As you have probably already heard, the Petersen Automotive Museum has reopened after a yearlong massive redesign effort. It is quite impressive—a truly world-class destination for gearheads on par with the best automotive museums and collections on any continent. The museum has several permanent and temporary exhibits that are worth seeing, but I was especially taken by the Bruce Meyer Family Gallery's premier exhibit, Precious Metal, a celebration of some of the most important silver cars throughout history.

Other than their color, these cars also share some of the most prestigious pedigrees and noteworthy designs in automotive history. According to Bruce Meyer, a good friend who is on the Petersen's board of directors and the brains behind this brilliant exhibit, he originally had the idea for the collection a few years ago. He presented the concept to members of the Los Angeles Museum of Contemporary Art for its Museum of Contemporary Art, but they didn't really "get it." So he shelved the idea. When the team at the Petersen began to talk about what should be in his gallery when the museum reopened, Bruce dusted off this great concept.

This is an almost impossible collection of cars to put together, and it amazes me that he was able to acquire all of these cars with only about an hour's worth of phone calls. Private collectors and museums all came together to make this exhibit happen. We are talking about a pile of metal worth about $200,000,000, and many of these cars are rarely ever displayed beyond the occasional exclusive concours. One car, the 1957 Ferrari 625/250, Meyer has owned for 15 years. He jokes that its the whole reason he came up with the exhibit, which will run through August.

I highly recommend a visit to the Petersen to see this and all of the other great exhibits, but if you are too far away, here is an opportunity for an insider's private tour. Meyer, a true car guy and good friend, met up with me at the museum for a friendly walk through. So come with us as we explore these significant cars and the stories behind them. And as a bonus, check out some of my favorite shots of the cars below.

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1933 Duesenberg SJ

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1937 Horch

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1938 Hispano-Suiza

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1953 Fiat 8V

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1954 Ferrari 375 MM

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1954 Mercedes-Benz W196

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1995 McLaren F1

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1957 Ferrari 625/250 Testa Rossa

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1959 Corvette Stingray XP-87

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1964 Aston Martin DB5

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