Where the Cars Become the Stars

Famous movie cars are starring at the Petersen Automotive Museum through Sept. 24.

The 24 vehicles on display in the museum’s grand salon include the Flintmobile that John Goodman drove in the 1994 movie “The Flintstones,” three Batmobiles and a Batcycle. There’s also the Munsters’ Koach from 1966’s “Munster, Go Home!” and the 1921 Oldsmobile jalopy from the 1993 “Beverly Hillbillies” flick.

On the flashier side, there are cars from the James Bond films and a couple of movies that are in theaters now: “M:I-2” and “Gone in 60 Seconds.”

“The one thing about this exhibit is, I think it will attract everybody,” says Leslie Mark Kendall, curatorial manager. “Not only can everybody relate to cars, everybody has seen movies, if not on the silver screen then when they actually ended up on television. The two inventions developed simultaneously because they both have to do with motion. The camera captures motion, and the car is motion.”

Petersen has had a Hollywood gallery of cars since it opened in 1994, but most of those are autos that were owned by celebrities. “Hollywood Star Cars: Great Cars of the Movies” showcases cars that were actually in films.

“These are cars we got especially for this exhibit,” says Kendall, who found most of them through collectors.

Cars Played Key Role in Memorable Films

The exhibit makes for a fun trip down memory lane as you come face-to-face with indelible images from your childhood. It also illustrates how important a part cars have played in the movies, dating back to the time when the Keystone Kops chased bad guys in rickety Model T’s. Strolling the gallery, you realize that, without cars, there would have been no “Rebel Without a Cause,” “Rain Man” or “Thelma & Louise.”

The vintage Buick that Tom Cruise and Dustin Hoffman drove in 1988’s “Rain Man” is here. So is the 1949 Mercury--a.k.a. the “Chopped Merc”--in which James Dean cruised L.A. for 1955’s “Rebel Without a Cause.” The latter is on loan from the National Automotive Museum in Reno.

James Bond fans will enjoy seeing the bright red 1971 Ford Mustang Mach I driven by Sean Connery and Jill St. John in “Diamonds Are Forever,” the 1977 Lotus Esprit submarine car from 1977’s “The Spy Who Loved Me” and the 1995 BMW Z3 Roadster driven by Pierce Brosnan in “GoldenEye.”

Cars from current films include the 2000 Audi TT roadster driven by Thandie Newton in the “Mission: Impossible” sequel and the 1969 Shelby Mustang used by Nicolas Cage in “Gone in 60 Seconds.” Also here is the 1971 Mustang from the original “Gone in 60 Seconds.”

Though some cars are readily recognizable, others aren’t. “But they are still important because they tell a specific story relating to Hollywood,” Kendall says. One such vehicle is the Hovercraft created by famed car customizer George Barris for the 1987 Mel Brooks movie “Spaceballs.” “It’s interesting because it is scratch-built for a very specific need,” says Kendall.

He is particularly pleased with the Batmobile collection, which includes the one for the 1966 “Batman” with Adam West and Burt Ward (modified by Barris from the 1955 Lincoln Futura), the 20-foot-long Batmobile driven by Michael Keaton in the 1989 and 1992 “Batman” movies, and the one used in 1997’s “Batman and Robin.”

“We are probably going to get the Batmobile from the 1995 movie [“Batman Forever”],” Kendall says. “If we do, we’ll have all four--the first time ever [under one roof]. We are hoping to know about these in two or three weeks.”

Kendall says other additions may be made. For instance? “We are hoping to get [John] Milner’s coupe from ‘American Graffiti,’ ” he says.

The curator is surprised that he was able to locate so many cars, given how long ago it was that many of them enjoyed their cinematic fame. “Producers and directors--to them cars are appliances,” he said. “They are the means to get a job done. Once a movie is over, you park them in the back lot or give them back to the owner.”

It took some real detective work to find the 1966 powder-blue Thunderbird that was used in 1991’s “Thelma & Louise.”

“That was discovered in a [local] car yard,” Kendall says. “It had been sitting there for years, top down, exposed to the elements. We had to repaint it.”

The museum has moved its permanent Hollywood car exhibit to the second floor so it can be seen there in conjunction with the adjoining “Hollywood Star Cars.”

“That gallery tells a broader story than just movie and TV cars,” Kendall says. “There are cars driven by famous celebrities. We just installed the 1956 Jaguar that Steve McQueen owned. We have a 1927 Rolls-Royce owned by Fred Astaire, and we have Greta Garbo’s Lincoln. We have Rita Hayworth’s Cadillac and Mel Blanc’s Edsel.”

BE THERE

“Hollywood Star Cars: Great Cars of the Movies” continues through Sept. 24. The Petersen Automotive Museum, 6060 Wilshire Blvd. Hours are 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Tuesdays through Sundays. Admission is $7 for adults; $5 for seniors and students with ID; $3 for children ages 5-12. Museum members and kids under 5 are admitted free. Parking, $4.50. For information call (323) 930-CARS or visit https://www.petersen.org.