The World’s Greatest Sport Car Coupes – The Petersen’s Newest Exhibit Features 12 Celebrity Curators
- “The World’s Greatest Sports Coupes” exhibit runs April 10 through October 18, 2014 at the Petersen
- Guest curators include Patrick Dempsey, Francis Ford Coppola, Pink Floyd’s Nick Mason and others
- Exhibit highlights the greatest sports coupes of the past century, ranging from the Jaguar E-Type to the Corvette Stingray and the Acura NSX, plus nine other vehicles
- Short video pieces will play in the exhibit, featuring each guest curator and their personal relationship with the car that they have chosen
- Made possible by Jaguar in celebration of the launch of new Jaguar F-TYPE Coupe
Los Angeles, (April 9, 2014) – Rarely does one genre of car so broadly resonate with people, but sports coupes, with sensuous designs and inspiring capability, generate excitement everywhere they are seen. For its newest exhibit, The World’s Greatest Sports Coupes, the Petersen Automotive Museum invited twelve celebrities—ranging from rock ‘n roll legends, critically acclaimed film directors, actors and world renown car collectors—to guest curate one sports coupe each. The exhibit, which is now open, showcases some of the most beautiful sports coupes known to man.
The selected sports coupes and their celebrity curators are:
- s James Hetfield
- 1954 Plymouth Explorer Concept chosen by film director and producer, Francis Ford Coppola
- 1955 Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Gullwing chosen by world renowned car collector, Bruce Meyer
- 1961 Aston Martin DB4 Zagato chosen by Jaguar’s Director of Design, Ian Callum
- 1962 Ferrari 250 GTO chosen by Pink Floyd’s Nick Mason
- 1963 Ferrari Berlinetta Lusso chosen by comedian and TV host, Adam Carolla
- 1963 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray chosen by Top Gear USA hosts: Tanner Foust, Adam Ferrara and Rutledge Wood
- 1964 Porsche 356SC chosen by actor and race car driver, Patrick Dempsey
- 1967 Jaguar E-Type chosen by American racer and team owner, Bobby Rahal
- 1968 Ford GT40 Mark III chosen by Chief Creative Officer of Pixar and Disney, John Lasseter
- 1974 Iso Grifo chosen by AC/DC’s Brian Johnson
- 1991 Acura NSX chosen by Motor Trend Magazine’s Angus MacKenzie
“As we’re about to launch the new F-TYPE Coupe, we are proud to be involved with an exhibit that celebrates game-changing coupes,” said Jeff Curry, Brand Vice President, Jaguar. “This new approach of curating diverse opinions from a range of automotive enthusiasts brings a real energy to the exhibit and fits the Petersen perfectly. One of the great things about being a car lover is that we can all have our own point of view on what makes a sports coupe deserving to be part of the ‘World’s Greatest.’”
With such a broad history, narrowing the greatest sports coupes ever down to twelve choices was no easy task. The exhibit will also feature photography by Scott Williamson, which will highlight important sports coupes that were not included by any of the celebrity curators but deserve recognition.
“Sports coupes are the reason most of us fell in love with the automobile in the first place,” said executive director of the Petersen, Terry Karges. “These vehicles represent the pinnacle of art, design, engineering and performance and have been built all over the world. Choosing a dozen sports coupes to represent the finest of the breed was no easy task, which is why we invited the world’s most prominent car collectors to guest curate this exhibit. We’re honored to work with all twelve of these individuals as well as with Jaguar, a company that has well earned its legacy building beautiful vehicles.”
We want to know: what car do you think is the great sports coupe of all time? Tell us on our social channels: Facebook, Twitter and Instagram using hashtags #ThePetersen and #GreatestCoupes.
The Petersen Automotive Museum Foundation is a non-profit 501(c)(3) charity. The Museum is located at 6060 Wilshire Boulevard (at Fairfax) in Los Angeles, California 90036. Admission prices are $15 for general admission adults, $10 for seniors, $10 for students with ID, $5 for children ages 3 to 12. Museum members, active military with ID and children under three are admitted free. Vault tours are available for an additional $25, and are offered on a first-come, first-served basis. Parking is free for the first 30 minutes and $2.00 each additional 30 minutes. One hour validation with purchase of $10 or more in the Museum Store or Johnny Rockets located in the museum lobby. Museum hours are Tuesday through Sunday from 10am to 6pm. For general Museum information, call 323/930-CARS
