Back to museums
The Petersen Automotive Museum's stainless-steel ribboned exterior on Wilshire Boulevard

Petersen Automotive Museum

TransportDesignOpen until 6pmFrom $52Wilshire/Fairfax (Metro D Line, formerly Purple Line)

Founded in 1994 by magazine publisher Robert E. Petersen and his wife Margie, this nonprofit automotive museum occupies a former department store on Wilshire Boulevard's Museum Row, reclad in 2015 with a swooping stainless-steel facade by Kohn Pedersen Fox. Its three floors of galleries trace automotive history and Southern California car culture through icons from film, racing and design, while the basement Vault houses hundreds of additional rare vehicles not on the main floors.

More in Los Angeles

On nowAll of November 2026

What's On

Now
Aug
Sept
Oct
Nov
Dec
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sept
Oct
Nov
Dec
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sept
Oct
Nov
Dec
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sept
Oct
Nov
Dec
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
A Waymo autonomous vehicle on display at the Petersen Automotive Museum

Driven by Possibility: Waymo's Road to Autonomous Transport

Traces Waymo's evolution from Google's self-driving car project to a leading autonomous vehicle company, showing the tech turning sci-fi into reality.

Now showing3 Aug 2024 – 30 Jul 2028
Rare early American motorcycles from the Bunch Family Collection on display

The American Motorcycle: Pioneering Machines from the Bunch Family Collection

Nearly 200 rare early American motorcycles from Professor Richard Bunch's collection, spanning the pioneer era through the Great Depression.

Now showing15 Mar 2025 – 7 Mar 2027
Green vintage Aston Martin race car, number 27, on a plinth in front of Aston Martin design graphics

Performance & Prestige: A History of Aston Martin

Over 112 years of Aston Martin excellence, from racing heritage to modern hypercars, including the DB5 of James Bond fame.

Now showing26 Oct 2025 – 27 Feb 2027
Off-road race cars on a raised platform behind three red motocross bikes, in front of a wide video wall of dirt racing

Legends of the Dirt

A case study in off-road motorsport: champion rally, desert, dirt-track and motocross machines, each once the pinnacle of engineering in its discipline.

Now showing7 Dec 2025 – 18 Jan 2027$52
American-made vehicles on display in the Made in America exhibition

Made in America

Marking 250 years of the United States with American-made vehicles spanning early 1900s classics to modern hypercars.

Now showing31 Jan – 27 Dec
Gallery of Fast & Furious film cars, including a purple Nissan S14, a red RX-7 and a pink S2000, in front of a film-still mural

A Fast & Furious Legacy: 25 Years of Automotive Icons

Screen-used vehicles and production prototypes marking 25 years of the Fast & Furious franchise's most iconic builds.

Now showing14 Mar – 4 Apr 2027
Two red Italian-bodied American coupes in front of the 'Transatlantic Lines: American Cars by Italian Masters' wall title

Transatlantic Lines

Explores the design dialogue between American automakers and Italian coachbuilders, pairing American mechanical strength with European styling.

Now showing4 Apr – 27 Feb 2028
Row of Mercedes-Benz cars in the gallery, led by a white 500 SEC AMG, with a silver Sauber-Mercedes race car in the foreground

World-Class

Marking the 100th anniversary of the Daimler-Benz merger with a broad range of Mercedes-Benz models spanning the marque's engineering history.

Now showing23 May – 25 Apr 2027
Artist Joshua Vides crouching between two cars hand-painted in his black-and-white outline style

Flat Out: The Art of Joshua Vides

LA artist Joshua Vides hand-paints black outlines onto real cars in a mechanic's garage scene, flattening them into what looks like a 2D sketch.

Now showing20 Jun – 5 Jul 2027$52
Front close-up of a silver McLaren F1 supercar

World's Fastest

A chronological timeline of record-setting automobiles from the postwar era to today, tracing how aerodynamics and powertrain design chased raw speed.

Now showing18 Jul – 22 Aug 2027
White Porsche 906 Carrera 6 race car with blue striping, number 11, against a blue background

Jeff Zwart: Life at ZwartSpeed

Photographer, filmmaker and Pikes Peak racer Jeff Zwart's four-decade life with Porsche, told through his images, films and historic cars in The Vault.

Now showing22 Aug – 13 Jun 2027$52

Permanent Collections

Wall of historic tires arranged under the heading 'Milestones of Automobile Tire Evolution'

How We Roll: The Ever-Evolving Automotive Tire

The history of the car tire, from metal and leather rings on wooden wheels to today's computer-designed radials, and how tires shaped driving.

Permanent collection$52
Silver Bugatti EB110 with scissor doors raised in The Vault, a visitor photographing it

The Vault: Presented by Hagerty

More than 300 rare cars, motorcycles and trucks in a rotating display beneath the museum, from early automobiles to head-of-state cars and supercars.

Permanent collection$52
Silver 1930s Dubonnet Xenia streamliner coupe with its door open, on a white studio background

A Legacy of Excellence: Masterpieces from the Mullin Collection

Celebrated Art Deco-era automobiles from the early-to-mid 20th century, donated by the Peter W. Mullin Family Charitable Foundation.

Permanent collection
Row of film cars led by a blue Shelby Cobra roadster, with screens showing film clips above

Cars of Film & Television

Permanent 3rd-floor gallery of Hollywood-famous vehicles, tracing how Detroit and Hollywood grew up together and how cars became on-screen stars.

Permanent collection$52

Plan Your Visit

Getting there

6060 Wilshire Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90036

Nearest station: Wilshire/Fairfax (Metro D Line, formerly Purple Line)

Show on map

Hours

MonToday10:00–18:00
Tue10:00–18:00
Wed10:00–18:00
Thu10:00–18:00
Fri10:00–18:00
Sat10:00–18:00
Sun10:00–18:00

Admission

From $52

Last verified

Get Directions Visit Website

Nearby

The Academy Museum's spherical Geffen Theater addition next to the restored Saban Building on Wilshire Boulevard

Academy Museum of Motion Pictures

Art1 min walk
Exterior of Peter Zumthor's David Geffen Galleries at LACMA, a cantilevered concrete building on Wilshire Boulevard

Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA)

Architecture2 min walk
Exterior facade of Craft Contemporary (formerly the Craft and Folk Art Museum) on Wilshire Boulevard, Los Angeles

Craft Contemporary

Design6 min walk

Visitor Information

How much does Petersen Automotive Museum cost?
Standard adult admission to Petersen Automotive Museum is $52. Prices for special exhibitions and timed-entry slots may differ.
What are the opening hours of Petersen Automotive Museum?
Petersen Automotive Museum is open Open daily 10am-6pm (check-in closes 5:30pm; last Vault entry 5pm). Adult admission $52, includes The Vault.. Holiday hours can vary, so check the museum's website before you go.
Where is Petersen Automotive Museum?
Petersen Automotive Museum is located at 6060 Wilshire Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90036, in the Miracle Mile area of Los Angeles. The nearest station is Wilshire/Fairfax (Metro D Line, formerly Purple Line).
What can I see at Petersen Automotive Museum?
Stainless-steel-ribboned museum on Miracle Mile showcasing rare cars, motorcycles and Hollywood icons, plus an underground Vault of hidden gems. Current highlights include World-Class, World's Fastest and Made in America.
Do I need to book Petersen Automotive Museum in advance?
Booking ahead is recommended, especially for weekends, school holidays, and special exhibitions. Tickets are normally on the museum's website, and a pre-booked timed slot helps you avoid queues at the entrance.
When is the best time to visit Petersen Automotive Museum?
Weekday mornings shortly after opening are typically the quietest, especially mid-week. Late afternoons can also be calmer. Weekends, school holidays, and the lunch rush are the busiest periods.

Image credits

19

Your image? Ask us to correct or remove it.

Book tickets