The Petersen Auto Museum Opens Extensive ‘80s And ‘90s Car Exhibit

Forbes

2 days ago

A McLaren F1 on display at the Petersen Automotive Museum's 'Totally Awesome! Cars and Culture of ... More the '80s and '90s" exhibit.
Ask any car enthusiast aged 20 to 50 what their favorite era of cars is, and I bet a healthy percentage will point to the 1980s and 1990s. Especially after their rise to prominence over the past couple of years, thanks in part to the folks behind Radwood. But this hasn't always been the case.
That's because it's often been overshadowed by cars of '50s, '60s and '70s. For a myriad of reasons—nostalgia among older generations being a major one—famous collections, car shows, and auto museums have proudly displayed vehicles from these eras for quite a long time, highlighting their technological developments and design, as well as the greater culture of the era. But there's no reason why all-things automotive from the '80s and '90s shouldn't fill the same venues for the exact same reasons.
The Petersen Automotive Museum's 'Totally Awesome! Cars and Culture of the '80s and '90s' exhibit.
Nostalgia is nostalgia, and there's much to be celebrated about this this time period: the Petersen Automotive Museum's latest exhibit, 'Totally Awesome! Cars and Culture of the '80s and '90s,' proves why. 'This era defined what it meant to be behind the wheel, as cars became bold expressions of personal identity,' said Terry L. Karges, executive director of the Petersen Automotive Museum, in the event's official press release. 'The exhibit is a full sensory time machine that brings the energy, creativity and unforgettable style of the '80s and '90s roaring back to life, and it's unlike anything we've ever done before.'
I was in attendance at the exhibit's official unveiling this past Friday, June 7th, and walked away thoroughly impressed by how it all came together.
The Petersen Automotive Museum's 'Totally Awesome! Cars and Culture of the '80s and '90s' exhibit.
As the Petersen's first-ever exhibit that focuses on a set era, there's so much to take in. The cars, trucks and motorcycles are undoubtedly the stars of the show, but there's also an extensive amount of wall and floor space dedicated to video games and fashion. Naturally, the music echoing off of every vehicle's bodywork is quite fitting, too. In terms of connecting these corners of culture to give visitors a sense of what the time period was all about, the museum absolutely nailed it. Massive societal change, excess, expression, performance, bombast, fascinating technological progress—it's all documented and on display, ready to educate any curious mind. All walks of life will undoubtedly find something fascinating, even if they consider themselves to already have an encyclopedic knowledge of the subject matter.
Including yours truly. I consider myself well-versed in this era, especially when it comes to all-things performance cars, but even I discovered something new. And I was amply impressed by the hardware that PAM staff were able to get their hands on, too. A Cizeta V16T supercar, Lamborghini LM002, Audi Sport Quattro S1, Gucci-customized 1984 Cadillac Seville, 1986 Citroen BX 4TC, tremendously forward-thinking 1998 Panoz Q9 GTR-1 Hybrid, McLaren F1 (my personal favorite), and so much more. The variety in four- and two-wheeled fare is outstanding, there's truly something for everyone.
The Petersen Automotive Museum's 'Totally Awesome! Cars and Culture of the '80s and '90s' exhibit.
The exhibit is now open and won't be there forever—I highly recommend making the trip if you're in Southern California or are planning a trip to this beautiful corner of the country sometime in the next few months.