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.
The D-code heads and one-year-only intake manifold breathing
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 tweaked 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.
