100 Years of Supercars at the Petersen Museum

HOT ROD

100 Years of Supercars at the Petersen Museum

HOT ROD 12/05/2021 20:02:58 Tim Bernsau

a car parked on the side of a road: 001-1969-mclaren-m6gt

History's great high-performance cars are now on display at the Petersen Automotive Museum.

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They're called supercars. They're the Greek gods of the automotive world, and they've been around practically as long as automobiles themselves.

The Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles recently reopened after patiently waiting out the COVID-19 pandemic, has devoted its third floor to an incredible new exhibit called "Supercars: A Century of Spectacle and Speed." The Petersen identifies supercars by this combination of characteristics: "immensely powerful engines, minimal passenger carrying capacity, adventurous mechanical specifications, and a commanding presence."

Each of the supercars on display at the Petersen is stunning all by itself. Exhibiting approximately 30 of them in one spot adds to the interest by allowing visitors to see-practically at a glance-how radically and quickly our definition of "immensely powerful" has evolved. The 60 horsepower and 90-mph top speed of the Mercer Type 35-J Raceabout (regarded by some as the first supercar) were as amazing to car enthusiasts in 1913 as the 550-horsepower and 220-mph numbers that the Saleen S7 would deliver 90 years later.

The characteristic that has hardly changed at all in a century is "minimal passenger-carrying capacity." Supercars make no concessions to practicality. Sure, Lamborghini and Maserati are building SUVs now (Ferrari is next), but the supercars that made these car builders famous don't boast about cargo space or creature comforts-just high performance.

Of course, it's their "commanding presence" that makes most of us freeze at the sight of any of these supercars. That characteristic doesn't fade with age, as proven by the Petersen's amazing collection. Supercars are constantly evolving, but they never shed their coolness-leaving us to wonder what the supercars of 2121 will look like.

The Petersen Automotive Museum is now open Wednesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., with health and safety guidelines in place. Visit the Petersen Automotive Museum website for more information.

1913 Mercer Type 35-J Raceabout