While in Los Angeles for Luftgekühlt 10, I had some time to check out a couple other car-related events. There’s a seemingly endless list of cruise-ins and shows to see around LA. I figured I’d check in at two notable spots and see the latest in West Coast car culture.
Photos and Text: Dave Pinter
Friday Night Car Cruise | Bob’s Big Boy Burbank
The first stop was to the weekly Friday night car meet at the Bob’s Big Boy in Burbank. It’s primarily for classics of the drive-in era but a few outside the genre cars showed up including a slant nose Porsche 911. The car that seemed to get the most attention was a lowered VW Beetle with a chopped off roof.
Petersen Museum
A batch of new exhibitions just opened for the fall/winter 2024 season. Modern Concepts brings together a collection of mid 90s-early 2000s concept cars. Lovely to see the Marc Newson designed Ford 021c again, although I personally prefer the correctly coded orange version.
Alternating Currents: The Fall and Rise of Electric Vehicles charts the experiments and advancements of electric cars over the past century. On display are some really cool tiny EVs including a Microdot and the 1969 General Motors XP 512E Prototype.
Finally Best in Low: Lowrider Icons of the Street and Show is a deep dive into the distinctly LA created artistry and craftsmanship of lowrider culture. There’s some unbelievable metalwork and paint to take in. These are vehicles that have crossed over to become pieces of art that deserve to be preserved.