![]() Hurst was also an innovator in the design of motor mount kits for engine conversions in hot rods, as well as the popular Hurst Shifters, which were available in three-speed and four-speed models. He was highly active in the early days of auto/drag racing and later, he would team up with his friend Bill Campbell to form Anco Industries. In the beginning, George Hurst, who had served in the US Navy, was a great strategist. Automotive historians have said that Hurst shifters were the industry’s fastest selling aftermarket item of all time. Hurst was in the business of creating and manufacturing gear shifters for high-performance automobile interiors and was originally based in Ferndale, Michigan. The Oldsmobile Division wanted a super 4-4-2 model that would be low in volume but high in performance, so George Hurst was ideal partner. Beltz and Bob Dorshimer that helped create the Hurst/Oldsmobile. It was Olds’ staffers Doc Watson, John B. The first Hurst Oldsmobile in 1968 (GM Media Archives)ġ968 was the year that George Hurst (1927- 1986) and General Motors’ Oldsmobile division came together to create a powerful and legendary muscle car. Images Courtesy of Getty Images, Barrett Jackson and the General Motors Media Archives Original footage of this legend is scarce, but thanks to YouTube user hairyolds1, you can watch the 1967 car's final run (and subsequent crash) in the video below.By Robert Tate, Automotive Historian and Researcher Though nearly six decades have passed since the Hurst Hairy Olds wowed the crowds, it remains a hero of the original muscle car era, and its story deserves to be heard by the younger generations. Rebuilt to its former glory by a dedicated team, which included chief engineer Animal Bob and driver Gentleman Joe, the legendary drag strip monster was sold to the Hurst/Olds Club of America for $1 in 2004. Thanks to the efforts of Oldsmobile enthusiasts Dennis Mothershed, who sourced the remaining components and kicked off an extensive restoration project, the 1966 Hairy Olds is now alive and well. The initial car built in 1966 was partially disassembled, and according to some sources, it was also scheduled to be scrapped, but fortunately, some of its components have survived. Fortunately, neither Joe nor those in attendance were hurt, but the car was deemed beyond repair and eventually sent to the scrapper. Its final public appearance was at the Niagara Dragway in New York, where it crashed spectacularly. The Hurst crew continued the promotional tour in 1967, then returned with the second car in 1968. There were actually two cars, and one is still aroundĪfter electrifying the crowds during the 1966 season, the car was retired, and Joe was given a new one that featured minor improvements. As you would expect, it became an instant legend, gathering huge crowds everywhere it went. The Hairy Olds, driven by Gentleman Joe dressed in a custom, tuxedo-like Bell fire suit, debuted at a meet in Bakersfield, California, in March of 1966, then went on tour all over the country. Moreover, the front wheels toed in so much that the car was all over the place regardless of how much Joe wrestled the steering wheel, and the huge clouds of smoke it produced made it almost impossible to see anything through the windshield or rear window. ![]() During initial test runs, the twin-engined monster proved nearly impossible to handle at full throttle as the insane amount of torque it produced pushed the front suspension assembly close to the point of self-destruction. Gentleman Joe was initially reluctant but eventually accepted the job when George Hurst's right-hand man, Jack "Doc" Watson, promised him that he would only have to show up, shred a set or two of tires and go home.Īs it turned out, the task of taming the Hairy Olds was not that easy. ![]() Thus, Hurst contacted drag racing legend " Gentleman Joe" Schubeck, who was enjoying retirement by running his own company -Schubeck High Performance Solutions. Building this four-wheeled insanity was quite the feat, but launching it down a drag strip at full speed required a legendary driver who happened to be naturally ambidextrous.
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