Watch Metallica’s James Hetfield hit the road in style in a selection of his classic cars

(Image credit: Petersen Automotive Museum/YouTube)

Last year, Metallica frontman James Hetfield teamed up with the Petersen Automotive Museum for his Reclaimed Rust exhibition.

Ten of his vehicles, including his 1948 Jaguar ‘Black Pearl’ and his 1937 Lincoln Zephyr ‘Voodoo Priest’ were displayed in the Bruce Meyer Family Gallery along with a selection of Metallica items and memorabilia.

And in a new video released by the museum, Hetfield can be seen talking about his cars, while he also takes some of them out for a spin.

Hetfield says: “Reclaimed Rust to me means that old guitar, sitting there with songs still in it, waiting for someone to pick it up and breathe life into it again – and I’ve done that with many of these cars.

“I’ve seen cars sitting in a field in Kansas and thinking, ‘They’ve got a story to tell – let’s bring this thing back to life.”

A statement from the Petersen Automotive Museum adds: “James has always been a car guy and shares his car journey to one of the coolest custom car collections around. 

"Hetfield, has described seeing cars in the same way he sees music – as forms of freedom and expression that convey the passions of their creator. 

“Best known as a co-founder, songwriter, singer, and guitarist for Metallica, James has also gained recognition in the automotive world for his unique collection of entirely bespoke vehicles. 

“While the vast majority of collectors acquire vehicles by purchasing pre-existing examples, Hetfield elected instead to build his from scratch, channeling creativity often reserved for his music into the production of rolling sculptures.”

Watch the video below.

Earlier this week, Hetfield and his Metallica bandmates officially launched their Month Of Giving charity drive in conjunction with their All Within My Hands Foundation.

The band are also selling a range of items on their online store which are marked with the tag ‘Month Of Giving’. Proceeds from sales of these items, which include t-shirts, caps, hoodies and more, will go to parter organisations throughout May.


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Scott Munro
Louder e-commerce editor

Scott has spent 35 years in newspapers, magazines and online as an editor, production editor, sub-editor, designer, writer and reviewer. Scott joined our news desk in the summer of 2014 before moving to the e-commerce team in 2020. Scott keeps Louder’s buyer’s guides up to date, writes about the best deals for music fans, keeps on top of the latest tech releases and reviews headphones, speakers, earplugs and more. Over the last 10 years, Scott has written more than 11,000 articles across Louder, Classic Rock, Metal Hammer and Prog. He's previously written for publications including IGN, the Sunday Mirror, Daily Record and The Herald newspapers, covering everything from daily news and weekly features, to tech reviews, video games, travel and whisky. Scott's favourite bands are Fields Of The Nephilim, The Cure, New Model Army, All About Eve, The Mission, Cocteau Twins, Drab Majesty, Marillion and Rush.