SNARLS SOFTLY & Carries a BIG STICK!





It could easily be argued that General Motors shot itself in the foot in the mid-Sixties, when the company officially imposed a 400-cu.in. engine displacement restriction on the A-body intermediates (GTO, Chevelle, 442 & GS400). With Dodge and Plymouth building drag strip terrors like the A12 Road Runner and 426 Hemi Powered Mopars. With all this happening there were efforts made internally at GM to circumvent the rules.



If you're even remotely familiar with muscle car lore, you've likely heard the tale of George Hurst. George Hurst known for his Shifters, Wheels and most notably building SuperCars. Oldsmobile brass needed a fresh shot of youthful adrenaline. The result of that was the Hurst/Olds. First appearing in 1968, its most appealing attribute for performance enthusiasts was a monstrous 455-cu.in. big-block under the hood, which easily trumped the offerings from every other division's A-body.



Oldsmobile's trick for getting the 455 past the GM rulebook was having final assembly and modification done off-site, with the cars being effectively sold back to Olds for dealer distribution. Orders went through the roof, despite the fact that production was limited.

 Only 914 Husrt/Olds were produced, all of them with the exception of two known convertibles, are based on the 4-4-2 Holiday hardtop coupe. Packing a 455-cu. in. heart, the 1969 edition is so vastly different from the 1968 H/O both visually and mechanically.



Here are the details behind one of the most desirable Oldsmobiles ever to leave Lansing.


Contrary to some rumors, each 4-4-2 that left the Lansing assembly plant for Hurst conversion at Demmer Engineering was already equipped with the 455-cu.in. engine bolted into place, the big V-8 started life as the same 390hp, 10.25:1 compression L-32 engine that was offered as an option on the Delta 88 and Toronado (coded W-34). A unique cast-iron intake manifold (number 405233, reportedly the forerunner of the 1970 aluminum W-30 intake), as well as a distributor that increased low-end response. On top of the intake sat a Rochester Quadrajet four-barrel carburetor.




Hurst redesigned the ram air induction system, the top plate and vacuum-operated flapper door of which was more or less a direct copy of the one used on the Hurst/Scrambler. Rather than link the air cleaner assembly to Oldsmobile's under-bumper air scoops as Hurst did in 1968, a massive two-snorkel fiberglass hood scoop was bolted over the associated hole cut into the hood by Demmer Engineering.

In total, an internal Hurst memo outlined 18 visual and mechanical changes (not including the ram air system) to the 455 that resulted in a 10.50:1 compression V-8 officially rated for 380hp at 5,000 RPM and 500-lbs.ft. of torque at 3,200 RPM; naturally, the D-code heads and one-year-only intake manifold breathed through a dual exhaust system with slightly revamped cast-iron exhaust manifolds made this possible. 

Only one transmission and shifter was available in the Hurst/Olds, that was the console-shifted Turbo Hydra-Matic 400 three-speed automatic topped with a Hurst Dual/Gate Shifter similar to the unit already used in GTOs and marketed as the "His/Hers" shifter.



This Copy of the famous Hurst/Olds was built to compete in the SuperCar American MuscleCar Racing Series by my good Friend John Suess in 2016. John raced his original H/O for many years in the series and in 2014 decided to build an all out effort H/O. He started with a Holiday Hardtop Coupe as Hurst did back in 1969 and tweeked every aspect of this A-Body. His efforts have resulted in the quickest Oldmobile in Factory Appearing Stock Tire Racing. To Date the H/O has recorded a 12.13 ET at 115 MPH.

I purchased the H/O in 2023 from the owner John had Sold it to in 2017. That owner owned 7 1969 H/O's and was willing to sell John's to me. After some negotiating, I headed to South Carolina to bring home this very special H/O. Make sure to come out to a SuperCar Race to witness this amazing Hurst/Olds in person.

The lovely Linda Vaughn Signing the Head Rest to my H/O.