Swivel Seats: 455-Powered 1975 Hurst/Olds
By 1975, some of the hot in terms of performance U.S. offerings had already gone by the wayside, but the Hurst/Olds soldiered onward, and for the bleak period the auto industry was going through, it was pretty cool a car like this could still be had, although just over 2,500 were produced making this 1975 Oldsmobile Hurst/Olds here on Craigslist somewhat of a rarity. This one calls Washington, North Carolina home, and while it’s not numbers-matching, there’s plenty of good stuff to be found, with the owner asking for $30,250 to let this one loose from his garage. Gunter Kramer, thanks for your exciting tip here!
The Hurst/Olds offered two engine choices in ’75: the W25 cars that got a 350, or stepping up to the W30 included the 455. Neither were exactly powerhouses when compared to the car’s earlier days, but for the malaise-era, they were respectable, with the small block producing 170 horsepower and the big 455 coming in at 190. This one was born a 350, but at some point, that got changed out to a 455, although no details regarding its source or other specifics are provided. Things in the bay are very orderly and the owner says it’s a smooth runner, plus the exhaust has also been upgraded from a single factory pipe to a pair.
We also don’t get much dialogue about whether the car has always had such a good fit and finish or if there’s been bodywork and restoration to get it looking this sweet, but either way, the current presentation seems excellent from just about every angle. The decals say W30, though this one’s a W25, but with a 455 now under the hood, I can understand how the temptation arose to add these. The Hurst/Hatch T-Tops and elimination of the rear side window make the already good-looking Cutlass Supreme body even sportier, as does the aluminum trim around the half vinyl top.
The interior consists of both red and white components, a great color combo for the time that still looks fresh and inviting today with those swivel buckets separated by a console plus the factory dual gate shifter. Going down past the floorboards shows an underside that appears very solid, with no signs of rust or any other type of damage visible below from any of the photos we view.
Snooping around this guy’s garage reveals he’s got a good variety of fun cars to drive, including a sixth-generation Thunderbird, a Lincoln Mark IV, a vintage fastback Mustang, a fourth-gen Cougar, and a modern Challenger, which I’m guessing might be the daily driver. I’m thinking the Hurst/Olds could be the one I’d most want to hang onto, but the seller feels differently, so this appears like a good opportunity for a very nice and well-cared-for example to exchange hands. Is just over the thirty-grand mark a reasonable price to pay for this one?
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Comments
30k is restored money not clean driver money .
But reasonable – not quite .
The market in the past 5 yrs is a joke .
People are out gouging for every buck these days it’s rather insane
Agreed, Doc! Another clear case of BJ-ITIS, a quiet but very damaging condition plaguing the wannabe gearhead masses. I say wannabe because true gearheads would realize that, even though this is a pretty cool ride, isn’t a particularly sought after automobile, and it doesn’t have a numbers matching drivetrain. I could see the ridiculous price being warranted were it a n/m survivor in it’s current shape, with less than 100, 000 miles on the ticker, not that the engine upgrade isn’t a wonderful thing, not that the presentation isn’t fantastic, and not that it’s not a very cool representation of a by-gone era. But at the end of the day, it’s not a car that should bring top dollar in it’s current state, and I don’t see it being worth 30 grand in any state, unless, of course, it was a showroom condition survivor with super low mileage…
So true. Will be curious to see what this Olds actually brings.
Ummm, didn’t we just see this one?
Rare car, mainly due to inbred Tobacco addicts destroying them in derbies, as well as improper storage, and further endangered by ma sonic ordered municipal zoning ordinances either banning unregistered, inoperatsbles vehicles, let alone annual property taxes on such.
No. There was a similar one, also crazy overpriced.
Kid,looking at this car – “How much horsepower?”
Owner – “190”
Kid – “My Grandmother’s Honda has a lot more than that”
It’s big money…for a genuine W-30 in top condition. Not for an engine swapped driver condition ride.
Pass…
Too .much cash..seats are awful color..like the white color outside..looks good..and a 455 station wagon.300 buck motor..I bet it’s a olds400.
I think if I were going to install a 455 I would have gotten one from 1972. They were rated at 310 hp !!! This engine looks like it is painted blue. That would make it an Olds 403.
Why not use a 1970 455? It’s at least 365 hp and 490 pound feet of torque and up!
403’s were red if I’m not mistaken
Cool old Malaise Era cruiser. Not sure that I get the whole “Hurst Edition” thing, though. Isn’t it sacrilegious to hook the Hurst name to a car with a smogified V8 and a slush box?
The primary reason for the Hurst editions was Hurst’s promotion of their automatic shifters. The 60s and 70s versions got the Hurst Dual Gate, and the 83-84 models the Lightning Rods. These mid-70s versions weren’t the best looking or performing of the series by far
Every factory built Hurst Olds ever built was an automatic, starting with the first in 1968. The first Hurst Dual Gate shifter ever installed from the factory was in the 1967 GTO when ordered with a console. The Dual Gate shifter was actually available back in the early 1960’s but marketed as the “His and Hers”
These 70s pseudo muscle cars are clown shows. That interior looks like it belongs in an old Winnebago.
Very cool and I’d love to have that. But realistically it’s about 15k overpriced.
That kind of loot can buy a numbers matching big HP camaro,chevelle,firebird,road runner etc etc…and that interior….yack….nice car but $15,000 tops….
Well, couple of comments about the interior including yours, but the thing is, that’s what they were/how they came. They’re reversible and I BELIEVE the other side is white vinyl to match the interior. If you wanted to “update” it, fine, but that is the epitome of 1975.
I grew up as a teenager in the early 70’s. We use to trade 68 440 R/T chargers for 69 Z-28’s . The problem we have is all these BS TV shows making it look easy to build cars and flip. Half of the cars you see on TV fall apart shortly after the build or don’t run ( it’s all based on the parts the suppliers are trying to sell you ) With the TV auctions only meant for the super rich this also drive the prices up. The only reason people over pay for classic cars is because they search online to see the values ( they don’t realize that the cars they see online don’t sell for those prices. When you see a corvette at auction sell for over 3 million dollars it’s only a rich man’s game. ( more money than brains . 80% of the classics cars online are overpriced. When the economy tanks all those vehicles drastically drop in price. I seen this happen in 2007 , mid year corvettes we’re selling for 20 to 25 k because buyers were using the equity in their house to by their dream car. It’s coming again in a matter of time. Save your money and in time you’d will get a deal. JR
Pretty obvious that the owner is out trolling for a fool.
It’s a cool time piece, a fun weekender or parade vehicle. Only at $12K on its best day. It’s not a legend type vehicle.
Like the fact it has a 455 in it now,seems like the appropriate motor for a vehicle this size.Wonder what year 455 it is?The earlier the better like a 70′ or 71′ engine?Very clean car in any case….
My first car was a 75 Cutlass Salon. Loved that car. This dumb 16 year old kid when I got that car in 1980 used to roll around local junk yards looking for a Hurst Olds hood for it not knowing how rare they were at just 5 years old. Man we do some dumb things when we’re young! Not that I still don’t do dumb things at 60 but dang! Lol!
Love the t-tops! Have a soft spot for these as we had 2 Trans AMs and a ‘85 Cutlass with t-tops. Looks like a great cruiser but not for this price. Would rather be tooling around in a Cutlass Rallye 350 car.
Best part of this car is the underneath. Very rust free from what I see. That shifter handle is incorrect. Should be a round ball. The two tone reversible seats are incorrect I believe. There were 3 colors available, black, red and camel that went along the white vinyl. I am looking for a 75 Hiurst Olds. But not 30 large for this one.
Rare car, mainly due to inbred Tobacco addicts destroying them in derbies, as well as improper storage, and further endangered by mordered municipal zoning ordinances either banning unregistered, inoperatsbles vehicles, let alone annual property taxes on such.
Rare car, mainly due to inbred Tobacco addicts destroying them in derbies, as well as improper storage, and further endangered by mordered municipal zoning ordinances either ba nning unregistered, inoperatsbles vehicles, let alone annual property taxes on such.
Looks very nice but It appears to be a cloned Hurst Olds. It is equiped with standard Cutlass steering wheel, incorrect shifter, & incorrect interior for a 75 Hurst Olds.
The VIN and Data tag support a real Hurst Olds. Man it would be hard to clone the car – too many mods over the standard Cutlass. I have not seen that wheel in a Hurst before, could it have been optional? The shifter looks identical to other 75 Hurst Olds I have seen. The interior appears factory correct all around from the door to the sail panels and reversible seats.
All three 75 H/O’s I’ve owned over the years had the standard steering wheel. The four spoke wheel was optional.
Thank you for the comments and all the info. It was really helpful to see what folks though of the car. The car is now up on eBay for sale till 3/17/24. I have a much lower reserve than what I had it listed for on Craigslist. Check it out. We will see what the market will pay for it. I have two videos too in that auction that may help you see the car a bit better.