Car: Oldsmobile Hurst-Olds 455 H/O
Year: 1969
What makes it special: The H/O was Oldsmobile’s trick to get around the GM 400 cu in engine “size cap” for their intermediate or A-Body cars. The H/O wasn’t a 4-4-2 for a good reason. Olds joined forces with Hurst Performance to build the Hurst/Olds using Oldsmobile’s new 455 cu in V8, and claimed that subcontractor Demmer engineering would be installing the specially-prepped and Ram-Air fed 455 rather than Olds doing it on their assembly line. In reality, Olds themselves were allegedly installing the H/O engines on the line, then shipping the cars to Demmers to apply the Firefrost Gold tw0-toned treatment and hand pinstriping over the factory Cameo White paint job.
What made it famous: The Hurst-Olds 455 H/O also featured the famous pedestal-mounted rear spoiler, Hurst Dual/Gate shifter, matching Firefrost gold-striped headrests, special H/O rear view mirrors, Ram-Air set-up, and two mailbox sized hood scoops to feed the Ram-Air, famously lettered with “H/O 455.”
Why I would want one: If you are a fan of Oldsmobile’s mid-sized monsters, this is your ultimate “Franken-beast.”
Fun fact: A mere 906 H/O 455’s were produced for the 1969 model year, and less than one-third were equipped with factory A/C.
