Carstories by The Petersen Automotive Museum

Recorded live at Petersen Automotive Museum ahead of the Long Beach Grand Prix, this special episode brings together some of the biggest names in IndyCar for an unforgettable conversation. Host Marshall Pruett sits down with championship contenders Alex Palou, Alexander Rossi, and Marcus Ericsson for a candid, high-energy discussion ahead of one of the sport’s most iconic street races. From career...

Bea and Dan are joined once again by Kristen who shares the process behind our newest exhibit A Fast & Furious Legacy: 25 Years of Automotive Icons The Fast and the Furious debuted in 2001, launching one of Universal Pictures’ most lucrative film franchises. It follows undercover cop Brian O’Conner (Paul Walker) through the streets of Los Angeles as he infiltrates a community of underground st...

It's Feb 12th 2026 and we are delighted to announce that 3 of Gordon Murray's greatest creations on now on display at the Museum in LA. Gordon joins us to share the stories behind the McLaren F1, the GMA T50 and the GMA SV S1 LM that are now on display in the Super Hyper Exhibit at the Petersen Automotive Museum. Gordon also talks about visiting the museum, his experiences creating the McL...

This week on CarStories we catch up with Head of Strategy and founder of DirtFish's Women in Motorsports program Josie Rimmer. When you think about rally, there is one destination that provides everything from up to date coverage to learning to drive sideways. We discuss why rally is such a noble form of motorsport. If you're in LA check out Legends of the Dirt, sponsored by Optima which f...

This week on CarStories, we sit down with Ben Paull. The average American owns a car for between 8 and 9 years for Ben he has owned his El Camino for over 59 years. Buying the car in his early 20s, Ben takes us through his journey with his 67 (or six seven) El Camino. #CarStories #ElCamino #SixSeven

This week on CarStories, we sit down with Jamie Howe, motorsports presenter. Jamie has been reporting from the paddock for over 20 years. During this time she has been lucky enough to cover many different motorsports disciplines, from Le Mans to MotoAmerica. Jamie sits down with us to share her experiences. #TVReporter #JamieHowe #Carracing #motoamerica #Pitlane For more details from Jamie please...

This week on CarStories, Bea sits down with Michael McCardle to talk about the curation of the newest exhibit: Legends of the Dirt supported by Optima Batteries. Michael shares stories about some of the key vehicles in the exhibit and their contributions to Off Road Racing. The exhibit is now open at the Petersen Automotive Museum in LA. #Offroadracing #OnlyatthePetersen #Rallycars #TrophyTrucks

This week on CarStories, we sit down with friend of the museum Jeff Zwart. Jeff Zwart is an award-winning filmmaker, photographer, and celebrated motorsport competitor best known for his iconic Pikes Peak victories and decades of storytelling for Porsche. A lifelong enthusiast with a career that spans commercial directing, rally racing, and automotive publishing, Zwart brings a uniquely cinematic...

This week on Car Stories , Bea sits down with the brilliant curation team behind the Petersen’s latest exhibit — Aston Martin: Performance & Prestige — a celebration of over a century of craftsmanship, innovation, and speed. From silver screen legends to Le Mans victories, the team shares how they brought Aston Martin’s story to life — diving into the art of curation, the emotional journey the...

Part 2 - This week on Car Stories , we sit down with friend of the museum Larry Chen. In part two of a two-part episode we explore how Larry met Ken Block, the partnership he has with Canon and what's coming up in the future. #LarryChen #photographer #CarStories #PetersenAutomotiveMuseum #onlyatthepete

Part 1 - This week on Car Stories , we sit down with friend of the museum Larry Chen. In part one of a two-part episode we explore where it all started for Larry, career parallels between him and Jeff Zwart and what it takes to get the edge on his competition. #LarryChen #photographer #CarStories #PetersenAutomotiveMuseum #onlyatthepete

This week Bea Ross interviews our own Director of Marketing at the Museum. Dan Pilling has always been a car guy. Dan grew up in the UK, and spent some of his most informative years - visiting manufactures and chasing internships. After nearly 20 years in tech, founding his own business he recently joined the Petersen. We talk, Porsche, McLaren, VW to name as few as well as J-a-g-u-a-r.

This week on Car Stories , we sit down with Marek Reichman the Chief Creative Officer of Aston Martin Lagonda. This season of the podcast, we’re highlighting the designers and creators behind some of the most iconic marques in the world. At the end of October, we will celebrate the opening of our newest exhibit: Performance and Prestige: A History of Aston Martin, presented in partnership with Ast...

This week on Car Stories, Bea and I catch up with J Ryan. J is a staple of LA Car Culture and a great guy to boot! J was destined for a "career" in entertainment and soon found how to combine it with his love of cars. We talk about building DeLorean's with the founders of Back to the Future, creating a movement in The Good Vibes Breakfast Club and caring for his wide Nicole when diag...

This week on Car Stories , we sit down with John Clinard , a man whose name is synonymous with Ford’s rich automotive legacy. Over a career spanning more than four decades, John’s fingerprints can be found on everything from motorsport strategy to market research, from the Mustang SVO to the rebirth of the Ford GT. His passion for the brand and the culture of driving made him one of Ford’s most ve...

In this episode of Car Stories , we sit down with Michael Simcoe , the recently stepped down as Global Vice President of Design at General Motors. With a remarkable 42-year career that began at Holden in Australia and culminated in shaping the future of Cadillac, Chevrolet, GMC, and more, Simcoe has left an indelible mark on automotive design. We explore his journey from early career highlights to...

In honor of our new Wedge Exhibit, Bea and Dan catch up with Ken Okuyama, world famous designer and former head of design at Pininfarina. Ken was clearly relaxed with us as he told us stories about how Lexus influenced Porsche car development and how Porsche had a direct influence in the development of the Ferrari Enzo. Designing a car for Luca di Montezemolo came with high risk of losing the proj...

Dan and Bea catch up with Podcast Host and Car Personality Spike Feresten. In honor of our current exhibit, Totally Awesome, Spike takes us back to the 90s and shares with us how he bonded over cars with both Letterman and Sienfield. We also talk a little about culture in California. Check out Spike on Instagram Spike’s Car Radio (@spikescarradio) • Instagram photos and videos or his show on YouTu...

In this special solo episode of Car Stories , Dan sits down with none other than Alois Ruf—the visionary behind Ruf Automobile—to dive deep into the origin story of the legendary Yellowbird. Alois shares how a now-iconic Road & Track article nearly featured a Ruf car painted a completely different color, how that last-minute decision changed everything, and what the ripple effect of that artic...

Lamborghini Fenomeno is the latest groundbreaking super sports car in the Few-Off series. The model will be produced in 29 units, celebrating the exclusivity of the brand and the 20-year anniversary of Lamborghini Centro Stile. Under the hood is the most powerful Lamborghini V12 ever, paired with three electric motors, for an overall maximum power of 1080 CV. The Petersen was one of the first gran...

In this episode of Car Stories , hosts Dan and Bea sit down with Petersen insiders Autumn and Jonee to go behind the scenes of the museum’s latest exhibit, Totally Awesome . Celebrating the bold design, analog thrills, and pop culture flair of the 1980s and 1990s, the exhibit explores everything from rad supercars to era-defining trends. Learn how the idea came to life, which cars made the final c...

The Petersen Automotive Musuem podcast - Car Stories is back with two new host and a set of new guests. Dan Pilling - Director of Marketing and Social Media Lead Beatrice (Bea) Ross will be your host for stories and conversations with some of these most interesting car people. Tune in every week! In this episode of Petersen Car Stories , hosts Dan and Bea sit down with racer, broadcaster, and moto...

Join Daniel Valdez on Petersen's CarStories podcast as he sits down with Nicole Johnson, a true powerhouse in the automotive world. Nicole Johnson isn't just a Monster Jam driver; she's also a two-time Rockcrawl champion and the dynamic host of her own YouTube channel, Nicole Johnson Detour. In this captivating episode, Daniel and Nicole delve into her adrenaline-fueled journey behind...

This week, we're thrilled to have a very special guest: Hall of Fame Wrestler and host of  Goldberg's Garage , Bill Goldberg! Join us as Daniel Valdez sits down with Bill Goldberg as he shares his journey from the wrestling ring to the garage, revealing his deep-rooted passion for cars. Get ready for an engaging conversation filled with exclusive insights, personal anecdotes, and a behind-...

In this episode, Daniel Valdez sits down with Hussein Al-Attar, a director of automotive design at BMW Designworks. Discover the inspiration and challenges that shape his iconic creations, from the sleek curves of the M2 to the innovative interiors of the iX. Hear firsthand about his journey from sketch to showroom, and how his passion for blending artistry with cutting-edge technology continues t...