Here is Part two of my visit to the Peterson Automotive Museum. The Second level of the Museum has different revolving displays. The first being the Italian Design shown in part one. The Second part was on the history of Aerodynamics. Before the entrance to that wing there were two of my favorite supercars.
This is one of only 281 Jaguar XJ220’s. The 3.5L twin turbo v6 put out 543hp, which in 1991, when they sold these was earth shattering.
The car could accelerate to 60 in 3.5 seconds, still fast for today. The design was so sleek and sexy, If this was in my garage I would stare at it for hours. Originally these cars sold for about $400,000, but you can find them for $250,000 now with prices rising as these are turning into classics.
The other car in the hallway was a 1994 Bugatti Eb110. Both these cars came out in the last recession and poor sales equaled low build numbers, so seeing both these cars in the same place could only happen at a museum like the Peterson.
The Bugatti has a 3.5L v12 with quad turbos making 562 hp. The car is awd sending all the horsepower to the ground, and carry it to a top speed of 210mph. The EB110 is ever rarer than the XJ220, only 126 were made, and soon after the name was sold to Volkswagen, they went on to create the Veyron and take the name to another level again.
The History of aerodynamics section of the museum chronicled the effect of the wind on the design of the cars and showed the coeffeict of drag of each of these classic cars. One of the best looking cars was this Delahaye type 135 roadster. It had the look of speed and being shaped by the wind even though it really wasn’t. What we find beautiful and sleek turns out not to be, once we get computers involved.
This is a 1957 Moto Guzzi V8 motorcycle. I love how they built a plexiglass canopy to create a windshield, and front fairings to keep the rider out of the wind, it achieved a Cd. of 0.44.
In the 70’s aerodynamics really came into play in the professional world of auto racing. This 1971 McLaren M8E is a can am racer that took advantage of the new scientific finds about downforce which increased grip and improved cornering.
The final car I wanted to show was one that familiar to my family. A Citron 2cv, my grandfather owned one of these in Portugal before he came to America. The car never was sold in America, which is a good thing if you believe my grandfather cause he says it was the biggest piece of crap he ever drove. The Citron has a cult following out side of America, but I guess we can call ourselves lucky we never had to experience it.
I hope to have some updates on the Acura soon, with new axles and temp gauges installed soon.