The Petersen Automotive Museum November Through March 2010

Through Feb 13, 2011 Margie and Robert E. Petersen: Driven to Collect Through Jan 23, 2011 Automotivated: Streamlined Fashion and Automobiles

NEW EXHIBITIONS

NHRA: SIXTY YEARS OF THUNDER
Opens Thursday, November 11, 2010
Gordon R. Howard Gallery
Explore the colorful and exciting history of one of America's most popular motorsports. From the wild Gassers and Altereds, to nitro-burning top fuel dragsters and fabulous funny cars, the Petersen Automotive Museum will be filled with enough horsepower to change the Earth's rotation!

NEW EVENTS

TRIBUTE NIGHT
An Evening with Don "The Snake" Prudhomme
Wednesday, November 10, 2010, 5:30 p.m.
Celebrate Don "The Snake" Prudhomme's exciting career as a Top Fuel Dragster and Funny Car driver and team owner. Have dinner and cocktails with the legends of drag racing. Hear your heroes speak about their experiences; see a short film of vintage drag racing footage. Bid on priceless racing memorabilia, and preview the vehicles in Bonhams and Butterfields California Classic Auction Saturday, November 13. Go to www.petersen.org for additional details.

PETERSEN AUTOMOTIVE MUSEUM GARAGE SALE AND SWAP MEET
Saturday, December 4, 2010, 9 a.m.-2 p.m.
Petersen Museum Parking Structure
Now is your chance to buy some of the vehicles, props, parts, store products and duplicate literature that is no longer needed here at the Museum. Several Museum vehicles will be sold in a NO RESERVE SILENT AUCTION. Museum members will also have booths set up to sell items and vehicles from their personal collections as well. Find that missing part for your exotic, classic, or muscle car or motorcycle, buy a Christmas gift for the auto enthusiast in your life, or purchase a restoration project, or drive home in the car of your dreams! While you are here, learn how to properly detail your car at the Griot's Garage car care seminars going on all day! Griot's garage is the Official Car Care Product Provider of the Petersen Automotive Museum.

CARnival FAMILY FUN DAY
Saturday, December 4, 2010, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Join us at the Petersen for the 5th Annual CARnival Family Fun Day. Bring the whole family to the museum for a day of fun. Kids will get to participate in unique arts and crafts. For more information, please call 323-964-6308.

DISCOVERY DAY
Car Activities & L.A. BookPALS
First Saturday of every month, 1-4pm
Join us on the first Saturday of each month for arts and crafts, and at 2:30pm, actors from L.A. BookPALS read stories. The program is included in Museum general admission. Call 323-964-6308 for more information. Future topics include:
November 6, 2010, Turkey Pullback Cars
Assemble a turkey car just in time for Thanksgiving!
February 5, 2011, Car Calendars
Welcome the New Year by making your own unique car calendar!

CURATOR'S TOUR - NHRA: SIXTY YEARS OF THUNDER
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
7:30 p.m. Gordon R. Howard Gallery
Join Petersen Automotive Museum Curator Leslie Kendall and guest-researcher Tony Thacker, Executive Director of the Wally Parks NHRA Motorsports Museum, as they guide you through NHRA: Sixty Years of Thunder to explore the history of the vehicles and individuals that have made the NHRA the world-class automotive association it is today. Reservations recommended for all programs. Call 323-964-6347, email cdrescher@petersen.org, or go to www.petersen.org for more information.

PANEL DISCUSSION- PIONEERS OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA DRAG RACING
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
7:30 p.m. Racing Corridor
Spend an evening at the Petersen Automotive Museum hearing the first-hand accounts of the early decades of the NHRA's 60-year history from the legends of Southern California drag racing.

Special Guests:
• "TV" Tommy Ivo, famed showman known for his Hollywood acting career, multi-engine dragsters, and glass-sided car haulers.
• Bob Muravez, drove the famous "Freight Train" twin-engine gas dragster to many wins under both his true name and the now-legendary "Floyd J. Lippencotte, Jr." alias.
• Panel moderator Jack Beckman, NHRA National Champion, currently drives the Valvoline/Mail Terminal Services Dodge Charger for Don Schumacher Racing. 9 career Funny Car wins and Funny Car speed record holder at 333.66 mph (on quarter-mile).
Reservations recommended for all programs. Call 323-964-6347, email cdrescher@petersen.org, or go to www.petersen.org for more information or to RSVP.

PANEL DISCUSSION- SAFETY AT 300 M.P.H.
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
7:30 p.m. Racing Corridor
The NHRA was founded to provide a safe and controlled environment in which hot rod enthusiasts could compete. After sixty years of sanctioned racing, cars now regularly reach speeds of over 300 miles per hour in less than a quarter-mile. To operate at those extreme levels, track preparation and safety technology must be the highest priority for any racer and track manager. Panelist Steve Gibbs has been involved in drag racings since the 1960s, has managed race tracks and numerous drag racing events, and was the NHRA Director of Competition until the late 1990s when he became Vice President of the Wally Parks NHRA Motorsports Museum. Steve will share his decades of experience in track set up, racing regulations, and what it takes to keep competition safe at such extreme speeds. Joining Steve on the panel will be front-line safety workers from the Auto Club Raceway at Pomona. Current Funny Car driver for Don Schumacher Racing Jack Beckman will moderate the discussion and share his 300 m.p.h. experiences behind the wheel of a top-level drag racer.

ONGOING EXHIBITIONS

AUTOMOTIVATED: STREAMLINED FASHION AND AUTOMOBILES
Through January 23, 2011
Bruce Meyer Gallery
Fashion design and automobile design have been intertwined from the start. This exhibit features automotive derived fashion ensembles from the collection of the Phoenix Art Museum paired with their automobile counterparts of the Petersen Automotive Museum. Fashions include signaling gloves from the turn of the twentieth century through the elegant gowns of the Art Deco period.

MARGIE AND ROBERT E. PETERSEN: DRIVEN TO COLLECT
Through February 13, 2011
Grand Salon
During his lifetime, Robert E. Petersen, together with his wife Margie, acquired dozens of important automobiles. Today the Margie and Robert E. Petersen Collection contains one of the most diverse samplings of important vehicles ever assembled. Each one offers a look into our rich motoring heritage and if they appear familiar, it is because you have likely seen them on television, in movies, or in displays at other museums and events around the world.

IMAGINING THE FUTURE:
The Southern California Automotive Design Studio, Presented in Cooperation with Art Center College of Design
Ongoing Exhibit
Visitors will see a comparison of a 1930's studio with a modern-day studio with various examples of the creative process in 2-D and 3-D form from different points in California's rich automotive history. Design demonstrations by Art Center students will occur in the exhibit on the second and fourth Sunday of every month from approximately 10am-3pm. Check the calendar at www.petersen.org for dates.

HOT WHEELS(r) HALL OF FAME
The Hot Wheels Hall of Fame at the Petersen Automotive Museum, features Hot Wheels(r) full-size and die-cast cars, original models, wooden patterns, injection molds and drawings of original vehicle designs.

ALTERNATIVE POWER: LESSONS FROM THE PAST, INSPIRATION FOR THE FUTURE
From the highly styled 1963 Chrysler Turbine to the General Motors EV1, automobiles equipped with innovative propulsion systems are presented to illustrate the growth of alternative vehicle technology.

MAY FAMILY DISCOVERY CENTER
Open Tuesday-Friday, 10am-4pm, and Saturday & Sunday, 10am-5pm
The May Family Discovery Center is an interactive learning center that teaches basic scientific principles using the fundamental elements of the car.

SPECIAL FEATURES AT THE PETERSEN

SPECIAL EVENTS AND FILMING - Please call (323) 964-6348 or visit www.petersenevents.org to host your event or shoot film at one of LA's most exciting venues!

BIRTHDAY PARTIES - The Museum offers a wonderful venue for children's birthday parties. Party guests can enjoy all three floors of the museum including the May Family Discovery Center. For more information or to book your party, call 323-964-6373.

SCHOOL TOURS Taking a field trip to the Pete is an excellent way to teach your students about the history of Los Angeles and its intertwined relationship with the automobile. Students learn basic scientific principles and their applications as they explore hands-on activities in the Discovery Center. School Tours focus on history/social science, visual arts, and science & technology. Call (323) 964-6358 for information and reservations.

GROUP TOURS - A docent-led tour is available to groups of ten or more. - (323) 964-6346.

VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES - Come and be a part of the Petersen's "Pit Crew". For an application or more information call - (323) 964-6358, email volunteers@petersen.org, or visit www.petersen.org. MUSEUM STORE - Excellent souvenirs and gifts for auto enthusiasts (323) 964-6328.