The company Hurst Performance was originally named Hurst-Campbell, which was founded and established in 1958 by George Hurst and Bill Campbell as a small auto repair-focused garage. The auto repair company soon branched out into the making of aftermarket performance parts, most notably shifters for manual transmissions. They also collaborated with several car makers to produce special edition muscle cars which had the Hurst name and logo incorporated in them. They even went the extra mile to create very flashy and colorful advertisements. Some of the special edition muscle cars include the 1970 Chrysler Hurst 300, 1969 AMC/SC Rambler, and several other Hurst/Olds models. And now Hurst remains a respected name in the whole automotive industry.
The Rise Of Hurst-Campbell
The company was established in 1958 by George Hurst and Bill Campbell as a small auto repair garage, and soon with the help of Lawrence Greenwald, an elderly inventor soon got into the production of aftermarket parts. Hurst-Campbell made aftermarket parts for several companies, such as they started making aftermarket bumpers for the very famous Volkswagen buses, they also made motor mounts for engine swaps in drag racing, Hurst-Campbell was very active in the local drag racing scene. So, after they started to become more successful with their after-market shifter, Pontiac made the Hurst shifter as standard equipment and this was the beginning of Hurst-Campbell’s rise.
Hurst and Pontiac
During the period of late 1950s and early 1960s, there was a fall in the demand for manual transmissions as automatic transmissions grew more popular. Hurst Performance which was originally known as Hurst-Campbell had been making a name for themselves in a local drag race scene, soon Pontiac started to include Hurst shifters as standard equipment in their cars. The partnership between Hurst and Pontiac lifted up the interest in manual transmission and it solidified Hurst’s reputation as the producer of products that enhance the performance of a car.
Magic of the Hurst Shifters
The Hurst shifter is a legendary name in the automotive market, their reputation as creators and masterful shifters began on the drag strip. In the muscle era Hurts made shifters and linkages that stood up among all the other brands, they not only stood up to the test time daily drivers but were on track as well. Their marketing was in tune with the time, filling up the flourishing in the muscle car movement during the 1960s and they were promoted through many advertising and a lot of contests. And these are the factors that contributed to the growth in popularity of the Hurst shifters. Apart from their linkages and floor shift kits Hurst also made their own transmissions as well such as Hurst His/Her shifters.
Hurst and Oldsmobile
In 1968 Hurst and Oldsmobile, a division of General Motors came together to make a legendary muscle car which was mostly famous for its power. The first muscle car of Hurst/Olds was created by a few of Old’s staffers who were Doc Watson, John B, Beltz, and Bob Dorshimer. In 1969 teamed with Hurst Performance, Oldsmobile came alive in the muscle car community. The model was a very special and limited production of Oldsmobile which was admired and enjoyed by car enthusiasts. The car’s slogan “Snarls Softly and carries a big stick” is a modified version of former President Roosevelt’s famous statement “Speak softly and carry a big stick”. The partnership between Hurst and Oldsmobile forever changed the way of selling cars and that also solidified their company’s reputation.
Hurst Performance today
Hurst Performance today continues to develop top notch and industry-leading automotive parts and keeps carrying out the vision of George. The latest Elite series line by Hurst for modern muscle cars not only includes their world-famous shifter but also exhaust systems, wheels, floor mats, and most of the other equipment. The customers are also allowed to build their own version of a Hurst car.
This company started in 1958 and it still remains a very respected name in the Automobile industry and history for its crucial contribution to the muscle car era.
