El Matador

The El Matador was one of the very highest profile custom cars of the early Sixties. Representing an unbelievable amount of work executed to the highest standard, many elements of the car were excellent. For instance, the enlarged rear window treatments and the smoothed trunk, as well as the canted quad headlights, were really lovely. The french-curve running boards and the too-large scoops leading the rear fenders were out of place and too heavy. The car enjoyed a sterling show car career after which AMT bought the car and took it to Dearborn Steel and Tool to be fitted with a Ford small block engine and a four speed so that Budd "The Kat from AMT" Anderson could drive the car on promotional tours for the model kit company. Sometime after that, the car was sold and fell into relative obscurity. In the Eighties, the car appeared again, this time with a one-piece/tilt front end and was painted black. After that, it was parked in a Florida garage which burned down and collapsed on top of the car which lead to its abandonment in that humid climate and near destruction. As detailed in Custom Rodder magazine, Murphy and the Striper acquired the car and pieced it back together with donated panels while preserving the maximum amount of original custom sheet metal. Returned to its original splendor, it reigns again as a custom icon. Interestingly, the car was expertly cloned in the Eighties.  Here at the Custom Clinic, we're searching our archives for more information and photos, but please enjoy the photo we have and the extensive bibliography below.

A scale model of the El Matador is underway presently. Please visit here for more details about El Matador at the International Model Car Builders' Museum:

Bibliography

Here are the references we at the Custom Clinic have found to this great car. If you know of other references, please let us know by sending an e-mail to the Custom Clinic.

Hot Rod	June	1961	pgs. 66-67
Car Craft	July	1961	pgs. 28-29
Custom Craft	September	1961	pgs.14-15
Rod & Custom	November	1961	p.16-18
Car Craft	February	1962	p. 25
Customs Illustrated	May	1962	pgs. 6-10
Customs Illustrated	March	1963	pg. 16
Speed Mechanics	August	1963	p. 19
Popular Hot Rodding	November	1963	p. 39 (color?)
Custom Car Yearbook	No. 1	1964	p. 222
Custom Rodder	Summer	1993	pgs. 32-35
Custom Rodder	Fall	1993	pgs. 30-33
Custom Cars of the Fifties (book)		1993	p. 115 (primer)
Custom Cars of the Fifties (book)		1993	p. 116-117
Custom Rodder	January	1994	pgs. 30-34
Custom Rodder	March	1994	pgs. 40-41
Custom Rodder	July	1994	pgs. 28-31
Classic & Custom	August	1996	cover, 39, 40-41
Rod & Custom	December	1998	pgs. 84-85