Musician James Hetfield of Metallica (C) cuts the ribbon opening his custom automobile exhibit “Reclaimed Rust: The James Hetfeild Collection” at Petersen Automotive Museum on January 30, 2020 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Michael Tullberg/Getty Images)

Some people work their day jobs and come home and wind down by playing music, James Hetfield‘s day job is as one of the biggest rock and roll stars alive. So what does he do to wind down? What other passions does he pour his creative soul into?

Well according to the man himself, “I’m a dad and husband. I am a singer and guitar player for a band called Metallica  and I am obsessed with cars.”

When mega famous Metallica frontman isn’t writing licks, he’s riding in some of the most beautiful vintage cars you’ve ever seen. This is Hetfield’s other love.

“I’ve seen cars sitting in a field in Kansas and thinking, ‘They’re got a story to tell still. Let’s bring this thing back to life!’ Like a rebirth. I think every human in a way goes through a rebirth at some point. There are many ways of being reborn again and I think these cars deserve another chance,” said Hetfield in a sit-down interview with the Petersen Automotive Museum.

Youtube, Petersen Automotive Museum

Hetfield said that growing up in Southern California he was always enamored with going fast and also inspired by watching his dad tinker away the hours in the family garage, fixing up cars, boats, or whatever he could put his hands on.

“Things happened either in the music room or the garage, those were the two places that were exciting to me,” Hetfield recalls. “[My dad] was always in the garage tinkering around so there was always kind of a creative flow in that house that got me excited.”

After years of collecting and tinkering in his adult years the frontman actually donated his personal car collection to the Petersen Automotive Museum in 2019. Deemed “rolling sculptures” by the museum, Hetfield simply asserted that he wanted to inspire a younger generation to fall in love with cars the way he did.

“I got them sitting here in my garage in Northern California. I want more people to see them, simple as that,” Hetfield concluded.

The Petersen Automotive Museum according to their website is, “dedicated to the exploration and presentation of the automobile and its impact on American life and culture using Los Angeles as the prime example.”