Car enthusiasts are very familiar with Hurst Performance, the legendary supplier of high-performance aftermarket parts. When the Hurst name is stamped on a car’s badge, you know that the whip was configured to hold its own on back roads and drag strips.
That’s the case with this survivor 1984 Hurst/Olds Cutlass, produced in the final year of a 16-year collaboration with Oldsmobile.
Buy Gone Preservation, the Wisconsin-based seller, describes this one-owner Oldsmobile Cutlass as “an investment-grade time capsule” with just 4,880 miles on the odometer. The well-documented car was number 1,788 of 3,500 built for 1984.
The Radical Hurst Lightning Rods Triple Shifter
For 1984, Hurst/Olds introduced a silver exterior with black accents and a rear spoiler. It’s sharp. The car packs a V-8 with 180 horsepower and 245 pound-feet of torque. But the most intriguing equipment on ’83 and ’84 Hurst/Olds is the shifter featuring three gear levers. It’s called the Hurst Lightning Rods Triple Shifter.
The Lightning Rods Tripe Shifter component can be found on eBay Motors.
The Lighting Rods triple shifter is a twist on Hurst’s Dual Gate shifter. Hurst introduced technology in 1968 to allow drivers with an automatic transmission to shift manually. The Lightning Rods shifter, which came in 1983, borrows its design from the Lenco gear shifting technology popular in drag racing.
In other words, everyday commuters could emulate their drag-strip heroes by having their hand hop between multiple levers.
What’s going on with those two additional levers? The one on the far right performs the shift from first to second gear. To get up to third gear, drivers use the middle lever. Or drivers could leave the lever on the far left in either “D” for Drive or “OD” for Overdrive.
Of course, one lever could get the job done with the four-speed overdrive automatic. But that would be less less fun.
The radical shifter didn’t last long. The design went away quietly along with the Hurst/Olds. The Cutlass model, the only car to use the odd triple configuration, went out of production after 1984.
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This Car’s Devoted Owners
Norbert and Sue Jensen, the original owners, became interested in buying the Hurst/Olds in 1984 after learning about the modifications planned for the model year. Hurst Performance models had been on a hiatus since 1980.
The couple had their hearts set on a T-Top. So when the Jensens discovered an ’84 Hurst/Olds with a T-Top in nearby Green Bay, Wisc., they quickly sealed the deal.
See this story: When Convertibles Were Endangered, T-Tops Ruled.
From the beginning, the Jensen’s worked to keep the mileage low on the Hurst/Olds Cutlass. They were meticulous about filing all relevant paperwork for the car, including the dealer stock number card, GMAC financing papers, bill of sale, rustproofing receipts, and the window sticker. They had experience with classic cars, so they knew to drive it sparingly on sunny days and keep it in pristine condition.
The planning paid off. Twenty years later, the car had only seen 4,500 miles of use. It has barely moved since then, and the seller says the car “glows.” Its only reported flaw is a slightly sagging headliner. And its sweet T-Top and Lightning Rods shifter are ready to transport a new owner to the world of early 1980s dragsters—or to the grocery store.
Read this: 1970 Chrysler Convertible Served as Platform for Racing Queen.
