\u00a0<\/p>\n
The Petersen Automotive Museum<\/strong><\/a> in Los Angeles opens a new exhibition<\/strong><\/a>, Performance and Prestige: A History of Aston Martin<\/strong><\/a>, tracing the British company\u2019s evolution from its 1913 origins. Installed in the Meyers Gallery, the presentation gathers more than a dozen vehicles<\/strong><\/a> that embody the changing language of speed and craftsmanship that has defined Aston Martin for over a century.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n The Aston Martin exhibition is the first in the museum\u2019s history. The collection of models is organized to convey the shifting priorities of automotive design, which evolved from the pragmatic, streamlined sculpting of post-war racing prototypes to the expressive surfaces of contemporary hypercars.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n The exhibition will be open to the public on October 30th, 2025 at the Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles, and will be on view through October 2026.<\/strong><\/p>\n 1979 Aston Martin Bulldog | all images courtesy Petersen Automotive Museum<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n The visitor\u2019s experience at the Petersen Museum<\/strong><\/a> exhibition begins with early Aston Martin icons like the 1949 DB2 Prototype. Its compact proportions and upright stance reflecting the lean efficiency of a post-war era when aerodynamics were still an emerging science. The subtle curvature of its aluminum panels catches the gallery lighting with a quiet assurance, revealing the hand-formed nature of its construction.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Nearby, the 1961 DB4GT Zagato \u2014 designed in collaboration with legendary coachbuilder Zagato \u2014 shows an entirely different presence, one that\u2019s much more minimal and distinctly Italian in its interpretation of British engineering.<\/p>\n 1961 Aston Martin DB4 GT Zagato<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n The exhibition deepens in tone as it moves into the experimental period of the late 1970s and 1980s, led by the 1979 Bulldog. It\u2019s a single, wedge-shaped concept that embodies the era\u2019s fascination with aerospace geometry. Its gullwing doors and sharply folded planes appear less ornamental, a physical record of an era captivated by the future. The Bulldog showed at the Petersen Museum\u2019s wedge car retrospective earlier this year, see designboom\u2019s coverage here<\/strong><\/a>!<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n A few steps away, the 2015 Vulcan<\/strong><\/a> and 2021 Valkyrie Spider chart the brand\u2019s transition into the modern age. The track-only Vulcan\u2019s long carbon-fiber hood stretches across the floor like a shadow, its use for racing evident with its vents and contours. The open-top Valkyrie Spider, by contrast, feels almost architectural: an exploration of lightness and airflow, its structure revealing how Aston Martin has adapted Formula 1 knowledge to the scale of the road.<\/p>\n 1964 Aston Martin DB5 (No Time To Die)<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n At the center of the gallery, the AMR23 race car signals Aston Martin\u2019s current direction. With its layered carbon elements and purposeful asymmetry, the machine marks the company\u2019s return to the top tier of motorsport under the Aston Martin Aramco Formula One\u00ae Team. Its green bodywork is both matte and reflective, shifting tone under the controlled lighting as though in motion even while still.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n This moment in the exhibition connects engineering performance with the qualities of proportion and refinement that have defined Aston Martin\u2019s identity for more than a century. The progression from the 1949 DB2 to the AMR23 race car demonstrates technological advancement along with a continuation of the aerodynamic, craft-centric design language.<\/p>\n 2012 Aston Martin One-77<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n For Chief Creative Officer Marek Reichman, the exhibition brings a rare chance to frame design history as living practice. \u2018This exhibit not only celebrates the iconic vehicles that have made Aston Martin a symbol of prestige but also highlights our continued innovation<\/em>,\u2019 he says.<\/strong>\u00a0<\/p>\n 1955 Aston Martin DB3S<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n project info:<\/strong><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n name:\u00a0<\/strong>Performance and Prestige: A History of Aston Martin<\/a><\/p>\n museum:\u00a0<\/strong>Petersen Museum<\/a> | @petersenmuseum<\/a><\/p>\n on view:\u00a0<\/strong>October 30th, 2025 \u2014 October 2026<\/p>\n photography:<\/strong> courtesy Petersen Automotive Museum<\/p>\n The post petersen museum in los angeles shows over a century of automotive design by aston martin<\/a> appeared first on designboom | architecture & design magazine<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Performance and Prestige: A History of Aston Martin \u00a0 The Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles opens a new exhibition, Performance and Prestige: A History of Aston Martin, tracing the British company\u2019s evolution from its … <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[142],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\nover a century of lineage shows at the petersen museum<\/h2>\n
sculptural concepts<\/h2>\n
The Return to Formula 1<\/h2>\n