Retro Ford F-150, Lambos Star in New Radwood-Era Petersen Museum Exhibit

Car and Driver

26-05-2025

A new exhibit at the Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles is showcasing icons of the 1980s and 1990s.
Ultra-rare cars on show include the very first Buick GNX, the original DeLorean time machine from Back to the Future, and a one-of-one Nissan Skyline GT-R.
It's the biggest Petersen exhibit so far this year, and there are even more '80s and '90s heroes to see throughout the museum.
Remember the 1990s? Of course you do, it was just 10 years ago. Oh, wait, no it wasn't. No wonder our knees hurt. Well, should you remember the era of the Sony Discman and New Kids on the Block with fondness, the Petersen Automotive Museum has a great new exhibit for you. Along with a '92 Ford F-150 Flareside, pictured above with eye-popping paint and a cab spoiler, there are other Radwood-era eye candy, including iconic Lamborghinis such as an '85 Countach 5000S and '89 LM002.
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Petersen Automotive Museum
A Radwood-Era Exhibit
It's called 'Totally Awesome! Cars and Culture of the '80s and '90s,' and it's crammed with iconic vehicles that defined the era. This is a mainstage blowout experience, a Guns N' Roses touring with Aerosmith type of thing. The new exhibit features more than 13 classics that represent blockbuster movies, a world-beating performance, or the bedroom poster you had up next to the handbill from License to Drive.
Petersen Automotive Museum
On the Hollywood side of things, there's the original DeLorean DMC-12 time machine from Back to the Future, as well as the 1998 Beetle used in the Austin Powers franchise (also a time machine). Rally-car royalty is represented by a 1985 Audi Sport Quattro Group B car, and there's also the very first Buick GNX on display.
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Petersen Automotive Museum
Perhaps most exciting are the supercars, which range from rare beasts like the Vector M12 and the sixteen-cylinder Cizeta Moroder V16T to the apex predator of them all, the McLaren F1. JDM culture will also be present with something of a mic drop moment: the NISMO Skyline GT-R LM homologation special built to allow Nissan to compete at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. There's only one in the world.
Petersen Automotive Museum
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Petersen Automotive Museum
Whether you're into Countachs or Corvettes, there's something for everyone here. Grab your denim jacket, hairspray the heck out of your hair, then get on down to the Petersen Museum. The exhibit opens Friday, June 6.
Brendan McAleer
Contributing Editor
Brendan McAleer is a freelance writer and photographer based in North Vancouver, B.C., Canada. He grew up splitting his knuckles on British automobiles, came of age in the golden era of Japanese sport-compact performance, and began writing about cars and people in 2008. His particular interest is the intersection between humanity and machinery, whether it is the racing career of Walter Cronkite or Japanese animator Hayao Miyazaki's half-century obsession with the Citroën 2CV. He has taught both of his young daughters how to shift a manual transmission and is grateful for the excuse they provide to be perpetually buying Hot Wheels.