The opening to the exhibition.

The Petersen Automotive Museum, on the Miracle Mile, in the museum district of Los Angeles has briefly turned its attention away from four-wheels to two this year to host the exhibit, “Scooters: Size Doesn’t Always Matter.” And I find it hard to disagree with that sentiment.

The featured exhibit – which gathers together an eclectic collection of scooters over the past ninety six years – opened in mid-June this year and runs through May 28, 2012. This Labor Day Weekend I headed to LA to check it out.

Never having been to the Petersen before I wasn’t sure what to expect. I figured I’d probably be in-and-out in an hour: skip past the cars, and head right to the scooters. Boy was I wrong. What a fantastic place. While clearly I’m a gear-head when it comes to scooters, I’m not, by extension, much of a car guy. But the museum does such an incredible job of walking you through the history of the motor vehicle and in turn through the very history of Los Angeles itself that I walked (correction, drove) away with a renewed love of the automobile.

In addition to the over 100 cars across three floors punctuating every major development in the history of the combustion engine, the museum contains a fascinating walk through the car’s direct association with the development of highways and suburbia of the West Coast. Audio and video cues combine with re-created streets scenes from the turn-of-the-century through the classic age of the car in the pre-oil crisis 50s and 60s to bring every vehicle to life in fascinating – and highly waxed – detail. With every car presented in the most pristine condition imaginable, my excitement grew at the prospect of a scooter exhibit handled with such a high standard of care.

The museum did not disappoint. Situated on the second floor, between the institution’s permanent collection of vehicles from the silver screen, and its current exhibit of Italian and American “Supercars” the scooter exhibit is fantastic and I encourage you to do your very best to check it out over the coming twelve months.

What makes the exhibit so remarkable is that unlike the collection of supercars across the hall, the obvious Italian contingent of Vespas and Lambrettas comprises a relatively minor slice of the exhibit.

A restored 1915 Autoped manufactured in New York City. Note the motor directly tied to the front wheel.

Starting with a 1915 New York built “Autoped,” thought to be the earliest known example of the motorscooter, the exhibit sets the tone from the off gathering together an incredible collection of American built rarities in a category now dominated by Asian and Italian bikes.

Remember, many Italians saw their first scooter by way of American parachuted supply drops during World War 2, as US Army scooters representing one of the earliest mass uses of the form landed as light but rugged troop transportation conveyances.

US Army stenciling on a Cushman "Parascooter."

Prior to the war years however, the collection opens with a collection of 1910s and 1920s prototypical British and American scooters including a rare 1917 Kenilworth and 1919 ABC Scootamota. These early scooters chart the earliest days of the forms development, including the evolution of the motor from the direct front-wheel-drive of the Autoped to the mid-section and eventually over the rear wheel and, later still, under bodywork.

A collection of early scooters from the 10s and 20s including one so rare, it's manufacturer is unknown.

As we enter the Thirties, the exhibit gathers together a great collection of American Salsbury machines developed in Los Angeles itself. A particularly great scoot is a 1937 Salsbury literally designed like a barstool on wheels. How’s that for drinking and driving?

A Salsbury "Barstool" scooter from 1937.

Along with LA’s Salsbury scooters, and Lincoln, Nebraska’s Cushmans (including a WWII parachute or “Parascooter” bike) the exhibit contains other US manufacturers that I haven’t seen before including a great collection of Moto-Scoot bikes from Chicago and some terrifically restored Powell bikes from just down the way in Pomona, California.

Motorscooter development boomed of course in the post-war years, and the exhibit reminds us that a key reason for the explosion of Japanese, Italian, and German built scooters came as these countries’ manufacturers looked to the scooter as new direction for their respective companies. This manufacturing shif was a necessary reality in accordance with post-war moratoriums that forbid the companies continued production of aircraft (Piaggio, Mitsubishi, Heinkel) armaments (Innocenti) and other military ordnance.

The era naturally marks the introduction of the iconic Vespa, briefly followed by the Lambretta, and the exhibition hall has a nice collection of both marques from this era including a very nice Lambretta Series III TV175 with sidecar and even an ill-fated Piaggio 400 car from the era of the competitive birth of the affordable family car.

A very nifty Lambretta Series III TV175 and sidecar.

Vespa. A motorcycle, it most certainly ain't. From a wall of scooter marketing.

The next shift in the exhibit traces the rise of Asian manufacturers including a beautifully restored Fuji Rabbit from the former Nakajima Aircraft Company and a Mitsubishi Silver Pigeon both from 1946. Much like the Europeans, the Japanese population was introduced to the scooter as US soldiers posted in the far east following the war continued to use their American made machines as a convenient form of transportation and the vehicle took off in a big way.

The nicest restored Fuji Rabbit I've seen with my own eyes.

As the Japanese market became saturated with the explosive growth of its domestic scooter market, it began to look to North America as its export market and the exhibit contains some great examples of some of the most iconic 70s and 80s bikes from Honda, Yamaha, and Suzuki that are familiar to us here in the US.

The emergence of Japanese scooters in the 70s and 80s.

Finally the exhibit wraps with a small collection of contemporary scooters including modern LX and GTS Vespas, the three-wheeled Piaggio MP3 and even a Buddy Italia from Chicago’s Genuine Scooter Company.

Finally, died-in-the-wool scooterists will no doubt get a smile out of a small corner of the exhibition hall that defines what aren’t scooters with a small collection including a moped, a disability scooter, and a mini-bike.

As if all this is not enough, much like the rest of the museum, the exhibit is surrounded by all things scooter related including a wide range of toys, accessories, and dealership marketing materials that have contributed to the fascinating world of scootering over the years. While I didn’t get an exact count, I would say that there were something like seventy scooters in total comprising the fantastic exhibit and every one of them expertly and lovingly restored or preserved. A once-in-a-lifetime chance to see so many diverse brands and models under one roof.

The museum is open from Tuesday through Sunday all year round with the exception of major public holidays. In this day and age, a very reasonable $10 adult entrance fee proved to be a fantastic half-day experience.

Heading out of the Petersen, and not being on home turf with my Lambretta, I did what any self-respecting dude would do following an experience like that. I jumped in my (rental) car, wound down the window, turned up the classic rock, and hit the highway. Until traffic that is. Hey, that’s LA.

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