It sounds incredible today, given the performance legacy and collectability generally associated with the limited-production specialty vehicles from Hurst Performance, yet when the company developed a black-and-gold H/O proposal and this white-and-gold one for Oldsmobile to consider for 1976, the division's executives passed on the program.
The story of this proposal car is based on information the current owners, Rick and Sharon Tice of Cleona, Pennsylvania, have been able to glean from various sources over the years. Rick reports that he was able to confirm via the VIN that his is the white H/O proposal car. Aside from that and a few vintage photos, unfortunately no paper trail from Hurst, magazine articles about the car, or additional printed information from its early days has yet surfaced.
ENGINE: The presence of a special camshaft was discovered in the original 350 four-barrel engine when it was internally examined prior to its cosmetic restoration.
Rick also learned that the black proposal car, which was presented first for 1976, still exists and features a special rear window treatment.
This white-and-gold version with a stock backlite was built for the second round with Oldsmobile.
It's a 350 four-barrel Cutlass S outfitted with a revised Hurst package that the company anticipated would earn approval for production, but it too, was ultimately turned down by the division.
The prevailing opinion is that since Oldsmobile was in the process of building all the Cutlasses it could sell, an H/O wasn't needed. An additional contributing factor may have been the fact that Hurst's Dick Chrysler left the company that year to start his own, Cars & Concepts, which would become so successful that it bought Hurst in 1982.
Down but not out, Hurst updated its white-and-gold proposal car for 1977 with new graphics, and another black-and-gold version was built that featured the revised appearance but also added other Hurst modifications. More on that car in the next issue.
Photos exist of both proposal cars sporting different graphics schemes on each side, which offered additional appearance alternatives. Nevertheless, it seems that Oldsmobile still saw little benefit in diverting any resources to create a Hurst/Olds for the already top-selling Cutlass. Hence the H/O was a "no go" for 1977 as well.
Rick's car was also put into service for promotional activities at race venues etc., and even Hurst's legendary Linda Vaughn rode in it, and sometimes on it, to the delight of the crowds.
This proposal contains unique features that surely would have turned heads and raised eyebrows back in the day. Currently wearing its 1976 livery and grille, the H/O features wide gold stripes edged in black pinstripes over the hood and decklid, black pinstripes on the sides, gold door handle inserts, a Hurst/Hatch roof, and a special landau treatment with covered rear quarter windows. There are multiple H/O callouts on the body including a large decal on each rear quarter panel and emblems on the roof and decklid. Interestingly, there's no H/O identification near the front of the car.
Additionally, the Hurst/Hatch roof reveals two different designs when comparing the driver's and passenger's sides. The passenger's side initially appeared to accept the first- design Hatch, as it had the mounting tabs in the roof frame to fit into slots in the glass panel's trim. Conversely, the driver's side uses a revised Hurst/Hatch, which unlike the first-design, employs mounting tabs on the glass panel and areas to accept them in the new roof frame, as well as seal updates. The first-design also had bright trim surrounding the glass panel, but the later design doesn't on three sides of the glass.
However, when Rick tried to install the first-design panel on the passenger side, it was too large for the roof opening. Consequently, he believes that there was an additional design under consideration, and the passenger's side of his proposal has it—a smaller panel and opening that uses the first-design mounting system. He says that he confirmed with the owner of the black 1976 proposal that his car has this unique smaller version of the Hurst Hatches on both sides.
INTERIOR: The Dual/Gate shifter, "Hurst" door panel emblems, and "Hurst/Olds" inner sail panel emblems were part of the proposed package. An AM/ FM CB radio came in this car, but the floor mats are newer aftermarket items.
Since no replacements likely exist, Rick had to modify the passenger's side panel by cutting and rewelding its metal frame and replacing the glass with properly sized plexiglass to make it fit in the smaller opening.
Under the hood is the original 350 four-barrel engine and Rick reveals, "It's stock, as far as can be determined, other than an aluminum intake from a 1980s 307 engine and the camshaft, which is hand marked with numbers indicating it's for the Olds 403 marine engine, a 1977 application. It may have been a custom grind used here in development for the '77 year." As far as Rick can tell, the remainder of the drivetrain is stock, and the chassis is equipped with FE2 Rallye suspension.
The H/O proposal looks great now, but it had suffered a few hardships over the decades before Rick bought it in early 2009. It was said to have received front end damage in the late 1970s, and it then dropped off the radar.
In 2004, Rick was the president of the Blue/Gray chapter of the Oldsmobile Club of America, and his friend John Rogers was the vice president. "While shopping for a van at a used car dealer in North Philadelphia [about 11 miles from where the Hurst had once been in Warminster], I noticed this car sitting off to the side of the lot," John recalls.
"It was an odd sight—a white Cutlass S with gold stripes, a green front clip, and a truck cap sitting over the roof. It also had '76 Hurst/Olds' hand-painted on the decklid. I recognized the paint scheme from seeing the 1977 proposal, so I knew that there was something to the car."
Despite having "76" painted on it, the car was wearing its 1977 graphics. It had wide gold stripes outlined with pinstripes of the same color on the body sides, with Hurst/Olds callouts inside them, and the deck lid featured a gold panel and outline stripe that was similar to the 1973 Hurst/Olds.
John asked about the car and was told it belonged to the family that owned the business. He recollects, "I was told that the truck cap was used to keep the weather out, since the Hurst/Hatches had been stolen years before. The owner was doing pinstripe work for Hurst back when this vehicle was built, and when the company was finished using it, he bought it and drove it."
He continues, "After seeing the car and hearing the story, I got some cash together and went back and bought the Olds within a couple of days."
"I started collecting parts because I wanted to make sure I had everything I needed before I started the restoration to avoid delays once I jumped into it. The previous owner had put a Cutlass Supreme front end on it, so I bought a Cutlass S header panel for it. The fenders and the hood were okay… they were just green. Most of the important things were there, the shifter and roof mods, etcetera, but the Hatches were still missing."
The passenger's side Hurst/ Hatch looks like a first-design with bright metal border trim surrounding the glass insert, but the whole assembly is a bit smaller in this car. A revised Hurst/Hatch and mounting system was used on the driver's side.
Unfortunately, by February of 2009 John realized that he wasn't going to be able to restore the H/O proposal, so he sold it to Rick, who dove into the project in April of the same year.
Rick later received approval to host the 2012 Hurst/Olds Club of America National Meet with, you guessed it, a "proposal car" theme. No pressure, right? All he had to do was restore a car about which very little was known and do it while organizing a national event that would feature it and others like it.
Given the circumstances, Rick says that he resurrected the H/O proposal to get it as close to its 1976 appearance as possible, so he doesn't consider the car to be restored, but rather a work in progress.
Since it sat idle for so long, he examined the engine, transmission, and rear end for wear and damage. As he'd hoped, with just 37,687 miles on the car, they only needed their gaskets and seals replaced and a cosmetic restoration. The suspension was torn down, inspected, the parts were cleaned and repainted, and they were reinstalled with new bushings. The brake system was also overhauled.
Rick welded in new floorpans that had been sourced by John, and he repaired the body panels to prepare them and the replacement front sheetmetal and header panel for paint. Once the metal work was complete, the multiple coats of DuPont primer applied to the shell were block-sanded, and the body was deemed straight. Then, DuPont sealer was laid down, followed by three coats of single-stage Centari acrylic enamel in Cameo White. Wet sanding, compounding, and polishing smoothed the finish and brought out the shine. Rechromed bumpers were bolted on, and the polished trim was reinstalled.
John had provided dual headpipes, mufflers, tailpipes, and an earlier dual-exhaust crossmember with the sale, so Rick installed them.
The original dash pad, door, and quarter trim panels, rear seat, sun visors, package tray, and quarter window block-off panels were retained, the carpet and headliner are new, and the swivel bucket seats were replaced and restored.
Rick made his deadline for the 2012 H/OCA National Meet in Hershey, Pennsylvania, and his 1976-'77 proposal was a hit. "It was received quite well and drew a lot of positive comments," he says.
"Like many who own singular cars, we view ourselves as current caretakers of a piece of automotive history." As such, Rick continues to make improvements to his Hurst/ Olds proposal while searching for additional information pertaining to its lineage.
OWNER'S VIEW
My H/O proposal car has proven to be a great driver with good acceleration and a smooth ride. I've put about 3,000 miles on it since 2012, and I frequently display it at car shows. A highlight of owning this Olds came at Beaver Springs Dragway in Pennsylvania in June 2012 when it was reunited with Linda Vaughn after 36 years. The '76 has been a great addition to my collection that includes a 1986 H/O Aero Commemorative Coupe, a 1963 Oldsmobile F85 Cutlass [featured in Hemmings Special Interest Autos, June 2002, #189] and 1932 Oldsmobile five-window coupe street rod. —Rick Tice
SPECIFICATIONS
1976-'77 HURST/OLDS PROPOSAL
PRICE
Base price: N/A
Options on car profiled: 350 engine, Custom Sport steering wheel, A/C, swivel bucket seats, Tilt-Away wheel, AM/FM stereo/CB radio, sports styled outside rearview mirrors, cruise control (not installed)
ENGINE
Type: Oldsmobile "small-block" V-8; cast-iron block and cylinder heads
Displacement: 350-cu.in.
Bore x stroke: 4.057 x 3.385 in
Compression ratio: 8.5:1
Horsepower @ rpm: 170 net @ 3,800 stock; currently N/A due to cam change
Torque @ rpm: 275 lb-ft. net @ 2,400 stock; currently N/A due to cam change
Camshaft: Believed to be an Olds 403 marine cam
Valvetrain: Hydraulic lifters; pushrods; valves; valve springs; 1.60:1-ratio rocker arms
Main bearings: Five
Fuel: Quadrajet four-barrel; mechanical pump (currently aluminum intake manifold)
Ignition: High Energy Ignition
Lubrication: Full pressure; gear-type pump
Electrical: 12-volt
Exhaust: Cast-iron manifolds, single with crossover, catalytic converter, muffler, and tailpipe (currently dual head-pipes, mufflers, and tailpipes)
TRANSMISSION
Type: Turbo Hydra-Matic 350
Ratios: 1st/2.52:1 … 2nd/1.52:1 … 3rd/1.00:1
DIFFERENTIAL
Type: GM 10-bolt hypoid; 8.5-inch ring gear; open differential; semi-floating axles
Ratio: 2.41:1
STEERING
Type: Recirculating ball; variable ratio; power assist
Turns lock-to-lock: 3.06
Turning circle: N/A
BRAKES
Type: Hydraulic disc/drum; dual-circuit master cylinder
Front: 10.88-inch rotors, single-piston calipers
Rear: Drums
SUSPENSION
Front: Independent; unequal-length control arms; coil springs; shocks; anti-roll bar
Rear: Four-link; coil springs; shocks, anti-roll bar
WHEELS & TIRES
Wheels: Super Stock III
Front/Rear: 15 x 7-in
Tires: RWL radials (currently 215/65R15 Goodyear Eagle GT II radials)
PRODUCTION
1-of-3 proposal Hurst/Oldses built for 1976-'77
PERFORMANCE
1/4-Mile ET: N/A
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