Kevin Hart’s Muscle Car Team Looks For Inspiration At The Petersen Automotive Museum

the Petersen Automobile Museum– founded by the same guy who brought you MotorTrend and HOT ROD in the late 1940s, home to some of the rarest and most exotic cars in the world. For a budding car club like the guys on Kevin Hart’s Muscle Car Team, the Petersen is a perfect place to expose yourself to almost any style of car customization imaginable.

The Plastic Cup Boyz don’t just want inspiration on how to build their cars, they also want to see how a real car club works, so Kevin calls his friend and famous artist, mister cartoon, a legend of the Los Angeles auto scene. Discovering the incredible paint jobs and hydraulic suspension setups on the rides of Cartoon’s and other members of the Pegasus and Professionals Car Clubs opened up a whole new world of possibilities, especially for Will “Spank” Horton.

Spank has a hard time figuring out exactly how he wants to build his 1969 Chevrolet Chevelle SS396. There are a myriad of difficult choices to face in a rare car like Spank’s. First of all, this is a genuine SS396 matching the numbers and it comes dressed in this gorgeous green (and original) metallic paint. “I’m always trying to decide. I love green, but sometimes I think of an envelope color to change it and I can take it off whenever I want,” Spank told us.

Then there’s the horsepower and some reliability issues with the big block 396. “The reason I want to swap out the LS is because I hear the LS is more efficient on gas and more reliable on long runs, but it’s still in the air for both, ”Spank said. His SS396 Chevelle is in good hands in the Lucky Costa store, but some of the cosmetic upgrades Spank has requested will consume all of Plastic Cup Boyz’s $ 20,000 building budgets, and more. The Petersen Automotive Museum may have given Mr. Horton a little too much inspiration.

Founded in 1994 by Robert E. Petersen and his wife Margie, the Petersen Automotive Museum is home to more than 300 cars, motorcycles and trucks. The building, located in Los Angeles’ Miracle Mile neighborhood, takes up an entire block. Around 100 vehicles are on display in the 25 rotating and permanent exhibitions of the museum. Then there’s the Vault, where another 250 vehicles wait their turn to cycle through the main floors, which is also available for guided tours (we highly recommend taking one).

The Boyz plastic cup had a specific reason to visit the Petersen. Remember that whoever makes the best use of his $ 20,000 is appointed president of Kevin Hart’s Muscle Car Team, and the competition builds up! Currently on display at the museum is the world’s most famous lowrider, a 1963 Chevy Impala nicknamed “Gypsy Rose“, so named for being adorned with over 100 hand-painted roses. Don’t forget the tufted velvet interior and all the other intricate details and stripes in the paint job, which lasted for two years. A painting entirely handmade work like Gypsy Rose’s definitely exceeds the $ 20,000 construction budget, but the trip opened up the floodgates for customization possibilities for the guys over. Kevin Hart’s Muscle Car Team.

Harry Ratchford and John Clausell both have cars that are, for the most part, completed. Lucky has already taken care of “Quarter Water”, Harry’s 1970 Chevelle. John’s 1968 Camaro SS427 gets a Magnuson supercharger and bigger brakes, then he’s done. But none of the Plastic Cup Boyz ever said the $ 20,000 should go in one car, so Kevin Hart might not be the only crew member with more than one car – soon.

Even the only Muscle Carless Plastic Cup Boyz member Joey Wells is considering taking another car to accompany his 1956 Oval Window Beetle. But this time VW enthusiast J’Dub is considering American iron. “I’m looking to get a 1968 Cutlass. Watching guys with their muscle cars made me a little envious, so I’m considering buying a muscle car. Also, one of my favorite aunts and uncles bought a brand new 1968 cutlass and never got rid of it. She kept this car in perfect condition. Never missed an oil change. Imagine that. Never miss an oil change over 30 years. I think it’s amazing. I don’t remember closing the garage door when I come home. So I pay homage to Aunt ‘Doe Doe’ and Uncle William with the ’68 Cutlass, “says Joey.

While half the crew enjoy the automobile glory at the Petersen, the other half of the Plastic Cup Boyz reunite with a few like-minded friends: Mister Cartoon from Pegasus Car Club and Eddie “Tweet” Edwards from Professionals Car Club , two of the best lowrider clubs in Los Angeles and their crews for a cruise.

Mister Cartoon is not only a famous member of the lowrider club, he is a world famous muralist and tattoo artist. All of his cars feature some sort of paint customization, from the subtle stripes on his ’62 Impala Wagon family truck, to the intricate four-year job done on “Penny Lane,” Cartoon’s 1959 Impala with a paint job inspired by a brand new penny.

Riding with Pegasus and the pros is the best way for guys to Kevin Hart’s Muscle Car Team to learn what it takes to run a successful auto club. Mister Cartoon thinks they have a perfect handle on the friendly joke part; they just need to write their statutes, set up the clubhouse, finish building their cars, create a logo, choose a leader … the Plastic Cup Boyz have a long way to go before they go. to be a full-fledged automobile club.