Petersen Automotive Museum

During our recent trip to L.A., I managed to convince the family (and our host Ray) to take in at least one automotive attraction. I chose the recently renovated and re-opened Petersen Automotive Museum. With a pre-schooler and a baby in tow, it's not easy to see all there is to see in such a place, but I still had a blast in the time we were there and managed to see pretty much everything that I would classify as must-see, following my own tastes. I think the rest of the group was satisfied that we didn't spend the whole day there, so overall, it was a worthwhile activity.

Here are a few of the photos I snapped:

The museum viewed from the street... it definitely stands out!

Mercer Raceabout, a VERY early sports car

The original SUV: Ford Model T

The Jaguar CX75, featured in the latest Bond movie, will not see production

Magnum P.I.'s 308

A stunning Bugatti Atlantic

The car I most photographed: BMW 3.0 CSL Art Car

It looked good from every angle.

Another great angle

... and another!

Another art car, the BMW 850i

A Zagato-bodied Ferrari

A Veyron with a questionable paint scheme

I'm not into hot rods, but this one was lovely

Something for Jules: a full-sized Lightning McQueen

I don't usually love resto-mods, but they seem to have got everything right on this DeTomaso Pantera

The new Ford GT (with the classic one in the background)

I like it, but maybe not as much as the previous version from the mid 2000's

The classic GT40 still looks amazing

Both cars together

It does look a bit strange with wire wheels, however, as they seem to come from another era while the rest of the car looks quite modern.

A Ken Block Ford Fiesta

An amazing vintage racing 'Vette

McLaren F1: the best street car ever

An immaculate 50's Ferrari race car

James Bond's DB5

Another Ferrari in the silver room

Beautiful lines

Streamlined design

The closed-wheel version of the Mercedes W196

One of the most valuable cars in the world

Ex-Fangio Lancia D24 in the race car room

Other beautiful sports racers

The dominant Porsche 956

... beside its older brother, the 936, in stunning Martini livery.

Two more Porsche endurance legends: the 935 and the 917 (in Gulf livery, no less!)

What a beast...

The 917 still looks amazing

The 936 looks like a rocket ship

... a mean rocket ship.

The 956 looks like it could still race today

This McLaren Can-Am car looked pretty serious, even in orange

The World's First Superbike: Honda 750 Four

My namesake, the Vincent Black Shadow

Not only is this Jaguar XKSS rare in itself...

... it also happens to be Steve McQueen's former car!

A replica of the "First Practical Car", the Benz Patent-Motorwagen

This Cisitalia looked great, despite the whitewall tires.

Jules enjoys a snack in front of a Saturn EV1... I guess they weren't all crushed

Another Bond villain's vehicle, a Land Rover Defender

I remember this one from all the magazines: the Dodge Tomahawk, a four-wheeled motorcycle with a Viper V10!