By SEMA Editors
 SEMA Chairman of the Board Wade Kawasaki announced a new initiative with the Petersen Automotive Museum for the preservation of the Petersen Publishing archives, which chronicle the history of American car culture from the late ’40s through the ’90s. |
SEMA Chairman of the Board Wade Kawasaki announced a new initiative with the Petersen Automotive Museum for the preservation of the Petersen Publishing archives, which chronicle the history of American car culture from the late ’40s through the ’90s. The announcement begins a multi-year project to digitize and metatag more than one million photo frames.
“SEMA, Petersen Publishing and the automotive aftermarket are inexorably linked with roots tracing back to the ’40s, and we are proud to support this important project that documents and preserves our heritage,” said SEMA Chairman Wade Kawasaki. “From the early days of land speed and drag racing to technical articles to coverage of the first SEMA Shows, it’s all there in these archives, and we are excited to work with the Petersen [Automotive Museum] to share this history with the public and our members.”
Late publishing magnate Robert E. Petersen founded Petersen Publishing in 1947, helped build one of the largest publishing empires in America, and was instrumental in founding the National Hot Rod Association (NHRA), SEMA and the Petersen Automotive Museum. The new archive will be housed in the Robert E. Petersen Research Library, thanks to a grant provided by the Petersen Family Trust.
The Petersen Publishing archives first made their way to the Petersen Museum thanks to The Enthusiast Network (TEN), the successor to Petersen Publishing and current owner of its marquee titles, including Hot Rod and Motor Trend. TEN CEO Scott Dickey worked with leadership teams from both SEMA and the Petersen Museum to ensure this program came to fruition.
“Thanks to SEMA, we will be able to preserve the past and document our history,” said Petersen Museum Executive Director Terry L. Karges.