Cruise-in celebrating 75 years of Ferrari was a sea of red, and then some

More than 100 Ferraris snorted up the ramp to the top floors of Los Angeles’ Petersen Museum’s parking lot as part of festivities last weekend that celebrated 75 years of the Italian brand’s cars.

The Petersen always has a few prancing horses on display, either among the many curated exhibits in the museum’s galleries or tucked away for special visits to the Vault. Museum organizers brought out a few special examples and gave them preferred parking near some choice selections from the collection of David Lee. Just about all red cars were granted preferred parking, taking up the center rows, while silver cars covered the west flank. There were so many Ferraris in attendance that they didn’t all fit on the museum’s third floor, with cars spilling onto the fourth.

The Ferraris were the focus of this event, but other Italians made a showing as well, including one party-crashing Lamborghini Countach that was quite popular despite being outnumbered by the Maranello crowd.

In 2020, the Petersen Automotive Museum used its annual Ferrari cruise to pay tribute to the F40. And while last year’s cruise was canceled due to the pandemic, 2022’s cruise was timed just right to celebrate 75 years since Ferrari built and sold its first race car—the 125 S that was powered by a diminutive 1.5-liter V-12.

Following that sporty yet understated roadster were some of the world’s most powerful and visually striking road and race cars, and the huge turnout at the Petersen showed off that fantastic variety. We spotted everything from late-model, front-engine, V-12 grand touring coupes to curvy little Dinos. Of course, there were plenty of ’80s icons on display as well, including 308s, Testarossas, and an F40. Best of all, this cruise was free to attend!