Petersen Automotive Museum memorializes Jessi Combs with new exhibition
The Petersen Automotive Museum will be memorializing “The Fastest Woman on Four Wheels,” with a temporary exhibit honoring the life and accomplishments of Jessi Combs. Combs was killed last month during a land speed record attempt in Oregon. The exhibit opens this Sunday, September 22nd, 2019, and runs for four days.
Titled Jessi Combs: Life at Full Speed and housed in the museum’s William E. Connor Penthouse, the display will feature artifacts from her Long Beach, California studio and workshop. The artifacts include personal notebooks and memorabilia, her racing helmets and welding jackets, original sketches by Chip Foose used when she appeared on the “Overhaulin’” build show with the custom designer and fabricator, and trophies and medals from her competition history.
The display was curated with the cooperation of Combs’ family and friends to highlight her career as a fabricator, race car driver, and television presenter.
Admission to the exhibit is free, though donations to The Jessi Combs Foundation are encouraged. The newly formed organization’s mission is educating, inspiring, and empowering the next generation of female trailblazers and stereotype-breakers.
“Jessi Combs was an inspiration to the entire automotive community,” said Petersen Automotive Museum Executive Director Terry L. Karges. “This exhibit is an opportunity to move people, especially the future generation of women builders and enthusiasts, through Jessi’s incredible life story.”
Combs’ life partner, Terry Madden, said, “Jessi was the most amazing spirit that I have ever or will ever know. Her appetite for living life on the edge and pursuing her dreams to the fullest is an inspiration to me and all who knew her. The Jessi Combs Foundation will motivate young women who looked up to Jessi, empowering them to uncover their inner confidence and abilities so they, too, can achieve their dreams.”
“Jessi Combs: Life at Full Speed” runs through Wednesday, September 25, 2019, and, as mentioned, admission to the memorial will be free to the general public. For more information, you can visit www.Petersen.org/jessi.
