With T-Tops, shiny wheels, stripes, and some performance upgrades, this 1983 Hurst/Olds in Jericho, New York features a suite of mostly cosmetic doo-dads that enticed car-buyers of the era looking for performance with rear-wheel-drive and a V8 exhaust tone… the way God intended. Now, this Hurst model seeks a new owner here on eBay where $23,600 will make it yours. This Oldsmobile may have dodged barn life, but an anonymous reader suggested we feature the well-kept specimen of 1980s muscle.
In the ’80s, “GT” often stood for “Goofy Tape” as manufacturers unapologetically offered sporty packages with little or no improvements in performance. The 3.73 rear axle gears gave this Hurst/Olds an advantage over many smaller-engined and fuel-economy-geared competitors. And it has a rear spoiler! Thanks to hemmings.com for some details.
That Medusa-looking contraption between the seats is where the Hurst magic happens. In addition to normal automatic operations by selecting “Drive,” the Lightning Bolt Shifter could optionally let you bang off the forward shifts manually. Acceleration was about the same either way, but what’s cooler than pretending you’re Don Garlits working all those levers with enough skill to smoke a Dodge Colt Turbo in a stop light 1320?
While it may seem like normal V6 or turbo four-cylinder power today, this dose of 180 HP comes with V8 rumble from the Oldsmobile 307 cid V8. According to accounts on the Internet, these Hurst/Oldsmobiles could do a real burnout, and you can drive this car for 10 hours in far greater comfort than most early muscle cars and ’80s hatchbacks. This car is tidy and offered as a never-restored original with fewer than 36,000 miles on the clock. What’s your high bid for this Reagan-era muscle car?
To me these cars are extremely comfortable. However they are just a decal stickered car of glory years gone by. They are not a muscle car, even when people put the built 350-455 engines in them. Oh sure they will go fast then, however it is still not a muscle car. Would it technically be a custom at that point? I don’t know.
I agree it looks good from what I can see. I wonder if the seller thinks it’s ‘Rare’ based on the seller ad. ;-0
The big issue I have with this one and others from the era is the T-Tops. I’ve known more than 1 person that’s had leaking issues with them and no telling how it is today with the seals likely having not aged that well.
Just having had a van stolen the other night, I’d have room but I doubt if the insurance company pays off I’d have enough to even consider it.
Is 80’s Muscle really a thing? Remember them being bland and cheaply engineered. Only fun thing about the era were the pocket rocket Turbos.
oxymoron at best.
Although I personally don’t think this Olds is worth over 20k I must say that there’s a good chance they will get near their asking price. With that said, even though this is a non performing dressed up cutlass this car along with other eighties/nineties cars are coming up in value. Demographics of the current population are determining the popularity of the later model cars. 50s, 60,s & 70,s cars are not as desirable to the younger crowd these days and are too expensive to attain. Vehicles such as 5.0 fox mustangs. 3rd & 4th Gen Camaros/Firebirds, Buick GNs, and later model Corvettes is where it’s at now days. The younger crowd recognizes and identifies with theses later model cars and can afford their current prices.
Had one just like this in 1989 when I graduated high school great car to pretend to look cool in but my old 70 beater Plymouth Fury with a 383 could blow that thing off the road
These are some tough looking cars,but they were more show than go even though this is a very nice looking specimen here.The only one of the tough looking G-bodies in ’80s that could back up it’s looks with performance was the Buick Grand National.
I always liked these. Yes, they are slow compared to today, or the 60’s and early 70’s cars, but these were very nice cars. Comfortable to drive, and they handled half way decent too.
I think the seller is asking perhaps a bit optimistic price, but not crazy.
KWhat’s funny is that this car is SLOWER than a dodge colt turbo in 1983-4. Dodge colt 8.3 sec 0-60, hurst olds 9.6 sec 0-60. You ain’t smokin nobody in this big lumbering coupe! Lol. Be glad it looks sexy as heck because that Colt will be looking at you in his rearview mirror in a race….THAT’S THE FACTS JACK! 😆😆😆
Right. An encounter with a Colt GTS turbo in this would have resulted in a trip to the ER to get the boot surgically removed from your a….
In the 80’s, these were never known as “Muscle” cars. The 80’s weren’t about how fast you can go from A to B, but how good you looked when you got to B.
This car perfectly fits the look of 80’s excess.
Agreed , is everybody drag racing? , put your 80s mix tape in the cassette player , take off the t-tops and cruise , nice car
That’s what I did. I was going to Pennsylvania to buy one of these a few years ago. I emailed and asked if the tape deck still worked. I was told yes, so I made an 80s mix tape to listen to in it. About 30 minutes after buying it the ignition module died in the middle of “White Wedding.” Damn HEI.
Could that be a rust bubble lurking just below the surface under the rear passenger side marker light? Hopefully not. I remember that the textured “chip guard” on the lower portions of some GM cars could sometimes be poorly applied. Perhaps an in person inspection would be time well spent.
I think you might be right with your observation? A closer inspection would be a wise move…..
I have the 84 version of these and I have to say it is a very fun car to drive. It probably helps that I installed a 455 in mine to take care of the lack of acceleration. All in all a fun car and I think it’s important to remember cars from this era are stepping stones to where we are today and with the vast aftermarket support for the G bodies you can make these cars perform as good as they look!
All i have ever driven is olds. On my 5th. Could be my last, hard to find a good one.
WOW I can’t even believe how many cry babies are on here complaining. Look the car is what it is. Were you around when they were designed? No? Why not. For all the expertise that are here I’d expect the flying car at this time? As for the T Tops on the car. I had a Monte Carlo Aerocoupe. maintenance on the T Top seal will take care of the leaking issues. Yet as it is with the complainers here. I bet weekly maintenance never crossed the mind. Why would it. It makes sense. Which runs short here.
WHOA there.Please calm down.Some were just making comments not necessarily whining about the car and some is just cold hard facts.I said the car is under powered which is understandable during the time it was made.Now would I take one today?You bet your bottom dollar YES all day and ANY day.
You go on to say “the car is what it is”.I like a vehicle that has enough power to get out of harm’s way if needed. Whether 2or 4 wheels. Now the crybabies you mentioned are just people that don’t fall for examples such as this ugly piece of engineering.
Nice car but a few years from appreciating to this asking price.
I graduated HS in 1982 and tend to look at 1969 as the last of the muscle car era. I owned a ’70 Torino GT and ’71 Torino GT Rag Top, both 351C and wish I still had both. My opinion, 1974 everything changed, game over but if I were car shopping… I’d buy this and drive the bejesus out of it having fun and smiling all the while. On a used car lot anything else would be a hard sell.
How could ’69 be the end of the muscle car era? 1970 was the zenith as far as the muscle car was concerned.
To some folks nothing was released after 69 that obviously interested them. technically in most circles they’ll say that it ended it ended in 71.
To your point and mine; a good read, in my opinion. https://oldcarmemories.com/1970-year-muscle-car-bubble-burst/
The Hurst shifter was just a gimmick. It shifted the transmission no faster than a regular straight gate shifter. The tranny didn’t care about the mode of input.
This Olds nails it on all fronts. The ’80s were filled with ‘muscle’ cars… but that era was about posing, not the heavy lifting. Think back to the TV programs of the time, and most of them prominently featured vehicles in partnership with the star/s…the focus was on lifestyle over substance.
Canuck that’s odd most people were all about the substance in the eighties . Remember that thing called cocaine.
To the contributor that accuses other members of being “cry babies”. We all enjoy this website, some folks try to assist others from becoming disappointed after purchasing a car without having been fully and accurately described.
Unfortunately, we all know that our hobby has it’s share of shady players. When someone is asking “all the money” for a marginal car, I would like to believe we (cry babies) are helping the potential buyer make an educated and informed purchase. The strength of this website is that everyone brings an opinion, often based on experience. I would have welcomed some of these (cry babies) opinions prior to past mistakes I’ve made purchasing cars sold by deceptive sellers. Successful decisions are often made with input from numerous sources.
1986 and 1987 buick regal turbos enough said high demand and high prices
Those 80s models are ok to take to a car show,or something but case far as performance goes give me back 67 442 that was pure raw,power when I stomped in that thing you knew, I was coming no computer on that thing saying lets,get up and go this kids today think they turn there hondas,and suburus up to 190 horsepower the got power and speed my 67 442,would have and honda,or suburu for lunch
The sad thing is MOST of the newer cars would outrun your ’67 442 without having to do any tuning at all to them!
That being said the old muscle cars have more style and a ‘coolness’ factor that you just don’t get with the newer cars.
Z28….yes, more style and coolness, and not only so, but they were the pioneers, the vanguard, if you will that ushered in what we enjoy today. As a direct result, they all deserve the respect due them for the part they played in most of our lives of dominating a machine to make something take place on the blacktop that heretofore was incapable of. What will kill the current/modern Jap car speedsters is, in my opinion, the electronics and computers that more than likely will not be reproduced after a certain date. These new cars are destined for the scrap pile because of the electronics that they must have to even start. Of course, I could be completely wrong….don’t think so…but, as always…time will tell.
yes sir!