Three classic Ferrari models you can see at the Petersen Museum in Los Angeles... And there's more!

If you’re thinking of travelling to Los Angeles, I recommend visiting one of the best automotive museums in the world. The Peterson Automotive Museum features several remarkable collections so we can see some of the finest cars ever built throughout the history of the industry. Ferrari is one of the most coveted brands, and for this reason it has hosted an exhibition for several months.

Seeing Red, which is the name of this exhibition, closes on 13 May, but it will stay in the memory of everyone who has seen it, because it featured some of the most important models to emerge from the German factory. The exhibition showcased a fine selection of impressive cars and from them, we have chosen a few to highlight.

Ferrari 550 Barchetta Pininfarina (2001)

This special edition consisted of only 448 units and was built to celebrate 70 years of the Pininfarina design studio. It was produced in two versions: the coupé, called Ferrari 550 Maranello, and this open-top version. It was not a convertible as such, but was configured as a car without a roof, which was replaced by a canvas cover that was fitted by hand when it rained.

The model uses a 5.5-litre V12 engine producing 485 CV and has a top speed of 330 km/h, which made it one of the most striking cars in the brand’s history.

Ferrari 857 Sport (1957)

This model was born out of a defeat at the hands of Mercedes. After being overtaken by the German brand, Ferrari decided to change the engine to a new four-cylinder unit. It also changed the way its bodies were manufactured, adding aluminium to the design for a lighter and more effective body.

The new 3.4-litre engine was capable of delivering 280 CV and propelling the model to a top speed of 255 km/h.

Ferrari 166 MM Barchetta (1949)

The first Ferrari to win the 24 Hours of Le Mans was the Ferrari 166 MM Barchetta. This model had only 25 units on the market, with a second victory at the Mille Miglia, which earned it the “MM” designation in its name. It uses a 2.0-litre V12 engine producing 140 CV and has a top speed of 202 km/h, which for the era was considerable and very appealing.

How many more legendary Ferrari models are there in this exhibition? Plenty more, and they are worth seeing at least once in a lifetime to understand what this brand has meant to the automotive industry. For many years it has been present at the key moments of its development and has contributed greatly to getting us to where we are today, even in production cars.

In the Petersen Museum video you can see many more of the models on display.

https://youtu.be/urhFewoh718