Jaguars,
Ferraris, Mercedes, oh my! Until now, no one has ever mistaken the
galleries of the Museum of Fine Arts for the Bayside Expo
Center, host to Boston’s annual World of Wheels auto show. But with
the debut of Speed, Style and Beauty: Cars from the Ralph Lauren
Collection, these local venues finally have something in common.
You could say, however, that the cars at the MFA’s blockbuster
exhibit are a step up from your typical car-show candidates—they’re
16 vintage European sports cars and touring vehicles owned by the
famed fashion designer. Included are such breathtaking beauties as
the rare 1938 Bugatti Type 57SC Atlantic Coupe (pictured below)—one
of only two of which still exist—and the striking 1930 Mercedes-Benz
“Count Trossi” SSK (pictured on the cover), which Mr. Polo himself
has likened to the Batmobile. Other highlights include the tank-like
1929 Blower Bentley, famed as the car driven by James Bond in Ian
Fleming’s early 007 novels; the flashy 1958 Ferrari 250 Testa Rossa
(pictured above) featured in the museum’s West Wing lobby; the
iconic 1955 Mercedes-Benz 300SL Gullwing Coupe; the 1955 Porsche 550
Spyder (infamous for being the model James Dean was driving when he
had his fatal accident); and the 1996 McLaren F1, the fastest
production car ever built. Wall text and labels reveal the histories
of the automakers and craftsmen who built each one. But are these
wondrous machines art? The museum thinks so, equating the lines of
these sleek vehicles to “the works of brilliant
sculptors.”
Despite the naysayers, there have been several precedents for
automobile art shows, not the least of which was the Museum of
Modern Art’s groundbreaking 8 Automobiles exhibit, which dates all
the way back to 1951. And the popularity of the nearly sold-out
Hoods Up Evenings on the last Thursday of every month—when
gearheads and art lovers alike can glimpse the engines that drive
these fantastic rides—certainly indicates, art or not, the MFA’s
latest exhibit has locals abuzz.
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