Los Angeles: The Peterson Automotive Museum (with a lot of pictures)

The Peterson is an auto museum like the Empire State Bldg is an office building.  The first thing you notice about The Peterson as you approach it is the unique and striking architecture. Remodeled for $90 million, red and silver stainless steel ribbons catch the eye from blocks away.

Inside, four floors of displays tell the history of cars in California, pay tribute to the nearby movie industry, tell of Japanese and German influence on car design and function and show off great vehicles.

In 1886 Karl Benz made the first practical self-propelled vehicle.

In 1900 the Smith brothers built this car but added a place to attach  reins in case the car had to be towed by horses.  This car is the oldest surviving gas-powered vehicle built in LA.

Fannie Arbuckle owned this Renault.

This is the 1989 Batmobile

You know that you are getting old when something you owned and drove is now in a museum.  Jerry drove a Datsun just like this one in the 70s.  It is also the car that Anna Lee used to learn to drive a stick shift

 Anna Lee loved all the Corvettes.

Lightning McQueen from Cars attracts the younger visitors.

This McClaren is made from Legos

Race cars from past eras pose for action.  This one is a hybrid, just like our Avalon only a little faster.

In a side room are classrooms for engineering students to design their own cars.

Jerry took a VR trip in two Ford powered race cars.  It was really cool.

A small special exhibit shows the High Art of Riding Low, the car art of Chicana/o artists.