The Petersen Museum Is Finally Opening Its Vault Of Cars

If you're a hardcore auto enthusiast and don't know about the Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles, then now may be the perfect time to book that trip. Starting tomorrow, June 1, the museum will open its often-exclusive vault to the public where museum-goers will get a chance to see more than 100 new cars in a new exhibit called The World Tour Vault presented by Hagerty – yes, that Hagerty that offers insurance on collectible vehicles. The display is part of a 10-year partnership between the Petersen Museum and Hagerty.

"As the world's preeminent automotive museum, we constantly strive to educate our guests about automotive history, technology and design and how it has impacted both local and global culture," said Petersen Automotive Museum Executive Director Terry L. Karges. "The Vault presented by Hagerty will offer the public an opportunity to now select their tour experience and see compelling new content that has never been displayed before at the Petersen."

The exhibit will sit on 40,000 square feet of additional display space thanks to recent renovations, which nearly triples the size of the original vault. Visitors will get a chance to see more than 120 years of automotive history with some of the rarest vehicles from around the world in attendance. Three different tour lengths are available: 75-minute tour at $20, 120-minute tour at $30, and the Tour of the Legends at $75 that is coming later this summer.

"Car fans are going to be blown away by the vault tour," said McKeel Hagerty, CEO of Hagerty. "Most people haven't had the opportunity to see a lot of these icons up close before, so we're thrilled to give them that chance. Cars this special should be seen by everybody."

Cars on display include the two-time Le Mans-winning 1966 "Gulf" GT40, a 2018 Heritage Ford GT, a 1929 Bugatti Type 46, a 1936 Delahaye, Steve McQueen's 1956 Jaguar XKSS, a 2015 Mclaren P1, and a 1947 Cisitalia. That's quite a selection of important cars from automotive history.