Saw the original Cushenbury cl***ic at a car show today in North Palm Beach, FL. Harold Murphy, the owner and talented customizer who ressurected it after it burned to a crisp in St. Petersburg, FL years ago, is wearing the cowboy hat. Had a For Sale sign on it. Car still looks awesome.
Cushenberry was the god of candy apple red! I love the wheel/tire combo. I have those wheels, hmmmmm.
In its original form the paint was a blend of candy red and gold. By the time I owned the car in the seventies it was a stock red metallic similar to this. Murphy really brought it back from the dead. I'll always have a soft spot for this one. Don't think I could afford it now.
Maybe, but red is the wrong color for the restoration if it was meant to duplicate the original. Cushenberry's original paint job was blended using shades of candy red, gold, bronze, and even some areas that were so dark as to appear black. He called it "shocked candy" red....red as the main color, but lighter golds and oranges and reds on the highlight areas, then the darker shades sprayed deep into the shadowed areas. You had to have seen it in person to appreciate how many different colors there were on it. The paint was only one of many details that made this a groundbreaking design for it's time.
This is the original. Photo by Andy Southard. If I had it back, this is how it would be painted. I also wouyld return the wheels to this configuration. Wish they would bring the tires back.
This is one that shook me to the core when it was first built and still one of my favorites. When it went up in smoke I almost had a corinary. Knowing that it has been resurected makes me really feel good inside. Frank
This car has smacked me right between the eyes for at least 40 years. One of the coolest customs ever. Can someone tell me the story of it getting burnt and rebuilt? I don't recall ever hearing about that. Everyone knows about the R&C Dream Truck crash and rebuild. This one draws a blank in my memory card........
Fully do***ented in an old Custom Rodder magazine and photos on Rikster's site. After I sold the car to John McNally, it was involved in a fire in his garage and the building collapsed on the car. Murphy bought the car from McNally and using a stock body, pieced it back together. What a job that must have been.
Don't think you can really call it a "restoration" Saw the car in Salina , exterior does look right , but I believe it now has a mustang 2 front end and a small block chevy.
There is also a clone that has always been out west. Last I heard was owned by a gentleman in Colorado, but that was 10 years ago. When I owned the car, it had a 289 Ford hypo with a 4 speed that was installed by Dearborn steel tubing for the Ford Motor Company.
Dammit....Where'd that winning Lottery ticket go??? Love that car! Since it's been said that it should be painted "as it was",who would be up to the task?
Wasn't there a book written on Murphy and The Striper that includes the El Matador restoration?? I'd like to find a copy if any one knows where to get one. Thanks.
<!-- / message --><!-- sig --> Since it's been said that it should be painted "as it was",who would be up to the task? __________________ Bingo.
I bought the book in Salina, THE STORY OF MURPHY AND THE STRIPER.Good book,112 pages long, The restoration story is 11 pages long. It was nice to here how Murphy aquired the car. No phone number, just an adress= 11411 S.E. Federal Highway #118 Hobe Sound Florida 33455
I can definitely appreciate its history, royal lineage, and craftsmanship....BUT, you have to admit it's rather well, um... ugly.
Always crazy about that car from the first time I saw it years ago. The "resto" has had some not so kool changes, such as the drop face stereo and the Lokar auto shift knob does nothing for it's interior.
Maybe,..... I have done a few candy cars. One or two came back for repairs from small accidents. I'll be damned if I could duplicate what I had done before exactly. Maybe I'm getting old. LOL. Lippy
I remember when they unveiled it after the restoration at the turkey run--had to be 87, 88, 89 ish. great car.
I saw it at Paso, I learned from some sharp eyes on the HAMB you can tell the clone from the original. The clone doesn't have the headrests. They both look fantastic.
Correct me if i'm wrong,but wasn't it in a scene in Rebel Without a Cause? The chicken run scene? I thought it was one of the cars that had it's lights on...
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