At the Wheel: Back in the Game
Story by Gerry Frechette, Photos courtesy Hurst Shifters
Does everyone remember the 1960s? Okay, maybe you are a little young to. Back then, in the heyday of the muscle car, THE aftermarket status symbol and performance improvement on a four-speed car was a Hurst shifter, with either a big white shift knob, or the contoured T-grip. Some cars, like the Pontiac GTO, even had Hurst shifters from the factory, in both manuals and automatics. Remember the Dual-Gate, with a manual shift gate? Some ideas really aren’t so new.
Hurst was the big name in the industry back then, and the company levered that notoriety by partnering with various auto manufacturers to produce limited-edition performance cars that had unique paint jobs, special interiors and wheels, and various other modifications that added value and desirability. The most-often Hurst-modified model was the Oldsmobile Cutlass, and even the Rambler American got the treatment. Race cars, too, were built by Hurst. Remember the Hurst ‘Hemi Under Glass’ wheelstanders, and the ’68 Hemi Barracudas and Darts built for NHRA Super Stock racing? The latter cars are still on the track, forty years later.
The last Hurst-modified car appeared in 1988, and in the interim, the Hurst brand got shuffled around from owner to owner in the industry, and no cars were produced. But 21 years after the Hurst name last appeared on a car, the newest owner (B&M Performance) has decided it is time to get back into the business, and the cars chosen to carry the distinctive “H” logo are Dodges. The Hurst/Hemi-Challenger and Hurst/Viper were unveiled at the SEMA Show in November, and by this summer, selected Chrysler dealers in Canada should be taking orders.
The Viper celebrates the 50th anniversary of Hurst, and only 50 of them will be built. Given the limited numbers and the expected cost of the Viper, we don’t expect a lot of them to find their way to Canada, and the Challenger will definitely be the one to spearhead the Hurst thrust back into the muscle car market.
Hurst is certainly giving the Challenger enthusiast a lot of choice, producing cars based on both the R/T (with ‘regular’ Hemi) and SRT8 models, and in a few different stages of modification. In the U.S., where the cars are available now, Series 2 Challengers are available through selected Dodge dealers, while the Series 3, 4 and 5 models are available only through Hurst directly.
So just what do you get in the Series 2? A long list of special Hurst trim and top-line performance equipment, such as Hurst “HARD-DRIVE®” shifter, unique Hurst 20-inch polished forged wheels, rear spoiler, leather interior with gold top-stitching and embroidered logos, exterior graphics and badges, and limited-edition sequentially numbered dash badge. Performance equipment includes Goodyear Eagle F-1 performance tires, Magnaflow stainless-steel cat-back exhaust, K&N Air Filter, and Eibach Coil-over Adjustable Suspension. Colours are the traditional Black or White with Hurst Gold racing stripes, with a matching colour car cover.
In the U.S., this package on the R/T costs $18,350, and $17,450 on the SRT8 (less because the SRT8 already has the Goodyear tires), on top of the car itself, of course. Prices for Canada have not been announced, but that should give you some idea.
The Series 3 R/T ($26,750 US) and the Series 4 SRT8 ($25,120 US) add a Vortech supercharger to the above list, while the Series 5 SRT8 ($33,150 US) adds to the Series 4 a custom white pearl paint job. Hurst has not yet jumped through all the regulatory and business hoops to sell the supercharged cars in Canada, so there is no word yet on the time frame for their availability, but the Series 2 is mechanically stock, and as soon as Hurst concludes arrangements with the Chrysler dealers they are talking with (including, at this time, in Toronto and Vancouver), it should be ready to order. Hurst works directly through dealers, and not through parent company Chrysler.
Of course, Hurst doesn’t plan to stop with just the Challenger and Viper, as they plan to apply the Hurst treatment to other Chrysler vehicles, including Ram and Charger. Look for further announcements in the near future, and soon, you’ll be able to head down to the nearest Chrysler dealer carrying the Hurst cars, to see for yourself the latest in a long line of collector muscle cars with the legendary Hurst touch.
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