Meet the muscle machine...the 1969 Hurst/Olds. It's a limited production custom special from Oldsmobile and Hurst Performance Research.
Now some people insist that the H/O on the hood scoop stands for hairy Olds...but we prefer to think it represents a bit more.
Here is the ultimate expression of Oldsmobile engineered high performance hardware...put together in a bold new custom package from Hurst.
And a potent package it is.
Now that's a parade!
Up there in front sits a dual-inlet ozone grabber that appears as though it just might bite. And it does, but only cold, dense, fresh air. It does on demand, with vacuum-operated precision. Then if you let your eye run rearward along the side and top you'll see those bold gold custom stripes. And perched across the rear, sits the sexiest spoiler since the Mata Hari. With it's negative lift, it turns high-speed air turbulance into road-grabbing rear traction. Kind of a reverse-Wright-brothers effect.
Now we by-passed a few other goodies. There are dual low-drag racing-type outside mirrors...and distinctive Hurst/Olds emblems on the front fenders and rear deck lid. The last one is going to get the most visibility.
That sir, is the boss hoss of the Oldsmobile stable. All 455 cubic inches of it. You get 500 pounds/feet of torque...which is enough to bend your mind if nothing else. It has special heads...a high-overlap cam...and a custom distributor advance curve tailored to do it's thing at the right place and time. Now all this muscle starts turning to hustle at the next stop.
A performance-modified Turbo Hydra-Matic that takes the twist and sends it out in silly squeals. You can let the transmission do the talking...or you can take over and call the shots with the help of a slick Hurst Dual/Gate Shifter. Either way it's music. The rest of the path to the pavement is pure heavy duty. Driveline, differential (3.42 to 1, anti-spin), axles, springs, shocks and a pair of husky anti-sway bars keep things nicely under control. And oh yes. Those big dual exhausts sing a song that is all their own. One thing we can assure you. With 455 cubes, a Hurst/Olds doesn't sing falsetto.
The Hurst/Olds puts a stop to things with a pair of power disc brakes that just refuse to blow their cool. You get straight, sure stops every time, with rapid heat dissipation and maximum fade resistance. The stop and go departments are handled at the pavement by those fat, sticky Goodyear F60-15 polyglass tires. And note what they ride on. The rolling stock is comprised of special 7 inch Mag-Type steel wheels. When they turn, so do heads.
Inside, the Hurst/Olds also sports the custom touch. Perched atop each handsome, pleated bucket seat is a custom gold-striped head restraint. It adds that regal touch to the interior...a bit of crowning glory if you'll pardon the expression. And tucked down between the seats sits the Hurst Dual/Gate Shifter. It's the big stick that lets you choose your tone of voice at will. And it's sheer joy to slam that sturdy linkage up or down the gears. This is a shifter made to be shifted. There is one more feature of the Hurst/Olds we haven't mentioned. Air Conditioning. It's optional of course, but there just isn't any way to beat the heat...or anything else...like an air conditioned Hurst/Olds. It's almost like adding insult to injury.
The lovely Linda Vaughn sitting on my car when it belonged to the previous owner.
Hurst Olds club 69 H/O advisor Kurt Karch's car @ Olds Centennial parade, Lansing MI
69 Hurst/Olds convertible
If you look closely at the protectoplate to the left, you'll notice this car was originally owned by "Hurst Performance" out of their Warminster PA location. One of the two still in existance.
Click to see this Hurst/Olds ad
