The Petersen Automotive Museum will be opening its exhibit called “Legend of the Dirt,” which will host iconic off-road racing cars. The exhibit is set to open on December 7th of this month.
It features classic icons such as the 1970 Bronco Baja winner, the Italian WRC legend 1983 Lancia 037, the Suzuki hatchback of all time, the 1993 Suzuki Cultus Pikes, the off-road racing truck the 1995 Herbst, also known as “the Landshark,” and others, including the Ford Bronco Ultra4 and the rally cross Volkswagen.
The 1983 Lancia Rally 037 was the last rear-wheel-drive car to hold its position against the group of all-wheel-drive cars in the World Rally Championship (WRC Racing). It was being driven by Finn Markku Alén and Walter Röhrl. It won the Constructor’s title in 1983, which was a big win for its manufacturer, Lancia.
For all-wheel drive, which would never miss, there is the 1993 Suzuki Cultus Pikes Peak Special. This subcompact hatchback was sold as the Suzuki Swift or Pontiac Firefly or, in some regions, as the Geo Metro, which came as a front-wheel drive and boosted with 100 horsepower. It raced at the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb, being driven by Affable Nouhiro Tajima and other youngsters in Grand Turismo 2.
A number of significant off-road racing trucks will also be featured at the Petersen Automotive Museum, which includes the Landshark, a 1995 Herbst, which scored best at the international Class 1 desert racing, and it was a game changer when it arrived in the battle of the sand in 1990.
There are plenty of unmentioned, including the legendary 1970 Bronco driven by Parnelli Jones, winning two consecutive times at Baja 1000, that’s in 1971 and 1972. The other ones include the first king of the Hummer winner, the Ford Bronco Ultra4, a 2010 Coleworks rock bouncer, a Global Rallycross Volkswagen Beetle, and a display of off-road racing motorcycles, among others.
The exhibit will be opened on December 7, running through January 2027. This time classic cars will fill the room, so if you are a lover of them, you won’t like to be left out.
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