LA’s famous Petersen Automotive Museum has unveiled its reimagined James H. Frank Family Vault, now featuring more than 300 vehicles and two new galleries.
The expanded Vault offers guests access to hundreds of rare and historic vehicles beyond the museum’s main galleries, and now includes the Phil Hill Legends Room and the Icons Gallery.
Spanning over 70,000 square feet, visitors are guided through a curated journey of automotive innovation, motorsports, design, and cultural significance.
Included in the redesigned Vault display is a display celebrating 50 years of the BMW 3 Series, an updated Formula 1 exhibit, and dozens of iconic supercars.
The layout of the Vault also allows visitors to get closer to cars than in other areas of the museum, offering unprecedented access to some of the museum’s most iconic vehicles.
There’s also a new AI-powered tour experience, ‘Lens to the Past’, which allows visitors to snap a picture of any vehicle with their phone and instantly use AI to identify the vehicle in real-time, matching it to a database of cultural, historical and artistic information.
In addition to basic information, including the vehicle’s name, origin, specifications and history, the AI tool accesses a curated audio narration that recounts the story behind the piece.
The AI tour can also adapt to an individual visitor’s interests, providing a richer, more personal museum experience.
“The Vault has always been one of the museum’s most popular elements and we’re excited to introduce an entirely new experience,” said Terry L. Karges, executive director of the Petersen Automotive Museum.
“Our first-of-its-kind AI-powered tour will provide a new level of insight and education for our guests as they explore this incredible collection.”
Highlighted vehicles at the new Petersen experience include:
- 1978 BMW 320i Group 5
- 2001 BMW M3 GTR Straßenversion
- 1990 BMW M3 Group A DTM
- 2011 BMW M3 GT
- 2024 BMW M4 GT4
- 2008 Koenigsegg CCXR
- 1960 Porsche RS60 Spyder
- 1965 Bizzarrini 5300 GT Corsa
- 1915 Stutz Bearcat
- 1941 Willys Jeep “Slat Grille”
- 1956 Corvette SR “The Real McCoy”
The Petersen Automotive Museum Foundation is a non-profit charity, with the museum itself located at 6060 Wilshire Boulevard, Los Angeles.
Admission prices are US$21 for general admission adults, US$19 for seniors (62-plus), US$13 for youth (12-17) and US$12 for children ages 4 to 11. Active military with ID, personal care attendants, and children under age four are admitted free. Museum hours are 10am to 6pm daily.
