The Felonious Bill Cushenbery
On Monday, I ran a feature about a mysterious “bright red” 1940 Ford that outran cops and caused chaos all over San Mateo County back in 1961. Since then, I’ve been neck-deep in old newspapers, chasing leads, trying to figure out if that wild machine ever got caught—if the hammer of justice ever came down. Spoiler: I hit a dead end. No closure, no dramatic showdown.
But something else grabbed my attention. Just a couple of months after the felonious Ford vanished from the headlines, the San Mateo Custom, Rod, and Sports Car Show rolled into town. And guess who walked away with the grand prize that weekend? None other than Bill Cushenbery and his BRIGHT RED 1940 Ford custom, aptly named “El Matador.” Coincidence? Hell, if you knew Bill back in ’61, you’d bet your last dollar the odds of that criminally driven Ford being his were slim to none. Slimmer now, for sure. But damn if it isn’t a dream worth chasing, right?
And let’s be honest—if nothing else, it’s a perfect excuse to throw up some shots of Bill’s *El Matador* today. Feast your eyes.