Old School Customs
If you like the old school rides including Rat Rods you aren’t alone. However, if you weren’t there when these cars were cutting edge and not “Old School” this is your chance! There is a book you need to purchase; Old School Customs by Alan Mayes and published by MotorBooks. The book retails for $35 but you should be able to beat that price at any of the usual places online.
El Matador
One of my favorite customs from back in the day was the Kopper Kart! It has an important place in this book. Although the original was destroyed a beautiful and authentic clone has been produced. Equally exciting was finding numerous photos of the El Matador by Bill Cushenbery.
Kopper Kart
Believe it or not many of these cars were drivers! They were built in small garages by the owners who had little money at the time. They were artists just getting started. Some only had one car, the one they built so it got driven and shown! Take that all you trailer queens. In fact, when I was a young boy traveling through Illinois and Indiana with my parents on the way home to Iowa after visiting my sister in Ohio I actually spotted the Kopper Kart parked in a driveway along the highway (no interstate yet). I yelled at my Dad and he turned around so I could get some photos. It was a BIG car day for a little boy.
El Matador Interior
