James Hetfield’s ‘Reclaimed Rust’: 5 Things We Learned

By David Ciminelli - February 3, 2020

Master of Customs: James Hetfield shows off his collection of classics in L.A. and shares stories that prove when it comes to cars, he’s one of us. Richer and more talented, of course, but one of us.

We learned quite a few fascinating things at the opening night of the Petersen Automotive Museum’s Reclaimed Rust exhibit, a rockin’ new showcase featuring 10 custom cars from James Hetfield‘s personal collection. The Jan. 30 opening in Los Angeles sold out quickly and included an appearance by the Metallica frontman and longtime auto enthusiast, who shared personal stories about all things metal — the kind that rocks, and the kind that rolls.

The focus of the conversation with the museum’s Executive Director, Terry Karges, was Hetfield’s collection of customs, of course. But the compelling conversation also addressed the wild ride of Hetfield’s music career, from humble beginnings in Downey, California, where he first discovered car culture, to the sold-out world tours whose success allow him to amass the spectacular collection of vehicles that are on display at the Petersen’s Bruce Meyer Gallery through October. Reclaimed Rust: The James Hetfield Collection also features guitars, photos and memorabilia from the rock superstar.

Hetfield and Karges’ conversation took place on a small stage set up in the Petersen’s auditorium, where a few hundred attendees gathered for the once-in-a-lifetime experience for rock fans and gearheads alike. The hour-long chat elicited quite a few cheers from the crowd as Hetfield shared personal car stories and backstage sagas. Here are five of the coolest things we learned at the opening night of the Petersen Automotive Museum’s Reclaimed Rust.

**1. Fans Are Getting a New Tour — and a New Book!**

Sure, we already know that Metallica will be rocking some famous speedways this spring and headlining two nights of Sacramento’s famous Aftershock festival in the fall. And although it’s not yet confirmed, next year we will likely see a full-on world tour from the metal giants, too. As we learned at the Petersen opening, 2021 will also kick-off another rockin’ tour: Reclaimed Rust.

“When we close the exhibit after a year, we’re going to put it on tour to art museums all over the country so that people all over America can enjoy the collection,” Karges announced on opening night. “And then hopefully it will go on over to Europe.”

Plus, the unique customs of Reclaimed Rust will also be featured in a hardcover coffee table book titled Reclaimed Rust: The Four Wheeled Creations of James Hetfield, due out in May.

“It’s this collection,” said Hetfield. “They were spectacularly shot by Scott Williamson. He is an amazing artist. There was no post production. This was all, ‘Hey, if the car doesn’t look good in my lens, then it’s not ready yet’ and then take two weeks to shoot one car.”

2. Inspiration Starts at Home…in the Garage

The 56-year-old auto enthusiast took some time out of working on Metallica’s new album to spend nearly an hour entertaining the crowd with heartfelt, relatable stories. Many of them revolved around Hetfield’s initial discovery of cars and music, and how he realized that his fascination with both ran far deeper than that of most of his peers, even those in his own family.

“The garage was just a fun place to explore,” he said of his home life while chatting about his formative years in Downey, where he grew up alongside two stepbrothers, Chris and David, and sister, Deanna. “The garage was a part of the house that the rest of the family didn’t know much about. Just me and my dad. He’d be in there tinkering with something, no matter what it was… he wanted to learn about stuff, what it is to be a man, what it is to learn these things. And the only way he knew was to do it himself. Try it himself. And experience it himself.

‘At one point I had close to 40 project cars. …but you’re never gonna do them in a lifetime. I thought, let’s thin ‘em out and do one really good one.’

“He didn’t have a lot of mentors,” continued Hetfield. “So, he was in there tying his own flies for fly fishing…and working on cars… so, a lot of the things he was in there doing just trying to discover what it was to be a man. It was a man cave, I guess. This was way, way before YouTube, where now you can go on and do all kinds of stuff. He was doing it hands on and to experience it for himself. And he failed over and over again until he got it right.”

3. Some Rides are Just Too Good to Give Up

Hatfield’s 10-car collection on display at the Peterson is pretty stellar. Each and every one of the customs is unique in its own way, expertly maintaining a uniform elegance and badass vibe while at the same time exuding a unique individual style, whether it’s the decidedly extra-sparkly roof of the sleek and sinister-looking 1963 Lincoln Continental that he respectfully dubbed “The Dead Kennedy,” or the silver sheen of the “Aquarius,” a 1934 Packard that is so badass that it is displayed on a giant rotating disc to ensure no one misses a single inch of this gorgeous machine. However, no matter how spectacular these 10 rare rides are, there is one that stood out even among this crowd of killer customs.

As he revealed during the Petersen interview, Hetfield’s car collection, which he spent 14 years acquiring, actually includes 11 cars. However, one was just too special to part with, according to the musician.

“I got a ’52 Olds — ‘The Grinch’ — that I just love. I’ve been drivin’ it ever since it was built. It’s a custom that I couldn’t let you guys have ’cause I still drive it a lot,” he told Karges with a laugh.

Even narrowing down his custom car collection was a feat when you consider what the Metallica frontman started with.

“At one point I had close to 40 cars,” he revealed. “And they were all projects to me. It was a lot like a certain TV show where it was like, wait a minute, you have all these project cars, but you’re never gonna do them in a lifetime. I thought, let’s thin ‘em out and do one really good one.

“There were a few that did not get made,” he added. “I think we hit a lot of the really important cars throughout the hot rod world: the ’32, the Skylark, and there was a couple cars that weren’t even invented that we came up with: The “Aquarius” and the “ Black Pearl,” which are hand-built from scratch from a drawing. There’s a drawing and they built a car from it – it just blew my mind. You just start bending some rod, and then there’s a shape, then all of a sudden there’s a few more pieces to it and then there’s a tire and then there’s a cage, and then they’re stretching skin over it…

4. Good Taste in Cars is Acquired and Never Wavers

Hetfield apparently gets a lot of use out of the 1952 Oldsmobile that he spoke so fondly of. But as for his daily drivers, he mentions that he has two dailys. Interestingly, he mentioned one in a whisper (“It’s a Tesla.”), and the other he proclaimed a bit more vigorously: “And a Raptor.”

“I live in Colorado now, and it’s not the best weather for hot rods,” he added.

Then again, whether piloting a show car or a daily driver, the longtime gearhead is no stranger to acquiring enviable rides. In fact, during his chat with Karges, Hetfield mentioned that he got his license learning to drive in a killer cruiser.

“It was a ’67 Barracuda Fastback that I borrowed from my brother,” he said. “It didn’t suck – it was pretty cool. Three on the tree.

“I crashed it within the first couple of weeks,” Hetfield recalled with a laugh. “Sorry, Chris!”

5. Stepping Outside Your Comfort Zone Sometimes Nets the Best Results

Metallica was famously influenced by dark, edgy pioneering heavy metal legends like British behemoths Iron Maiden, Saxon, and Diamond Head. And when it came to Hetfield’s personal automotive influences, his inspiration derived from equally edgy artists, from the auto enthusiast group the Beatniks of Koolsville. But these guys had a decidedly more sophisticated delivery of the goods, namely custom classic cars where smooth lines, sleek designs and crisp, vibrant colors tend to steal the spotlight.

“The Beatniks a bunch of artists that didn’t really seem to fit in in the world, and they sort of formed their own car club; a lot of tattoo artists, a lot of very artistic people that didn’t seem to fit into the regular mold in life, and I was looking for a family, and that was my family for a while,” said Hetfield about the group that inspired him to attempt his first build.

“After joining the Beatniks, I got a hold of a ’53 Buick Special convertible and I turned that into a sled by myself,” he recalled. “And then I had a friend fix it and make it straight, and drive, and all that fun stuff,” he added with a chuckle. “But I was super-into like daring to fail, like my dad did. Like, I never welded before, and I was gonna learn how to do it. And it’s just so fun to go in there and just explore and try stuff, and I was fortunate enough to be able to afford some of these toys and the tools.”