Petersen Auto Museum

THE PETERSEN AUTOMOTIVE MUSEUM: Founded by Margie and Robert E. Petersen in 1994, the Museum Exhibits cover a vast range of automotive history. Veteran, Vintage, Racing, Drag Racing, Land Speed Record, Cars of the Hollywood Stars, they are all well represented.

1901: BREER STEAM CAR: At seventeen, Carl Breer noticed the various types of automobiles, circa 1900, and decided to build his own in his father's Blacksmith Shop. Carl also took note of steam engine designs in magazines of the day and produced his own steam engine to power the vehicle. The Breer Steam Car was completed in 1901 and Carl's efforts were rewarded when the Throop Polytechnic Institute (subsequently the California Institute of Technology) waved their entry requirements to allow Carl to study, he went on to Stanford University and entered the Automotive Industry as a Mechanical Engineer.

1903: CADILLAC - MODEL A RUNABOUT: In 1903 the third annual National Automobile Show in Madison Square Garden witnessed the introduction of the Cadillac Model A. The Cadillac was named after Le Sieur Antoine de la Mothe Cadillac, the founder of Detroit. The car was powered by a single cylinder engine producing 10hp and it had a top speed of 50kmh.

1911: AMERICAN 'UNDERSLUNG' - MODEL 50 TRAVELLER: The American Automotive Company produced the first 'underslung' car, wherein the chassis was mounted below the centreline of the wheels. Larger diameter wheels were used on the car to retain reasonable ground clearance, another feature of the wheels was the inherent ability to traverse holes and ruts in the unpaved roads of the day. The car was powered by a four cylinder T-head engine which produced 50hp.

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