The Petersen Automotive Museum surpassed its crowdfunding goal of $30,000 to restore a rare Los Angeles-built 1948 Davis Divan three-wheeled car. A campaign through the Indiegogo site generated $33,681 for the project.

“We want to thank everyone who donated to the project,” said Petersen Automotive Museum Executive Director Terry Karges. “With the museum’s current resources and Capital Campaign fundraising efforts going toward our year-long total transformation, the public’s generosity will allow us to restore our rare Davis to like-new condition for our grand re-opening in December.”

Several media outlets and museum friends helped stimulate the campaign. Most prominent was Jay Leno who took the Davis for a drive in an episode of “Jay Leno’s Garage.” Leno agreed to open up his private collection to tours by the top eight donors. The largest donor was Ken Lingenfelter, the high-profile car collector and proprietor of the 150-car Lingenfelter Collection.

The automotive podcasting community also stepped up to support the cause. Chief curator Leslie Kendall and The Petersen Automotive Museum digital content manager A.J. Gordon were guests on many of the major podcasts. Adam Carolla and Matt D’Andria brought attention to the Davis on their popular “CarCast,” Jeff Glucker and Blake Z. Rong shared their mic at Hooniverse.com and the Matt Farah hosted the museum on the TheSmokingTire.com. The Hemmings Daily Newsletter also helped raise awareness.

“The Indiegogo crowdfunding campaign has opened up a new avenue for us. With a collection of more than 300 cars, many of which are older classics, The Petersen normally has to rely on private donations for larger projects like the Davis restoration. Through crowdfunding, we might be able to restore a car or two per year instead of one every two to three years,” said The Petersen Automotive Museum chief curator Leslie Kendall.

For information, visit www.petersen.org or www.carstories.com.