What Were They Thinking? (opening on February 28, 2009) is the newest in a series of Petersen Automotive Museum special exhibitions. The exhibit describes how innovators throughout automotive history have sought to overcome automobile design and engineering challenges with the application of "out of the box" thinking. Though a large number of poorly conceived or badly timed innovations were necessarily abandoned at the design phase, a large number have been developed into full-size, operational vehicles. On view will be examples of such vehicles (both popular and obscure) from throughout automotive history whose designs embodied innovations, styling themes, and other characteristics that were ultimately revealed to be of questionable value or limited appeal.
Whether mass produced or prototype, the Misfits of Motordom serve to illustrate that while certain cars are important because of what they are, an equally large number are important because of what they are not. It will be an autotorium of automobile oddities from around the globe, and certainly the only assembly of vehicles where an Edsel is the "normal" car, these vehicles are sure to amaze and amuse.
The Petersen Automotive Museum is located at 6060 Wilshire Boulevard (at Fairfax) in Los Angeles. Admission prices are $10 for adults, $5 for seniors and students with ID, and $3 for children ages 5 to 12. Museum hours are Tuesday through Sunday from 10am to 6pm. For general Museum information, call 323/930-CARS or visit the Museum's Web site address at www.petersen.org.