METALLICA Frontman JAMES HETFIELD's 'Black Pearl' Car Wins 'Custom Of The Year' Award

April 2, 2014

METALLICA frontman James Hetfield's custom car, a scratch-built vehicle that originally began as a 1948 Jaguar, won Goodguys' 2014 Mother's Custom Of The Year award during the Goodguys 32nd annual All American Get-Together, which was held March 29-30 in Pleasanton, California.

According to a press release from Good-Guys.com, the car, dubbed "Black Pearl", is completely scratch-built. It's not any particular make or model. It's sculpted, handmade aluminum body is inspired by the tear drop contours and seamless body transitions of coach built European and American cars of the 1930s. It rests on a custom built chassis which utilizes the outer frame rails of a 1948 Jaguar.

Southern California's Marcel and Luc De Lay, two of the top coach builders in the world, handled the chores of forming, shaping and building the body. They're one of only a handful of metal shapers, capable of taking on the task of building a one-off custom car like the "Pearl".

Said Hetfield of the De Lays' prowess as metal sculptors: "As an artist myself, I see the passion, dedication and perfectionism it takes to be good at your craft. I am humbled by their gift of metal sculpting. The fact that they started with a 8×10 drawing and ended up with a complete car is a testament to the ability of the human mind and hands. It still blows people's minds when they ask what body we started with and we say 'steel sheets.'"

The Black Pearl was painted in a luscious deep PPG black by Darryl Hollenbeck of Vintage Color Studio offering a perfect contrast to the brushed brass trim. Inside the cabin is a stellar Ron Mangus interior. Wheelsmith Fabrications made the black wheels featuring matching brushed brass caps. Under the hood lies a 375-horsepower 302 cubic inch Ford V8 but this car isn’t about power — it's about style. It's also about expanding horizons and breaking new ground.

In addition to the Goodguys 2014 Mother’s Custom Of The Year, the Black Pearl won the Sam Barris award as well as the Custom d'Elegance at the Sacramento AutoRama.

Check out more photos of the Black Pearl at Good-Guys.com.

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