James Hetfield’s Coachbuilt Jaguar Joins Galpin Car Show, Oct. 7
Southern California auto showcase offers rare opportunity to see hand-built ‘Black Pearl’ Jaguar in person.
Metallica frontman James Hetfield isn’t just one of the most accomplished musicians of our time. He’s also a huge fan of high-end automobiles whose collection routinely racks up awards and magazine features. One of our favorites, of course, is this beautiful coachbuilt Jaguar known as “Black Pearl.” Built by the renowned Rick Dore on a 1948 Jaguar Mk 4 chassis, this slick ride won the Goodguys Custom of the Year award in 2014. And now, we’re getting another chance to see it in the flesh.
The killer custom built for Hetfield will be featured in the 7th Annual Galpin Car Show in North Hills, California, on October 7. The relatively young event has quickly grown into one of the largest in Southern California, to the point where 1,000 vehicles are expected to show up this year. And since Galpin invites all makes and models to participate, there’s sure to be something for every taste in attendance.
We sort of feel sorry for the other vehicles, however, because it’ll be difficult to come close to drawing the crowd that Black Pearl promises to attract. For a car designed using Art Deco era renderings, that’s understandable. Hetfield says they designed the Jaguar to encapsulate the very best of two different styles of the same era: European coachbuilding and American custom car design. And the results, needless to say, are rather stunning.
Talented craftsmen fashioned the voluptuous body from aluminum, a process that took six full months. But the rest is rather conventional by comparison. Black Pearl’s drivetrain consists of a Ford 302 V8 and C4 automatic transmission. A 9-inch rear end and Mustang II-style suspension round out the mechanicals.
Without a doubt, the impressive hand-formed Jaguar is worth the trip to Galpin Motors all by itself. You can find more information on this exciting event by heading over here.
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