Petersen Museum Hosts 70 Years of Ferrari Exhibit
On April 1st of 1951, Southern California road race enthusiasts got their first taste of experiencing a Ferrari on track. The nimble 2.0 liter V-12 powered 166 MM Barchetta of Jim Kimberly won the main event at Palm Springs, California; the local sports car faithful had just been served mass. Since that day, Southern California’s love affair with the Italian marque has only become stronger.
Now being recognized as one of the finest celebrations of Ferrari ever on the West Coast is the new exhibit “Seeing Red: 70 Years of Ferrari” at the Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles. Located in the Bruce Meyer Family Gallery, this first-class tribute was launched on April 20th with an evening of camaraderie and appreciation for the exquisite collection of Ferraris, all painted in various shades of “Rosso Corsa”. Derek Hill, son of the late Ferrari F1 champion Phil Hill, shared his memories with a crowded room of enthusiasts of what it was like to ride along in a Ferrari with his father.
Ferraris on display include: 1947 125 S, 1949 166 MM, 1955 857 Sport, 1958 TR 250, 1961 250 GT SWB California Spyder, 1963 250 GTO, 1965 250 LM, 1976 312 T2, 2006 248 F1, 2014 LaFerrari. Each one of the Ferraris (beside the LaFerrari of course) has an excellent and important race/owner heritage.
At the rear of each vehicle is a mesh back drop that in most cases shows a photo of that particular car in period. Another tasteful addition to the exhibit are the large wall prints of amazing moments in Ferrari’s history; a beautifully executed touch to help museum patrons understand the magnitude of Ferrari’s triumphs.
Speaking of triumphs, hats off to long time Petersen Museum board member Bruce Meyer for assembling such a unique collection of historic vehicles. An ardent Ferrari enthusiast himself, Bruce orchestrated obtaining the cars on loan from various collectors including Les Wexner, Charles Nearburg, William “Chip” Connor, Rob Walton, Steven Reed, Indianapolis Speedway Museum and Anne Lee of the Bob Lee Trust among others.
The exhibit runs through spring of 2018. For full information on directions, dates and times, please go to their website.
Information and images here courtesy of Rex McAfee.
More images and full chassis numbers will be in Cavallino 219, the June 1 issue.
