WORDS: NATHAN CHADWICK | PHOTOS: PETERSEN MUSEUM
The Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles, US has shouted ‘Action’ on its latest exhibition – Hollywood Customs: Modified for the Movies. Located on the freshly updated second floor of the museum, the display runs in tandem with the permanent Hollywood Gallery on the attraction’s third floor, which also has fresh cars on show.
The collection runs in tandem with the permanent Hollywood Gallery
The collection includes a 1981 DeLorean DMC-12 time machine as seen in the Back To The Future trilogy, a 1967 Meyers Manx from Steve McQueen and Faye Dunaway’s The Thomas Crown Affair and the 1967 Ford Mustang GT500 named ‘Eleanor’ from Gone In 60 Seconds. The display also features a 1966 Volkswagen Beetle as seen in Herbie: Fully Loaded, a Jaguar XKR from Die Another Day and a Honda S2000 from 2 Fast 2 Furious, with plenty more to discover.
The ‘modification’ focus of the exhibition’s title refers to the alterations each car was treated to in order to make movie magic. This ranged from a mere paint finish to something far more extreme, such as the weapons fitted to the Die Another Day Jaguar.
“It’s fitting that, being in the epicentre of the film industry, the Petersen always finds creative ways to bring pieces of Hollywood history to our members and patrons,” said Petersen Automotive Museum executive director Terry L Karges. “It’s rare to see these iconic movie cars outside of the big screen. This display will give visitors the chance to get a behind-the-scenes look at these vehicles.”
The official opening (October 15, 2023) was preceded by a parade featuring a dozen film and celebrity-owned cars that started at the museum and went through several infamous Los Angeles streets and locations. Below are many more images from the parade – and for more information on the exhibition, head here.
