and 1974 Dale Mock-Up.

(March 17, 2021) LOS ANGELES — The Petersen Automotive Museum will reopen to the public on Thursday, March 25  with new exhibits, new vehicles and a new schedule of 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday. To express its gratitude to all those on the front line during this challenging time, the museum will offer verified health care workers and first responders complimentary admission for themselves and up to three immediate family members for the rest of 2021.