Metallica And Car Culture Will Combine When James Hetfield’s Incredible Custom Cars Are Displayed At The Petersen

Metallica frontman James Hetfield’s custom cars are legendary, so it was quite a shock to hear that there were plans to sell them off. Good news though, because instead the ten-car collection has been donated to the Petersen Automotive Museum, where they’ll go on show from February 2020 in the Bruce Meyer Family Gallery, along with Metallica artifacts and memorabilia.

The ten cars include the 1948 Jaguar “Black Pearl” and the 1937 Lincoln Zephyr “Voodoo Priest”, both creations of Los Angeles custom car builder Rick Dore. They’ll be displayed in the Bruce Meyer Family Gallery along with Metallica artifacts and memorabilia, and Hetfield will become a Founding Member of the Petersen, as one of its top-level donors.

In June next year the current Hollywood Dream Machines exhibit in the Mullin Family Grand Salon, will be replaced by “Hypercars”, which will gather more than 30 modern hypercars together. The museum’s 2020 plans also include expanding its educational programming—which consists of K-12 field trips, free school admission and bus programs as well as on-site and outreach educational experiences—thanks to the support of Michael Armand Hammer and the Armand Hammer Foundation. It will also sponsor a car build for Drag Racing Against Gangs & Graffiti (DRAGG), an automotive afterschool program.

Images courtesy of Petersen Automotive Museum.