See the most formative Tesla vehicles together in LA exhibit

Tesla introduced the long-range electric vehicle, created a fast-charging network that enabled it to replace gasoline vehicles for many Americans, then ramped up EV mass-production to levels never before seen. 

Less than 20 years into the company’s existence there’s no official Tesla museum that fans of the brand can flock to. But for the next year, in Los Angeles, there’s something close to that: a dedicated Tesla exhibit at the Petersen Automotive Museum. 

Called “Inside Tesla: Supercharging the Electric Revolution,” the exhibit is open now and rounds up more than Tesla’s production models and top-level bragging rights. It includes a look at the entire ecosystem and lifestyle, and a look at the impact of the company and its CEO Elon Musk. 

Here are just a few of the vehicles that are part of the exhibit:

Tesla Roadster

Three Tesla Roadsters are part of the exhibits: the Aerodynamic Buck, the Founders Series, and the 2017 Roadster. And in addition to all of those, there’s the original 1997 AC Propulsion tzero that was the inspiration for the Roadster—including the “Long Ranger” genset trailer.

Tesla Model S, 3, X, Y

The exhibit features an early Model S P85—the first production electric passenger car not based on a gasoline model—and includes early prototypes of the Model X, Model 3, and Model Y. And in between it covers ideas like Tesla’s direct sales model, as well as its push to revolutionize service. 

Tesla Model S Plaid Nürburgring

This is the only place you’ll be able to see the record-setting, unmodified production 2021 Tesla Model S Plaid that set a world record for the fastest production EV lap of the Nürburgring—7:35.479 minutes and an average speed of 103 mph. All that time on the ‘Ring paid off with a better Model S Plaid Track Mode in 2022.

Cybertruck prototype

Tesla introduced the Cybertruck prototype in November 2019, with versions of the production version due 2021 offering a projected starting price of $39,900, up to 500 miles of range, a 0-60 mph time of less than 2.9 seconds, up to a 14,000 payload, and a “nearly impenetrable exoskeleton” made of 30X cold-rolled stainless steel. It still hasn’t arrived, but the radical design statement is worth seeing in person.

As the museum emphasizes, exhibits cover much more than the cars, including information and displays on the Powerwall and Tesla’s energy ecosystem, the Gigafactory, its manufacturing automation, the Solar Roof, and Autopilot and Full Self-Driving. Don’t forget about tie-ins to SpaceX, Hyperloop, and the Boring Company—like the Not A Flamethrower.

The exhibit opened on November 20 and will be up for nearly a year—until October 22, 2023. Admission is $19 for adults, $17 for seniors, and $12 for children ages 4 to 17.