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ARTICLE. From the Winter 2024 Half Moon Bay History Association’s “Coastside Chronicles” written by Ellen Chiri. Donate or volunteer!
In the 1950s a group of young Half Moon Bay auto enthusiasts started the Coast Riders car club. The social and service club shared the creed of many car clubs of the day—“Never pass a motorist in distress!” Club members carried courtesy cards, which they signed and gave to each motorist they helped.
Coast Riders proudly wore red embroidered jackets and sported club plaques in their cars’ rear windows. In the 1960s they and other Bay Area car clubs gathered at the Half Moon Bay dragstrip at the airport to talk about cars—and to race.
Several club members worked at Cunha Brothers gas station, which Arnold and Harold Cunha built following World War II. The station was at the corner of Kelly Avenue and Main Street, in the center of Half Moon Bay. With Cunha’s grocery store across the street, the intersection became known as Cunha Corner.
In those days, gas stations were full-service—a smiling attendant pumped the gas, washed the windows, and checked the oil. You could even call Cunha Brothers from home and have your car picked up, filled with gas, washed, and returned by an attendant. Many of those attendants were Coast Riders club members. According to the figures on the pump in this mid-1950s photo, the last car serviced paid $2.00 for eight gallons of gas—$.025 per gallon.
The Bank of America (now City Hall) was across the street from the gas station, but for many boys the Cunha brothers were the bank. They loaned money for gas, auto repairs, and cash advances, assigning each boy a number and recording each transaction. When payments were due, one of the brothers asked, “isn’t it time to polish the mahogany?” It was time to slide some cash across the desk.
Besides helping fellow motorists in distress and working at the gas station, the Coast Riders sponsored social events. Saturday night dances were popular, with $1.00 admission, music by the fabulous Dots and other bands, and door prizes.
At this dance the first prize, an automatic electric skillet, might have been a disappointment if the winner
was a Coast Rider. He might have preferred 5th prize—five quarts of oil from Bob’s Shell Service Station.
The gas station closed in 2008 and was demolished, leaving a hole in the center of town. For many years the site stood empty, surrounded by a blank white wall. In 2022 a group of locals decided to enliven the wall. They created a temporary display of photos showing the Coast Riders and the Cunha Brothers gas station, giving locals and visitors a peek into the past. The creators of that wall display contributed the photographs and information for this article, and we thank them!
More on Coastside History on Coastside Buzz
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