James Hetfield Classic Car Collection from Metallica’s Frontman

James Hetfield is the co-founder of the Metallica band. He performed a thousand concerts with Metallica band. People know him as a rock star. However, James Hetfield isn’t a simple frontman of Metallica. People do not know that he is a serious gearhead.

He started to collect classic cars 14 years ago. Since then, he has collected various classic cars. He donated several of his custom cars to the Petersen Automotive Museum. With this donation, he was named a “Founding Member.” He does not like just collecting classic cars. He likes to modify them. To do that, he is working with famous car designer Rick Dore. Together they rebuild various cars to add to James Hetfield’s collection.

James Hetfield’s Classic Car Collection

Black Pearl

Black Pearl is James Hetfield‘s favorite car in his collection. James Hetfield worked with the famous car designer Rick Dore. While they were making the car, they used the 1948 Jaguar body. After bodywork, James Hetfield founded an old Jaguar motor enough for this car. That’s why they replaced the original motor with the Ford V8.

Aquarius

James Hetfield refers to this car as “Aquarius.”  To make this car, he found inspiration from 1939 Delahate Type 165. The car has a rear fin and billowing fenders as Delehaye 165. He added side exhaust pipes and pointed window trim. Besides the bodywork, James Hetfield wanted to make Aquarius a beast. That’s why he installed 6.2 liters LS3 V8 under the car’s hood. He used this car on the stage while he was touring with Metallica.

Blackjack

This car has not a shiny bodywork like Black Pearl. However, this car is a beast. The car is more powerful than the other cars in the collection. He modified the cars only with the parts that used hot-rodding scenes at the time.

Skyscraper

Before the impressive bodywork, people called this car Purple Haze. This car represents full of odes to music. The accelerator’s kit is made from the bass drum drum pedal. The gauges mimic the Pearloid plastic of Fender guitar picks. Besides the impressive body kit, the car has the 350 Chev under the bonnet.

Slow Burn

If you watched the first Captain America movie, you might remember the Red Skull’s car similar to the Slow Burn. James Hetfield has known as a Captain America fan. When he watched Captain America’s movie, he wanted to make a car like the red skull’s car. To make it, they used 1936 Auburn 852 Boattail Speedster. The car is made from fiberglass hard material to manipulate.  However, they accomplish to modify it depending on James Hetfield‘s taste.

Voodoo Priest

To make this car, James Hatfield worked with Rick Dore Customs. They recreate the 1937 Lincoln Zephyr. James Hetfield bought this car from a soldier who served in Vietnam. The Voodoo Priest has a V-12 engine combined with three Stromberg 97 carburetors. With this engine, the Voodoo Priest produces 110 bhp is still functional even to this day.

Str8 Edge

James Hetfield could not find an everyday car in his collection. The story of the “Str8 edge” depends on this need. James bought a 1956 Ford Truck with a flatbed and an extended cab on the internet. However, the color was not fit his taste. That’s why James Hatfield changed the car’s body color to purple. The car has a 455ci Olds motor with a TH400 transmission as a backup under the hood.

Dead Kennedy

James Hetfield rebuilt this car in his garage. People wonder why James Hetfield used this weird nickname for his car. The weird nickname “Dead Kennedy” takes inspiration from the assassination of John F. Kennedy. John F. Kennedy was killed while he was using his 1963 Lincoln Continental. That’s why James Hetfield gave the nickname for his old Lincoln Continental Dead Kennedy. James Hetfield used the dark theme of the car. Continental has a killer 430 cubic inches V8 engine and wide custom grilles.

1987 Chevrolet Camaro

Without a doubt, this Chevy is James Hetfield‘s most popular car. He used this car on Metallica’s music video “I Disappear” on Youtube. The video was watched by 20 million people. The 1967 Camaro has a four-speed manual transmission, power steering, and power brakes under the hood. That’s why Camaro provides drivers with both comfort and power.

Crimson Ghost

To make this car, James Hetfield worked with Rick Dore. They changed every part of the 1937 Ford Coupe to create “Crimson Ghost.” While they were rebuilding the car, they added various features. They installed a bench-style seat, dashboard configuration, and the windshield that opens up were beyond their era.

You can find more information about the James Hetfield car collection below.