When the Petersen opened in 1994, many locals were surprised that it had taken this long for the city of freeways to salute its most important shaper. Indeed, this museum says more about the city than probably any other in L.A. Named for Robert Petersen, the publisher responsible for Hot Rod and Motor Trend magazines, the four-story museum displays more than 200 cars and motorcycles, from the historic to the futuristic. Cars on the first floor are exhibited chronologically in period settings. Other floors are devoted to frequently changing shows of race cars, early motorcycles, famous movie vehicles, and celebrity wheels such as Jack Benny's old Chrysler Imperial. Past shows have included a comprehensive exhibit of "woodies" and surf culture, and displays of the Flintstones' fiberglass-and-cotton movie car and of a three-wheeled scooter that folds into a Samsonite briefcase (created in a competition by a Mazda engineer).