From Baja to Pikes Peak: The Petersen Museum’s “Legends of the Dirt” Brings Together The Greatest Off-Road Racers

Off-road racing has always been a proving ground for innovation, endurance, and outright bravery—and nowhere is that legacy more vividly captured than inside the Petersen Automotive Museum’s newest exhibit, “Legends of the Dirt.” Now open in the Nearburg Gallery and presented in partnership with OPTIMA Batteries powered by Clarios, the exhibit dives deep into the machines, technology, and personalities that shaped some of the most demanding motorsports on earth. From the brutal landscapes of the SCORE Baja 1000 to the unforgiving rock gardens of King of the Hammers, and from the icy stages of the World Rally Championship to the thin air atop Pikes Peak, these purpose-built vehicles embody the evolution of speed and survival off the pavement.

Visitors will find an all-star roster of legendary machines—each a benchmark of engineering in its era. Among them is Big Oly, the Parnelli Jones–driven Bronco that dominated Baja in the early ’70s and helped set the template for modern trophy trucks. Rally fans will gravitate to the 1983 Lancia Rally 037, the last rear-wheel-drive car ever to win a WRC title, while hillclimb devotees will recognize Nobuhiro “Monster” Tajima’s wild twin-engined Suzuki Cultus, purpose-built to conquer Colorado’s 14,115-foot ascent. Ultra4 and desert racing disciplines are represented as well, including the first Bronco-based Ultra4 racer to win King of the Hammers and the Herbst family’s iconic 1995 “LandShark,” a genre-blending Truggy that rewrote Class 1 competition. Rounding out the lineup are standout modern legends such as Tanner Foust’s race-winning Volkswagen Beetle GRC and the late Rick Huseman’s fearsome Toyota-powered Pro 4, still revered as one of the winningest machines in short-course history.

“The innovative designs and engineering found in off-road motorsports have helped push automotive technology forward for decades,” said Terry L. Karges, executive director of the Petersen Automotive Museum. “Through our partnership with OPTIMA Batteries and Clarios, we look forward to sharing with our guests deep insight into an exciting form of motorsports that continues to make important contributions to automotive culture.”

“Legends of the Dirt” is open now through January 2027. For tickets and additional exhibit details, visit Petersen.org/exhibits.

1983 Lancia Rally 037

The Lancia Rally 037 represents the peak of rear-wheel-drive engineering during the legendary and dangerous Group B era. Walter Röhrl won the 1983 Monte-Carlo Rally in this car, helping secure the final World Rally Championship title ever earned by a RWD vehicle.

2017 Volkswagen Beetle GRC

Volkswagen campaigned this aggressively styled Beetle in rallycross from 2014–2019, where Tanner Foust captured 16 wins and ultimately his fourth championship. By the time it retired, it had become the winningest car in American rallycross history.

1993 Suzuki Cultus Twin-Engine Pikes Peak Special

Built and driven by Nobuhiro “Monster” Tajima, this radical twin-engine Cultus set a new Pikes Peak time in 1993 with its extreme aero and 800 hp layout. Although a faster time came later the same day, the car helped launch Tajima’s future dominance of the mountain.

1995 Smithbuilt / Terrible Herbst Class 1 “LANDSHARK”

A boundary-pushing fusion of buggy chassis and Trophy Truck-style solid-axle design, the Landshark dominated Class 1 for nearly a decade with multiple championships. Its innovative “Truggy” architecture influenced desert racing vehicle design for years afterward.

1970 Ford Bronco “Big Oly”

Built for Parnelli Jones after a DNF in 1969, Big Oly disguised a lightweight tube-chassis race truck beneath Bronco-like bodywork. Its durability and speed allowed Jones to win the Mexican 1000 in both 1971 and 1972, helping establish the Trophy Truck formula.

2009 Kirby Designs 4454 Ultra 4

One of the earliest successful independent-front-suspension Ultra4 cars, “4454” blended desert-racing speed with rock-crawling agility. Driven by Dave Cole and others, it earned multiple Vegas to Reno class wins and helped shape the direction of modern Ultra4 engineering.

2019 JHF Gen. 1 Moon Buggy

Created and driven by rock-crawling champion Jesse Haines, this Moon Buggy showcases advanced portal-axle and four-wheel-steering technology. Haines used it to win his eighth national title in 2024, demonstrating the capability of purpose-built competition crawlers.

2010 Coleworx “Screamin’ Blue”

Bobby Tanner’s iconic Screamin’ Blue helped pioneer the sport of Rock Bouncing, which emphasizes speed up extreme obstacles rather than precision. Its YouTube-fueled popularity contributed to the formation of the National Rock Racing Association in 2012.

2006 Huseman-Built Toyota Tundra Pro 4

Designed and built by Rick and Danny Huseman, this Pro 4 truck carried Rick to 34 wins and two championships, including a record-setting 10-win season. Its performance and Huseman’s legacy led to the permanent retirement of his racing number, #36.

2004 Honda CRF450R (Ricky Carmichael)

Ricky Carmichael rode this bike to a perfect 24-moto sweep in the 2004 AMA Motocross season, earning his 12th title. The machine was central to cementing his reputation as “The GOAT” of motocross and supercross.

2024 Honda CRF450X

This bike carried SLR Honda to victory in the 2024 Baja 1000, finishing more than an hour ahead of the next motorcycle team. The win contributed to Honda’s record 34 Baja 1000 motorcycle wins and the CRF450X’s tally of 18 victories.

1982 Weslake Speedway

Ridden by Bruce Penhall, this brakeless 500cc Speedway bike represents the peak of his championship career. Penhall won the 1981 and 1982 World Championships—retiring immediately after securing his second title on home soil in Los Angeles.

1981 Yamaha YZ250

Kent and Scott Pfeiffer achieved major SCORE desert-racing success in 1981 with this YZ250, earning class wins at the Mexicali 250, Baja 500, and Baja 1000. Their consistent results secured the overall SCORE Motorcycle Championship that year and again in 1982.

2024 KTM 1190 Pro Hillclimb

Ridden by Jake Anstett to back-to-back AMA Hillclimb National Championships in 2024 and 2025, this purpose-built machine uses a nitromethane-injected engine, long swingarm, and studded tires to attack steep hills at maximum acceleration. Earlier, Bret Peterson rode it to his first Western Championship in 2012.