See the cars from “Ford v Ferrari” in the metal at the Petersen Museum
With the Ford v Ferrari film debut just over a week away, the Los Angeles-based Petersen Automotive Museum is offering folks a unique opportunity to get up close and personal with some of the star cars of the film—and of the story as a whole.
The Petersen will have five vehicles on display, three of which are stars in the new Winning Numbers exhibit, a collection of cars from Petersen chairman Bruce Meyer’s personal collection.
First, there’s the the two literal film stars—a 1961 Ferrari 250GT SWB SEFAC, and a 1957 Ferrari 625/250 Testa Rossa. The 250GT finished in the top three overall at the 1961 24 Hours of Le Mans, taking first place in its class and securing the GT Manufacturers Championship for Ferrari that year. The 625/50 Testa Rossa is the winningest Ferrari ever, according to Maranello’s own records.
Not to be outshone by the voluptuous Italians of the time, the first production Shelby Cobra (serial no. 1, a 1962 example finished in black) is also featured in the Winning Numbers exhibit. The car is also known as CSX 2001, and the story goes that CSX 2002 (the car built immediately after the one featured at the Petersen) was shipped to Carroll Shelby and turned into a race car. That car started the run of dominance that the wily Texan’s name would go on to represent.
Elsewhere at the Petersen, visitors can check out a 1952 Ferrari 212/225 Barchetta, widely considered to be the inspiration behind a number of the 1955 Ford Thunderbird’s most memorable design features. The Barchetta is available for viewing in the Vault presented by Hagerty, an underground storage facility teeming with automotive icons of all makes and vintages.
If you’re after something a bit more race-bred, you can ogle a 1967 Ford GT40 MKIII on the museum’s third floor. The GT40 MKIII is the road-going version of the car that’s featured in the movie.
Ford v Ferrari hits theaters next week Friday November 15. The Winning Numbers exhibit will run through January 19 of 2020.
