Oldsmobile partnered with Hurst Performance from 1968 to 1984 to offer a special breed of muscle car. These were offered sporadically (not every year), but always on a Cutlass and always with a Hurst-supplied shifter. The seller’s 1983 edition has the quirky “Lightning Rods” shifter setup, and the dealer (we think) has positioned this example as possibly one of the nicest ones left. Located in Henderson, Nevada, you can roll the dice and buy this Olds here on craigslist for $32,500.
We don’t think we’ve seen this Hurst/Olds before, but they all looked alike: black paint with silver and red trim. 3,001 copies were produced in 1983 (they were repeated in 1984 but painted silver instead), and the seller’s example was #2,548 to roll off the assembly line. It has been lightly used, in that the odometer reads just 40,000 miles. All ’83 Hurst/Olds were mechanically the same with a 307 cubic inch V8 rated at 180 hp SAE net. These cars were not as fast as, say, the 1968 versions, but were good by 1980s standards.
According to the seller, finding flaws in this car may be hard. The paint and body are all good, as is the interior, except for one small stain. Everything, including the factory A/C, works well except that the cruise control is inoperative. The machine has T-Tops providing convertible-like comfort for Springtime cruising. Recent repairs include the Lightning Rods shifter (rebuilt last year), a new battery, tires, brakes, catalytic converter, and tinted windows.
The buyer will have to get one thing addressed. There is a small oil leak, which the seller surmises is associated with the timing cover. I owned a 1983 Olds Cutlass Supreme for many years and loved the car, so having a Hurst/Olds of the same vintage would be a dream, though this one is 2,000 miles too far away. Kudos on the tip, Jack M.!
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