The Petersen Automotive Museum has been dramatically revamped — but it’s still full of amazing cars

Petersen Museum

The newly redesigned Petersen Automotive Museum.

The Petersen Automotive Museum, now one of the finest car museums in the country, has reopened its doors following a $90-million renovation.

The Los Angeles location, once a department store, is now home to a stunning collection of historical and modern automobiles, motorcycles, and memorabilia — all housed in a completely overhauled space.

Many of the featured cars are legends of unimaginable worth, while others display the technological advancements of more than a century of automotive development.

The exterior of the museum is now covered in eye-catching steel ‘ribbons’ that wrap around the buildings walls and cover several rooftop decks.

Check out some of the best exhibits below.

The formerly-drab exterior has been wrapped in eye-catching steel ribbons.

Which makes the building stand out on a street of LA’s best museums.

The interior has also been completely overhauled. This central spiral staircase climbs through the whole building. Now, on to the cars …

This is the precious-metal exhibit, certainly one of the museum’s highlights.

It includes this 1954 Ferrari 375 MM Scaglietti Coupe, which was the 2014 Pebble Beach Concours winner — because of course it was. In fact, it was the first post-WWII vehicle to win best in show since 1968.

Check out this 1933 Duesenberg Model SJ Arlington Torpedo. Yup, it’s a “duesy.”

The actual 1964 Aston Martin DB5 driven by James Bond in “Goldfinger” is arguably the single most famous car in history.

(Passionate arguments about the validity of that claim may be found in the comment section below.)

A 1937 Horch. Never heard of ‘em? They are one of the nameplates — along with DKW, Wanderer, and Audi, that would later become Auto Union, or modern day Audi. The famous four rings represent the four brands.

This 1959 Corvette Stingray XP-87 served as the concept for the classic C2 Corvette, the first of the Stingrays.

The other cars in the collection are a 1938 Hispano-Suiza, a 1953 Fiat 8V, a 1954 Mercedes-Benz W196, a 1957 Ferrari 625/250 Testa Rossa, and a 1995 McLaren F1. All look good in silver.

In 1966, Ford shocked the racing world by beating Ferrari at the 24 Hours of Le Mans with the GT40.

Only two years before the race, a bid by Ford to buy out the legendary Italian make had fallen through, and it is often claimed that this failure fueled Henry Ford II’s determination to beat the virtually unbeatable Ferrari team at their own game.

It would be the first victory for an American car in the history of Le Mans.

This car is the Mk. III road-legal version, which is probably among the most expensive ways to wake your neighbors.

The new Ford GT, inspired by the original GT40, faces down its grandfather.

It is also making a triumphant return to endurance racing at the 2016 24 Hours of Le Mans in mid June. It will be teh 50th anniversary of Ford’s 1-2-3 finish in 1966.

Visitors can try their hand at driving the Ford GT on several tracks via these Forza simulators.

The museum also highlights technological advancements like electric cars …

… and hydrogen fuel cell vehicles.

That’s a Fisker Karma, an innovative electric-hybrid GT car that eventually fell victim to financial woes and Hurricane Sandy.

Or how about a Jaguar F-Type — with most of its clothes off?

The museum presents car technology as if it were high art …

… which it is!

The “Hirohata Merc,” which began life as a 1951 Mercury Club Coupe, is one of the most famous custom cars of all time. Designed for Bob Hirohata, the car borrowed parts and design concepts from a wide range of 1950s American cars.

But it’s not the only amazing custom ride.

That windshield seems impractical.

The Petersen is currently home to a exhibit of two-wheeled machines …

… and elegant touring cars.

… in fact the museum has an entire floor simply called “artistry.”

Cars up here exhibit design above all else …

… and occasionally even function …

… and they’re unencumbered by modern safety standards. (or a modern understanding of aerodynamics.) But who cares? They’re beautiful.

This Rolls Royce is British automotive nobility at its most … British.

And across the English Chanel, Frenchman Ettore Bugatti gave us the exquisite Type 47 SC Atlantic.

The Nearberg collection is comprised of world-famous racing cars, including a Le Mans-winning Porsche 917 (second from left).

Lightning McQueen from the Disney/Pixar hit “Cars” makes an appearance …

… as the showpiece in a kid-friendly exhibit.

This is the entrance to “the vault” …

… which is a working garage with an impossible collection of vehicles, ranging from soapbox derby cars, priceless Ferraris, and Saddam Hussein’s Mercedes limousine.

Also, there are hot rods.

Century-old classics.

Porsches!

Well, it is LA. This is where all cars wish they could wind up.

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