Gifted Performer – 1979 Oldsmobile Hurst/Olds

Photos by Thomas A. DeMauro.

There are great spouses who accommodate your car hobby and then there are great spouses who actually facilitate it. As any car person who reads this story will soon attest, Shirley Cole has earned her status in the latter category.

Back in 2003, she and her husband, John, a retired U.S. Army veteran, attended the yearly ball held by his former unit, the Third Armored Calvary Regiment. Since John was a bit older than the still-active Army personnel in attendance and because of his jovial personality, the officer-in-charge assigned him and Shirley the task of helping out the more senior veterans and their wives to get seated and comfortable. While performing those duties, they met Horace “Red” Poteat, and his wife, Sue. Red is a World War II veteran who served under General Patton.

The two couples became friends, and though the Coles lived in Colorado and the Poteats in North Carolina, John had founded a trucking business after retirement, and had regular routes in Red’s area, so the trips to see him weren’t as daunting as they might seem.

Following his Army days, Red had been the proprietor of a pre-owned vehicle business for many years that specialized in GM models, but he periodically purchased a new car for himself. Since he had many used ones at his disposal for his daily transportation, when he bought new, it was generally a special-order model that was coddled and driven sparingly from day one. Our featured ’79 Hurst/Olds is one such example.

When John was first shown the Oldsmobile during one of his visits, it was sitting in Red’s garage next to a white-with-black vinyl top ’70 Delta 88 with a police package and just 7,000 miles on its odometer. John, however, was awestruck by the 3,200-mile H/O’s styling and showroom condition.

Having poured steel for GM in the past and done some racing, he explains, “I’ve always loved GM performance cars. When I saw that Hurst/Olds I said, ‘Red, if you ever decide to sell it, please let me know because I’d be interested in buying it.’ From that point on, I’d stop over about once per month just to see him… and the car.”

In June of 2005, Shirley finally received the call from Red. He was ready to sell. Coincidentally, John was on the road at the time, so Shirley asked, “How much do you want for it, Red?” He replied, “$20,000.” Agreeing to the price, she said, “It’s John’s–we’ll come down and get it.”

She then told John that it had been a while since she had seen Red and Sue, so they should take a trip together to North Carolina for a visit. When they arrived, John got the surprise of his life. Shirley had made the deal and completed the trip with her husband without him ever knowing about the sale until Red handed him the keys and said, “The Hurst/Olds is yours.” Shirley told John, “You work hard enough out there on the road; you deserve it.”

Not surprisingly, he was floored. “It was great! I didn’t even know that she had done it,” he remembers. “She’s a helluva woman. Red told me that he sold the Olds to me because he knew that I’d take care of it and that I didn’t just want to try and make money on it.”

Truth be told, there almost wasn’t a ’79 Hurst/Olds for Red and later, John and Shirley, to purchase. According to the Hurst/Olds Club of America, via a story and documentation posted on its website, relations between Hurst and Oldsmobile had become strained with regard to producing a ’79 H/O, and it looked like the project was in danger of not happening at all.

There had been a proposal car prepared by Hurst that featured a front air dam, roof sail-panel extensions, and other mods, as well as a graphics package similar to the ’77 H/O prototype. These visual upgrades made the car more unique but also more challenging and expensive to produce. Additionally, there seemed to be disputes between Hurst and Oldsmobile over what the package should contain.

It appeared that the project was cancelled once and for all, until a story about Oldsmobile’s ’79 lineup, which included information on the new Hurst/Olds, was published in Motor Trend. Shortly thereafter, fences were mended, the momentum was restored and the H/O was introduced on the upscale Calais with the familiar black-and-gold or white-and-gold paint scheme, sans the aforementioned body mods and ’77-ish graphics.

The Calais already featured specific interior trim; contoured reclining bucket seats; front disc brakes; Custom Sport steering wheel; handling package; floor carpeting; bumper impact strips; standup hood emblem; lower body-side belt reveal; wheel opening, rocker panel and roof drip moldings and Rallye gauges.

Code W30, the Hurst/Olds option, added the L34 four-barrel 5.7 liter, 350-cu.in. V-8; Dual Gate shifter and console; special gold Y71 paint scheme; gold painted aluminum sport wheels; D35 sport mirrors; QFV P205/70R14 tires with raised white letters; MXl automatic transmission; JL2 power brakes; N41 power steering and DE8 digital clock. The option price, at least on this example’s window sticker, was $1,978.20. Many sources list $2,054.20, so it appears to have changed at some point in the production run.

Since the L34 with the automatic transmission had already been emissions certified by the EPA in the larger Oldsmobiles, it could be used in any other model as long as less than 2,500 were built. Consequently, 2,499 Hurst/Olds were assembled for ’79. It was the only midsize GM model to get a 350 cu.in. engine that year.

Much like the astronaut in an old science fiction movie who lands in a strange new world, the Hurst/Olds option was now applied to a GM platform that had changed dramatically since the last production H/O for 1975. It’s quite possible, however, that the L34 350 never had it so good with regard to power-to-weight ratio in the emissions-soaked, weight laden mid- and late-1970s.

Thanks to a concentrated size and weight reduction program for GM’s intermediates for ’78, 9.5 inches of length, 4.6 inches of width, 3.9 inches of wheelbase and over 600 pounds were lopped off. Yet passenger room increased in most areas. The change was so dramatic that the midsized Cutlass of ’78 was within a ½-inch in length and rode on a 2.9-inch-shorter wheelbase than the ’78 Omega, which had been marketed as a compact car.

Sure, 170 hp and 275-lb.ft. of torque fed through a buttery-smooth-shifting Turbo-350 and twisting a 2.73:1 rear gear ratio (2.56:1 in California) isn’t the stuff of drag strip legend, but it did provide sprightly if not downright quick acceleration when wrapped in a roughly 3,500-pound package. Remember, the ’75 Hurst/Olds was offered as a W-25 package 350, also with 170 hp, if the buyer didn’t opt for the W-30 package 455. The ’75 350-powered H/O had to haul around about 4,000 pounds and had an automatic transmission and a numerically lower standard 2.56:1 rear. Therefore, the ’79 offered straight-line performance, handling and fuel economy improvements over the 350 version for ’75, mostly by virtue of its downsizing.

As is true with most iterations of the Hurst/Olds, luxury was held in equal–and in some model years, higher–regard than performance. The ’79 model could be loaded with every factory option under the sun. And, yes, T-tops were available, too. Though Red didn’t opt for that roof treatment when he ordered his H/O at Ralph Abernethy Chevrolet in Lincolnton, North Carolina, he did specify that 27 options, including W30, be added to his Cutlass Calais.

Not only unique when compared to its contemporary competition, the ’79 Hurst/Olds also boasted particular attributes that made it stand out among the H/Os that were produced before and after. For example, it was the only one not converted at a Hurst facility. Instead it was built in-house at Oldsmobile’s 920 Townsend Street plant in Lansing, incorporating the legendary Dual Gate shifters and the H/O emblems, among other possible items, supplied by Hurst.

It was the first H/O not to offer a 455 even as an option, and it was the first time the W-30 option code wasn’t tied to a 455. This H/O was the third and last to offer the Oldsmobile 350 engine. It was also the first to employ the smaller 7.5-inch rear end.

The ’79 was the only H/O that came with standard aluminum wheels (14 x 6-inch with gold accents) and was the first to use metric-sized tires. It was also the first H/O with a standard tach and gauges and a standard Custom Sport steering wheel. It was the only H/O available with an optional factory-installed CB radio/stereo combo and was the last one to employ the Dual Gate shifter.

Its individuality only serves to add to the Coles’ enjoyment of their H/O. Driven sparingly each year to keep it mechanically sound while still preserving it, all things considered, John says, “It has good power and runs great.” His and Shirley’s real satisfaction, however, is derived from showing their Hurst/Olds.

Now with 3,700 miles on the odometer, the Coles are content to travel to events with their collector car in an enclosed trailer. On the show field, “Shirley always has the duster out making sure everything is clean,” John says.

“We worked hard for what we have. Shirley and I have been a team, and we take care of each other”… and of course this ’79 Hurst/Olds. Incidentally, it was clean enough to be a Top 15 choice in Standard of Excellence Judging at the Carlisle GM Nationals in 2014, where it was photographed for this feature.

OWNER’S VIEW
We have a great time owning and showing our Hurst/Olds. You meet a different class of people at the car shows. They are great to speak with, and they learn about the car from us, and sometimes we even learn new things about it from them. For example, a lady at a car show told us why the bolt-heads were blue in some areas of the car. In ’79, metric bolts were used in some locations, so they were identified with blue heads to alert the service technicians to use the correct wrenches. Our H/O wins an award almost every time it’s shown. Seemingly, the only time it doesn’t is when the judges don’t realize what they are looking at, but we still have fun at all the events.–John Cole

1979 Oldsmobile Hurst/Olds
170 HORSEPOWER @ 3,800 RPM
275-lb.ft. torque @ 2,800 RPM
1/4-mile: 16.63 seconds @ 81.89 MPH*

SPECIFICATIONS

PRICE
Base price $5,827.64
Price as profiled $10,410.34
Options on car profiled Seat belts, deluxe front and rear, $19.50; power door locks, $86; Soft-Ray tinted windows, $70; power windows, $132; power trunk lid release, $24; front floor mats with carpet inserts, $25; rear floor mats with carpet inserts, $20; luggage compartment deluxe trim, includes spare tire cover, $46; bodyside moldings, $48; bright door dash edge guards, $13; pulse wiper system, $38; electric rear-window defogger, $99; four-season air conditioner, $562; combination dome and dual-lens reading lamps, $11; litter container, $8; illuminated visor vanity passenger side mirror, $43; 2.73 axle ratio, N/C; automatic load-leveling system, $120; power brakes, N/C; cruise control, $103; Delcotron, high capacity, $49; Federal emission system, N/C; tilt-away steering wheel, $75, cornering lamps, $49; high-capacity battery, $21; Delco GM radio AM/FM, stereo/CB and auto antenna, $574; bumper guards, front and rear/vinyl insert, $45; W-30 package $1,978.20; reminder package, low fuel and headlamp-on, $38; convenience group, includes visor vanity mirror, glove box, courtesy map, under hood and luggage compartment lamps, $29

ENGINE
Block type: Oldsmobile second-generation OHV “small-block” V-8, cast-iron block and cylinder heads
Displacement: 350 cubic inches
Bore x stroke: 4.057 inches x 3.385 inches
Compression ratio: 8.0:1
Horsepower @ RPM: 170 @ 3,800
Torque @ RPM: 275-lb.ft. @ 2,800
Camshaft: Hydraulic flat-tappet, 250/264-degrees advertised duration, .400/.400-inch lift
Induction system: Cast-iron dual-plane manifold, Rochester Quadrajet four-barrel carburetor, AC mechanical fuel pump
Ignition system: GM HEI
Oiling system: Stock oil pump and oil pan
Exhaust system: Log-type manifolds, single pipe to a catalytic converter, single pipe to a muffler with dual outlets

TRANSMISSION
Type: GM Turbo Hydra-Matic 350, three-speed automatic
Ratios:
1st: 2.52:1
2nd: 1.52:1
3rd: 1.00:1
Reverse: 1.94:1

DIFFERENTIAL
Type: GM 7.5-inch 10-bolt housing
Ratio: 2.73:1

STEERING
Type: Recirculating ball, power assist
Ratio: Variable 16:1 to 12.2:1
Turns-to-lock: 3.3
Turning circle: 37.2 feet

BRAKES
Type: Hydraulic
Front: 10.5-inch disc
Rear: 9.5-inch drum

CHASSIS & BODY
Construction: Body on perimeter frame, welded steel shell and rear quarters, additional bolt-on steel body panels
Body style: Two-door coupe
Layout: Front engine, rear-wheel drive

SUSPENSION
Front: Unequal length A-arms, coil springs, shock absorbers, anti-roll bar
Rear: Four-link consisting of upper and lower control arms, coil springs and shock absorbers, anti-roll bar

WHEELS & TIRES
Wheels: Aluminum, 14 x 6 inches
Tires: BFGoodrich radial, P205/70R-14

WEIGHTS & MEASURES
Wheelbase: 108.1 inches
Overall length: 200.1 inches
Overall width: 71.9 inches
Overall height: 53.3-inches
Front track: 58.5 inches
Rear track: 57.8 inches
Shipping weight: Approximately 3,300 pounds
Curb weight: Approximately 3,500 pounds

CAPACITIES
Crankcase: 5 quarts (with filter)
Cooling system: 16.75 quarts
Fuel tank: N/A
Transmission: 3 quarts
Rear axle: 4.25 pints

PRODUCTION
For 1979, 2,499 H/Os were produced: 1,165 in code 11 white, 1,334 in code 19 black

PERFORMANCE*
Acceleration
1/4-mile ET: 16.63 @ 81.89 MPH

*Source: January 1980 Super Stock and Drag Illustrated

This article originally appeared in the May, 2015 issue of Hemmings Muscle Machines.