Petersen Automotive Museum And Willow Springs Team Up

Now that Willow Springs International Raceway is under new ownership, the raceway is teaming up with Petersen Automotive Museum. That might sound like an odd pairing, but we’re curious to see what the final outcome will be.

Brad Pitt really wants to drive an F1 racecar again.

In a press release about the partnership, the addition of a Petersen Pavillion is announced. Exactly what it will be isn’t clear, only that it’s supposed to help in “elevating Willow Springs as a cultural and historical landmark.”

At the minimum, we would expect something about the history of the track, perhaps like a miniature museum exhibit. That could involve photos, interactive displays, or maybe even an historical vehicle or two.

There are a lot of possibilities, and we’ve come to expect a lot from Petersen, so hopefully this lives up to that and then some.

“As one of the most iconic racetracks in America, Willow Springs is an ideal place to celebrate the passion, heritage and innovation that define the automotive world,” said Terry L. Karges, executive director of the Petersen Automotive Museum.

“We look forward to bringing our expertise in storytelling and curation to create an environment where enthusiasts can engage with automotive culture in a dynamic and meaningful way.”

As we covered before, back in April Willow Springs was purchased by an affiliate of CrossHarbor Capital Partners in collaboration with Singer Vehicle Design. The aim is to revamp the facilities which have fallen into disrepair and keep the track open to the public.

Some private events will be hosted there, which will probably help keep the lights on. But there were some concerns Willow Springs would become one of these club facilities where you have to do some expensive buy-in as a way to keep the poors out.

Instead, it sounds like the new owners are reaching out to pillars in the automotive community to help make the facilities nice and keep costs down, maintaining access for regular Joes who like motorsports. That’s great to see.

Images via Petersen Automotive Museum