Oldsmobile was founded by Ransom E. Olds in 1897 and is one of the world's oldest car companies - now defunct. They were known for making durable and innovative models throughout their history both independently and as part of GM. Hurst Performance was founded in 1958 by George Hurst with a more modest Auto Repair shop. That gradually branched out into custom fabrication, tuning and performance parts development. They were also known for making hopped up versions of consumer cars with tons of their own go-fast goodies on board.

In 1968, Hurst Performance offered a limited edition high performance version of the Oldsmobile Cutlass 442 called simply the Hurst/Olds. The 1969 model in particular, which I think is the best looking of the lot, contained a 455 engine, three-speed automatic transmission with their world renowned "Slap Stick," and a beautiful and distinctive exterior treatment. Let's take a look.

The Hurst/Olds

1969 Hurst Olds 2
via Hemmings

The current example is from 1969 and finished in a lovely shade of white with gold stripes. It was optioned as part of the W-46 package for $684. David Steeves owns this one and it's one of about 900 produced that year. It's been lovingly restored with NOS parts, a rebuilt engine - we'll get to that below - and a ton of features unique to the Hurst/Olds treatment.

RELATED: Hemmings Find: 1970 Oldsmobile 442 W-30

Under The Hood

1969 Hurst Olds 3
via Hemmings

Starting under the hood is the 455 Oldsmobile Rocket engine with a bore of the 4.125" and a stroke of 4.250". It's got a hydraulic cam with a mild 0.472 inches of lift, nodular crank, dished pistons, and D-code heads with 2.072" intake and 1.625" exhaust valves. There's also a modded distributor for better low end, a Rochester Quadrajet, and a Ram Air induction system. With 10.5:1 compression, the 455 Rocket was rated at 380 hp at 5,000 rpm and 500 lb.-ft. of torque at 3,200 rpm. Out back is a 12 bolt posi with 3.42 gears.

But the best part of the car is the stick shift. No it's not a manual but a dual gate auto-shifter for which Hurst is known for controlling GM's TH400. In normal mode it acts and shifts like a regular automatic but take the shifter into a side gate and it essentially becomes a clutchless automatic enabling you to bang gears 1 through 3. I've driven an old Nova equipped with a Slap Stick and it's not only brutal but quite effective. It's a lot of fun too, take my word for it!

Truly Unique

1969 Hurst Olds 4
via Hemmings

The end result is a car that gives a solid and comfortable ride and is more than capable of keeping up with the big boys when the situation calls for. David has a winner on his hands and it stands as a distinctive vehicle that unfortunately is becoming rarer than a DoDo with the demise of Olds. Buckle up.

Source: Hemmings

NEXT: Hemmings Find: Black-On-Black 1970 Buick Gran Sport 455