MEMBER PROFILE
Jesse Metcalfe is Authentic American Muscle
Two years ago actor Jesse Metcalfe attended a Mecum auction in Indianapolis, Indiana— his first classic car auction— and went, in his own words, buck wild. The result of that trip was displayed proudly in his driveway when we visited his West Hollywood home: a black 1966 Chevy Chevelle SS. 396 big block. Four on the floor.
The car is in pristine condition— Jesse can’t help polish it even as he shows us around— and he has made a few modifications: tuned the engine, removed a stock hood ornament, and added all-chrome rims and classic BF Goodrich tires. The Chevy is a monument to American carbuilding at its peak: it is objectively great looking from every angle, it is effortlessly cool, and, in 1966 or 2019, it easily stands out from the crowd.
Seeing Jesse behind the wheel quickly makes you realize how closely he embodies the attributes of the Chevelle. “The era that this car was popular,” he says, “I’ve always felt was the era I belong to.” He goes on, “It’s from a bygone time when things were simpler, and in a place like Los Angeles, where it can feel very pretentious, this car stands out as something different.”
Jesse says he’s been a Chevy guy since his stepfather introduced him to classic American muscle cars. When he first found success in Hollywood, he picked up a Silverado SS pickup. It had a ton of horsepower, and nobody else had one, he explains. “People knew it was my car around town.” A 1967 Camaro, gold on gold, would follow. “It was an unbelievable car. I never should have sold it.”
Prior to his life in Los Angeles, Jesse was an east coast guy, growing up in Connecticut and attending college at NYU. His father had a love of European exotics, and he recalls a string of “yuppy, new England cars” in his family. The only child, he was briefly gifted a 1987 BMW 325i— a standard, he points out— as his first car. But after three speeding tickets in three months, he was downgraded to his mom’s used Saab. “The BMW days were crazy,” Jesse recalls with a big smile, “I was putting the 325 sideways around corners. I thought I was Mario Andretti.”
These days, Jesse says he is more likely to be enjoying a mellow ride in the Chevelle, which used to be his daily driver. That title now bestows a silver 2005 Porsche 996 911 Turbo S he recently picked up on Bring a Trailer. “For some reason or another,” he says, “I got a steal on that car.”
The Chevy muscle, the Turbo S, even the Mercedes G63 he has been known to borrow from fiancé Cara Santana— we wondered aloud whether raw power was the common thread among Jesse’s collection. “I really just love driving,” he answered, “and I love anything with a motor.” Above all, he looks for an authentic driving experience in his collection. It’s really about feeling that edge,“ he added. “The experience for me is the escape.”
