you'll need a time machine back to July 63 though..... Just looking thru HR for old Rocket motor articles and had to scan it into my pics. I suppose Larivee had it.
Look at the ad closely.There was a '52 Harley for $185.00 and a '57 Belair for $1500.00.....made Cushenberry's car look pretty spendy.ALway neat to look at those ads.Then call your old man and ask him why the hell he didn't stock up!
Some people don't like that car....I think it's pretty cool. I saw it once at the Turkey Rod run back in the early 90's. I didn't know what it was until my dad started telling me the history of the car. He was in Cali during the build and saw it in progress a couple times....always been one of his favorites.
Yea, Might as well have said "$5000 or trade for new Coupe DeVille." That would be an even trade then. That was as much or more than an average guy was making a year back then.
I thought it saw cool when I first saw it in 1963, Dad took me to New York City to see it and other top cars of the day. I was 12 and had been collecting paper for two years, still have all the old magazines.
what mgazine is that ad in? I have one with an ad for it too. It's always crazy to see something well known in one of those for sale ads. I have a 58 motor trend (I think) with a for sale ad for a tucker in it, no price, just a best offer...
One of my all time favorite cars. When it was built I couldn't stop looking at the pictures in the magazines. Back then It was hard for me to imagine having the talent to build something like that. Frank
Approximately 9 years after that ad, I owned the car. This picture is 1972 in Florida. In 1963 this was the absolute top of the showcar circuit and in my opinion the top custom ever built. Total break away styling that was unbelievable at the time. I lived a dream with that car.
Wow, you owned that? Very cool, cool pic too, if you got anymore unpublished photos, we'd all love to see it. And if you read the '57 Chevy ad, it's a wanted ad, and says "up to $1500 if absolutely perfect" I dare anyone to place that ad today.
Absolutely one of my all time favorites.....the rebuild of the car by Murphy and The Striper was in Custom Rodder......Unbelievable that they actually finished it. It was in a garage that caught fire, then the building fell on it and it sat in the salty Florida air for a LONG time.....but they brought it back to life.
HEY - my cousin and I owned one of those Wren scooters... haahaa! What fun we had in the 2 months it took to tear it up!
I love those old ads.....they make me think about all the cool stuff that is "cheap" now that I will look back in 20 years and ask myself why I didnt buy it all up.....still trying to figure out which is which.
I have many old pictures, but there are stored away at the moment. As you can tell from this post, there are those that don't care for the car, but that in no way diminishes my love of the car and anyone who has studied the career of Bill Cushenbury has to respect the talent and imagination of the cars that he build. I would love to correspond with anyone who was involved during the construction of the El Matador or was involved in any way with the history of the car. At the time of the ad, the car was owned by Bob Larivee of Promotions, Inc. It was bought later from Carl Casper and came to Florida and that is where I bought it in 1972 or thereabouts. My hat is off to Harold Murphy for saving this historical vehicle from the jaws of death.
there was quite afew famous customs and hotrods put up for sale in 4 sale ads in the magazines, it would be cool to collect them all and print on an poster and put on the wall to dream away with i just love the prices they had, eventhough by inflation today compare to then it might be so nice but heck 5000 dollars for a car like that today mmmm
haha for those who actually like the car; i rode in the car about 2 years ago,Harold is a good friend..i got a 50 Ford started for him and he asked how much(it was just a bad coil wire)jokingly i said "a ride in El Matador will suffice" he said ok.. i was just blown away!! here i was in a car with that much history. i love cars and this one is just a cool ass car.if you are a real car guy you can understand the feeling on seeing threw the ugliness(to some)of any car and feel how the person who built must have felt at the time. the long hours,the wife yelling and screaming,the niegh sayers giving there 2 cents..but in the end to produce a historic car from your own vision and sweat and time is truly what we all want to acheive.. Just my 2 cents...
No, it was owned by John McNally a friend of mine and we had swapped ownership of the car several times over the years. He had actually restored the car and then the garage burned destroying the car and everything else the he had collected over the years. We recently lost John to cancer and kidney disease and I knew him for over forty years. He was a great craftsman, metal man, and pinstriper and he will be missed. He was a fighter over the last few years and would require dialysis several times a week and would still show up at Tackley's body shop in Florida and work on stuff.
I will never forget the first time I drove the car after I owned it. It literally was filled with good ghosts of times gone by. This was driven by Bill Cushenbury, the builder, Bob Larivee, Head of Promotions Inc, now the isca, Carl Casper, shpw promoter, Bud the Kat Anderson, Amt model company was an owner, Detroit metal shaping, who put the Ford engine in it for Ford Motor Company who toured the car under the Ford Cavalcade of Customs. and several other owners who really loved the car. I remember the car parked in my factory and I just kept walking around it and thinking "I actually own the El Matador". These are great memories for me. I saw Bob Larivee at the last Autorama and he sure wishes that he had it back, too.
ANYBODY who thinks this car is not a legend is missing the boat- it was and is a great custome a trendsetter for all time! One would just have to read and see the pictures of its condition when "Murphy and the Striper"- resurected it after the BURNING..... It was very badly warped all over ,and was then let set out in the rainy Florida weather and humidty untill it was so badly rusted out,that the metal was pinholed and thin in many- many places....TRULY AMAZING -[the results] of their re build!!!!!! I couldn't hardly believe it!!
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