1968-69 Oldsmobile Hurst/Olds

These Oldsmobiles were truly head-turners. By stuffing the Toronado's 455 in a Cutlass 4-4-2, an instant hit was created. And with Hurst joining the project, the Hurst/Olds was born. Hurst was (and still is) one of the premier gearbox manufacturers, and when teamed with Oldsmobile, a truly memorable product was born.

The 1968 was basically a 4-4-2 Holiday coupe with several upgrades, including the 455. Force-Air Induction, performance engine tweaking, and a special Hurst Dual-Gate shifter were some of the many features on the H/O. The Hurst shifter was a tremendous innovation which enabled 3-speed Turbo Hydra-Matic operation in addition to normal manual shifting. Like the 4-4-2, the H/O featured dual stabilizer bars and four coil springs. A light car it was not, topping out at nearly 3,900 pounds, 300 more than a standard 4-4-2. Still, the '69 could run the quarter in under 14 seconds, and it had reported 0-60 times of less than 6 seconds.

While the '68 had a relatively subtle look, the '69 went all out. White bodies with Firefrost Gold striping and a huge rear spoiler made these cars stand out from the crowd. Also new this year, two functional hood scoops were placed on the hood, which were more aerodynamically sound than the previous year's intakes located under the bumper. Nevertheless, horsepower dropped to 380 -- still plenty for anyone that wanted it.

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