Petersen Automotive Museum Will Be Showcasing Customized Lowriders And Hot Rods
TORONTO: Nowhere has the automobile had a more pronounced impact on a culture than in the mecca that has become a car collector’s paradise – Southern California.
Customized lowriders and hot rods have become an integral part of the SoCal streetscape, made famous by the richly diverse Latino communities in and around Los Angeles. The Petersen Automotive Museum — one of the largest and most respected automotive museums in the world — is bringing a sampling of these unique vehicles from its curated collection to showcase at the Canadian International AutoShow in February.
“The whole sub-industry of personalized cars, lowriders and hot rods were born and matured in Southern California,” says Jason Campbell, General Manager of the AutoShow. “The Petersen’s L.A. Car Culture exhibit will provide a welcome glimpse into the sunshine coast of California at the height of a Canadian winter.”
The exhibit will feature six vehicles from the Petersen collection: famous celebrity cars, lowriders and hot rods that were inspired and created on the streets of L.A.
Among the cars coming to Toronto are a 1900 Overland custom covered wagon that was a gag gift from Bob Hope to John Wayne and a car that once belonged to the royal motor pool in British India before being subsequently purchased by music icon Elton John.
Terry Karges, executive director of the recently re-imagined Petersen Automotive Museum, says, “We welcome thousands of Canadians annually who help us celebrate the automobile and Southern California’s role in fostering enthusiasm for the special cars we have on display. It seems a great opportunity to share a small taste of the Petersen collection with the 350,000 visitors the AutoShow attracts each year, as so many from Canada come south to indulge their automotive passions.”
More details on the full list of vehicles and special speakers attending the AutoShow from the Petersen will be announced closer to opening day. Check out more from the Petersen’s collection on their YouTube channel here.
The Petersen Automotive Museum Foundation is a non-profit organization specializing in automobile history and related educational programs. Since the museum’s founding in 1994, it has quickly grown to be recognized as one of the most respected automotive collections worldwide. In 2016, The Petersen was named “Museum of the Year” by a group of global collectors, journalists and luminaries at the prestigious 2016 International Historic Motoring Awards in London.
The 2019 Canadian International AutoShow takes place February 15th to 24th at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre. For tickets and show information, please visit autoshow.ca.
Stay connected with the Canadian International AutoShow on Instagram @cdnintlautoshow, Twitter @autoshowcanada and Facebook /autoshowcanada. Media interested in attending can register at autoshow.ca/media-registration.
About the Canadian International AutoShow, presented by The Toronto Star and wheels.ca
With more than 650,000 square feet of exhibits, displays and attractions at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre, the Canadian International AutoShow is not only the largest automotive expo in Canada, it is also the country’s largest consumer show — a leader in lifestyle, technology and all things automotive. It boasts more than 1,000 cars, trucks, SUVs, concept cars, exotics, classics, muscle cars, fully electric and autonomous vehicles each year.