So today, my daughter and I went to this little car show at the Atascadero lake park. This is one of those shows that you go to without any expectations of seeing any one stand-out car. Your usual mix of muscle cars and 55-57 Chevys. A nice Saturday morning walk though. As we were getting ready to leave, we caught a glimpse of a radical kustom 40 Ford tucked away beside the hot dog vender's. This is not the kind of car that one would expect to see in Atascadero. The car turned out to be The Matador II. After a little look through, I asked around and found the owners wife, she knew a little bit about the car, but not much. I guess this car was built in the late 1970's, to the specs of the original car, with the help of Bill Cushenbery, who built the first car (that car burned in the 50's). The car went around the show circuit, was covered in some magazines and put away. Five years ago, a family from Atascadero bought it and that's how it made it's way to the Central Coast. The car is showing it's age a bit, the candy brandy wine lacquer is crazed, but what a piece of kustom art. This area of California blows me away. With guys that worked for Watson & Barris living in Paso, to Valley Customs cars found in local backyards, to this crazy car in Atascadero. All when you least expect it. I guess this has been a retirement area for L.A. for many years though, and that how it comes to be. 
