The early 1960s were an exciting time, as the speed equipment aftermarket’s penetration of Motor City really began to take off. The classic example is Hurst, whose floor-shift-conversion business exploded after Pontiac anointed the four-speed shifter as standard equipment on 1961 Super Duty Catalinas.
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Not coincidentally, cofounder George Hurst worked harder at self-promotion, and he was better at it than any of his peers—as illustrated by the number and variety of products and projects Hurst Performance involved itself with. Frequently, the only identifiable background signage in archived images of 1960s racetracks and show floors is the Pennsylvania company’s signature, H-pattern logo.
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While the Jaws of Life tool would become George’s greatest contribution to society, his most crowd-pleasing invention remains the giant handle-and-knob assembly rising above some convertible’s trunk.
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It’s a tough job, but somebody had to work the inaugural Hawaiian State Championships and companion car show. HRM’s February 1965 report failed to picture, or even identify, the unfamiliar “shifter girls” photographer Ray Brock conned into posing. We wonder how George Hurst explained the Mercury’s lettering to rental-car agents.
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Petersen Publishing chief photographer Bob D’Olivo met George even before the original Hurst-Campbell Company promoted kits for converting “three on the tree” to floor shifting. A well-dressed gent walked through the front door on Hollywood Blvd. carrying motor mounts and asking for any editor who happened to be there. Unofficial company policy in such situations called for somebody—anybody—with a camera handy to escort the visitor to the parking lot and click off an obligatory roll before sending him on his way (unless the guy had backing, in which case an ad guy would be alerted to fresh meat outside). Bob got the call on this day, was impressed by the inventor and inventions, and promised to make prints for editors.
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And thus began a personal friendship that lasted until George’s 1986 untimely death, at 59, and a professional relationship with this publishing company that continues to present, withstanding multiple ownership changes.
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