Daily Briefing: Hyper for Hypercars, New Addition to Antique Automobile Club of America Museum

Hypercars at the Petersen Museum

The Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles has announced a two-part exhibit devoted to "Hypercars." Expect to see the fastest and most expensive cars money can buy, such as the Bugatti Veyron, the Devel Sixteen, the Hennessey Venom F5, the Pagani Huayra Hermes Edition, and more. The exhibit Hypercars: The Allure of the Extreme will rotate as many as 30 vehicles on display over the next 18 months.

"Hypercars are a glimpse of the future today," said Petersen Automotive Museum Executive Director Terry L. Karges. "With this extensive exhibit, we want to nail down what a hypercar is while giving guests the opportunity to view some of the rarest and most luxurious vehicles available."

The museum is defining a "hypercar" as a vehicle that exists at the highest echelon of performance, technological advancement, price, and rarity. There will be examples from well-known marques as well as smaller startups, all exhibiting cutting-edge technology and performance. Not only will cars be shown, but motorcycles such as the Lotus C-01 and Aston Martin AMB 001 will also be displayed.

Hypercars: The Allure of the Extreme will be located in the Bruce Meyer Family Gallery and the museum lobby. The first hypercars will arrive December 4 and the second wave will arrive September 17, 2022. For more about the current and future exhibits, visit petersen.org.

1940 Ford De Luxe Added to AACA Museum

The AACA Museum Inc. announced that a 1940 Ford De Luxe convertible has been added to its collection. The car was donated by Roberta Sliker, in loving memory of her husband Roger Sliker. Roger paid just $400 for the De Luxe in 1969, after it had been off the road for 12 years. When he acquired it, it had no front fenders, engine, seats, or bumpers, but it had plenty of rust. Despite owning it for several decades, he didn’t begin restoring it until 2010.

Unfortunately, Roger was not able to finish the restoration, getting it to the primer phase before dying from cancer. Roger's friends took the baton and installed the parts Roberta ordered, such as trim, door handles, window mechanisms, cranks, and wiring. Slowly, the De Luxe reached completion. A year and a half later, Roger’s dream became a reality with his Mandarin Maroon Ford riding on a set of reproduction whitewall tires and body-color wheels. The Ford is powered by a newly rebuilt and painted flathead V-8 engine with all interior panels replaced and a convertible top made from scratch.

The Ford is now available for viewing at the Hershey, Pennsylvania, museum. For more about the museum and the 1940 Ford, visit aacamuseum.org.