In the world of automotive design, few shapes have disrupted and defied convention quite like the wedge has. Angular, low-slung, and futuristic, wedge cars didn’t just challenge tradition, but they pretty much rewrote the rulebook. Now, a new exhibition at the Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles will put those bold machines back in the spotlight.
Opening August 2, The Wedge Revolution: Cars on the Cutting Edge will explore the emergence, evolution, and impact of wedge-shaped automotive design from the 1960s through the 1980s. Located in the museum’s Design Gallery, the exhibit is co-curated by Tesla Chief Design Officer Franz von Holzhausen, who is a noted wedge design aficionado himself.
Throughout the 1950s and early ’60s, cars flaunted chrome, fins, and curvaceous forms rooted in postwar optimism. But as the space age dawned, designers soon began to experiment with sharper silhouettes and the exhibition highlights that transformative era when automotive styling shifted from swoopy curves and chrome to clean lines, flat surfaces, and geometric forms. The exhibit will feature a diverse mix of both concept models and production cars, including early icons like the 1966 Cannara I, the first known wedge-shaped car, designed and built by Ray Cannara. It predates better-known icons like the 1968 Alfa Romeo Carabo and Bizzarrini Manta.
Also on display: the 1970 Lancia Stratos HF Zero, the 1974 Lamborghini Countach LP400 “Periscopio,” which redefined the supercar archetype, the mid-engine 1976 Chevrolet Aerovette, an experimental Corvette from GM’s design labs, and the 1979 Aston Martin Bulldog, a one-off V8-powered wedge aimed at hitting 200 mph. Modern references like the Tesla Cybertruck and the 2016 Lo-Res Car will show how wedge DNA still pulses through cutting-edge design in modern-day car design.
Crucially, this exhibit will also highlight the critical role that Italian coachbuilders have played in shaping the wedge era. Studios like Bertone, Pininfarina, Italdesign, and Ghia turned radical sketches into rolling statements, collaborating with several automakers in the Italian motor valley. Marcello Gandini’s work, in particular at Bertone, including the Stratos Zero and Countach, defined the genre. Sergio Coggiola, William Towns, and Jerry Palmer also feature prominently for their bold, geometry-led visions.
Earlier this month, we reported on The Last Wedge: the one-off Bertone Nuccio, created for the brand’s centennial anniversary. With Petersen’s exhibit opening at the same moment, it brings the wedge story full circle, a modern-day salute to a genre that once looked ahead to the future and, in many ways, it still does.
Whether you’re a design enthusiast or a fan of supercars and exotic cars, understanding the wedge era is essential, as it was a foundation that shaped everything that followed. The visual language of today’s hypercars can be traced directly to the angular experiments of the 1960s through the ’80s, conceived by visionaries who believed that design could challenge physics, aesthetics, and even logic. The Wedge Revolution runs through September 2026, and if you’re in the LA area, this is an exhibit you don’t want to miss.
Source: Petersen Automotive Museum