A glimpse into tuner culture: Fast and Furious exhibit at the Petersen

The Dodge Charger and Toyota Supra from The Fast and the Furious are among the cars in a new exhibit at the Petersen Museum in Los Angeles. Credit: Ollie Millington/Getty Images

The Fast and Furious franchise has come a long way in the quarter-century since the first film’s release. Originally an undercover cop story, the franchise has morphed into… something else entirely. It’s now a bombastic expression of automotive culture combined with some kind of caper, maybe to save the world. Just don’t think too deeply about the plot.

Along the way, the film’s cars have become nearly as famous as the human stars. If you’re a fan, you probably can’t have Vin Diesel or Michelle Rodriguez come hang out with you in your garage, but you can drive a Charger or Eclipse—or even a Jetta that looks like it escaped from ...