Always loved the El Matador from the first time I saw it in the magazines as a kid and at the New York Rod & Custom Show at the old N.Y. Coliseum when it debuted. However the photos in the article show Bud "The Kat Anderson" from AMT Corporation the makers of 1/25th scale models we all built back then and NOT Bill Cushenbery.
Those pics of the burned version ^^^^^ are tough to look at. I think Bill Cushenbery really had an eye for design and in my view El Matador was his best effort. Not a bad line anywhere on that car, and as has been said many times it's very hard to improve on the styling of the '40 Ford coupe. I seem to remember that someone in Arizona built a clone of El Matador quite a few years ago, and that Bill Cushenbery was still around then to lend advice and info? Was the original lost at that time or what was the story? Anyone know details? @Moriarity ? Internet search didn't reveal a whole lot. Cool story though.
I never understood the AMT connection to the car, maybe it was decided that the molds would be too complex given the fenders/running board detail.
https://kustomrama.com/wiki/Bill_Cushenbery's_El_Matador https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/El_Matador_(custom_car) https://www.gregwapling.com/hotrod/show-cars/el-matador.htm https://customrodder.forumactif.org/t1388-1940-ford-custom-el-matador-bill-cushenbery of course here https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/harold-murphys-el-matador-story-pt-1.621845/
I believe the internet search being referred to is on the matador clone that was built in the 80's in Arizona. I remember the clone and have seen it several times. It was a real good copy but the rumor was that it was built on of all things an Isuzu pickup chassis? I remember seeing the clone at a Mn state fairgrounds car show in the late 80's with a for sale sign on it and priced at 8500 bucks....
here is a link to a thread from 2004, the pics in the first post are of the clone. you will notice that it has Ferrari decals on the front fenders instead of the Crest that was on the real car https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/pics-for-cushenberry-matador-fans-not-amc.18696/
One of my personal most influential customs in history. My list; 1) Norm Grabowski’s “Kookie Car”, 2) Barris Hirohita Mercury, 3) Darryl Starbird Predicta, 4) Cushenberry El Matador, and IMHO, the perfect custom, 5) Barris Ala Kart.
Clone was built by Terry Jones. Globe, AZ. Went to his place several times while he was building the clone. If I remember correctly he started with a car that was wrecked on one side.
The car that got me hooked on Kustoms. The first one I ever saw. Sometime in the early 80s, I borrowed a book from our gradeschool library, about AMT, and Bud the kat. It had pictures of El Matador (oddly one was green, not red) and a thunderbird convertable. I was hooked. It's been a downward spiral ever since.
Moriarity's reply to you is correct, I was mainly looking for info on the "clone" car but might have been a little more clear about that in my post. All good, thanks for the resources. Good reading. Yes, the search was for info on the clone. So I guess my memory was somewhat OK then... Interesting tidbit on the chassis. I guess car builders will sometimes use what they have... like maybe a spare Jowett Jupiter chassis, f'r'instance... And man, 8500 bucks for that clone? Even back in the 1980s that seems cheap for the work that undoubtedly went into it. Be interesting to know where it is now.
The Jalopy Journal
