While the new stainless-steel ribbon exterior continues to be constructed on the Petersen Automotive Museum’s façade, the museum has announced new partnerships with some of the most recognized and prominent companies in the automotive industry. The companies include Ford, BMW and Maserati, which will bring new installations to guests when the museum reopens in December.

Workers continue to install the steel ribbons on the exterior of the Petersen Automotive Museum, which will reopen in December. (photo by Luis Rivas)

“One of the things we had to do was complement the exterior with experiences with the interior,” said the Petersen Automotive Museum chief marketing officer Adam Langsbard.

The exterior design, featuring a series of winding metal ribbons on red paneling, is an artistic rendition of the concepts of movement and speed. The international, New York City-based architecture firm, Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates, designed the new exterior.

Construction was originally scheduled to be completed by late August, but may be done much sooner, according to Langsbard. Most of the exterior has been completed on the museum’s façade on Wilshire Boulevard.

New partner Ford is lending the Petersen Automotive Museum its new Ford GT prototype, valued at $400,000.

“This is the only place in the whole country that will have the new Ford GT, almost a full 12 months before it goes on sale at local dealerships,” Langsbard said. “We will be far more entertaining, far more attractive having all these partners with us.”

Maserati will be partnering with the museum on an exhibit of a dissected car, which would have cost approximately $100,000 to do alone.

“For the first time we will be able to dissect a car. It takes a tremendous amount of space and access to do this. Here are the notable elements of a car that come together. So having a partner with such an interesting story and history like Maserati, and to be able to use one of their cars, is really cool,” Langsbard said.