1986 Hurst Olds?
- Thread starter L92 OLDS
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Cream Colour is fugly with the black, don't like the ground effects.
Only thing that's been added that l like is the rear spoiler.
Only thing that's been added that l like is the rear spoiler.
14 in SSIi's , pillow seats , sweep speedo,cheap lookin shifter and a vinyl top, not exactly what I'd call Hurst Olds material. Pair all that up with gaudy ground effects and a cheesy spoiler that looks like it came from a third gen Camaro and it gets a 
all day long . It may as well have been a 6cyl car to top it all off. Could have been a good concept at the time but poorly executed.
all day long . It may as well have been a 6cyl car to top it all off. Could have been a good concept at the time but poorly executed.
Unfortunately my 88 is all of the above being a Brougham, so yeah also for the best. I could lived with it all except the front skirt, it just looks awful, looks like they painted a big rake and slapped it on.14 in SSIi's , pillow seats , sweep speedo,cheap lookin shifter and a vinyl top, not exactly what I'd call Hurst Olds material. Pair all that up with gaudy ground effects and a cheesy spoiler that looks like it came from a third gen Camaro and it gets a
Now, before we all completely melt down about how gawky the body kit looks on the car, we should reflect back on the time period this was. Personally, I like the clean look of a plain Cutlass. This kit turned out to be not all that and a bag of chips over the years. There were two versions of this kit, IIRC. One made in Michigan and the other in Arizona. Can't recall which kit was made first, but it was deemed the "better quality" of the two different locations.
But look at GM's lineup in the 80s. Designs were usually reflecting signs of the times a few years or thereabouts prior to the release year of said design. If you recall, EVERYONE was getting into the air dam skirts and crap in the mid-80s. This kit, like Doc Watson himself, had gone above that line of subtle thinking to come out with something more outrageous. I have to admit, the front air dams on the 83/84 Hurst/Olds looked about as far as I would have taken things. The air dam was noticeable, sure, but not too much to where it didn't grind directly against the attempt to blend.
So in a way, this "look" was more along the sign of the times. Back in the 80s, it really didn't look all that terrible when you compared it with other offerings. In fact, there were a few cars that even stock started getting more bold and elaborate with their skirting. Namely the F-body Camaro and Firebird. The 82 Camaro Z28 came out with fairly thin body skirting and squarish nose. But by the late 80s, that skirting got bigger and goofier. This kit follows that line of thinking.
However, time has not been kind to the extra cladding on cars as a good look for them. So chalk this one up as a time-era piece, and then we can move on to something that doesn't stop the clock of auto design.
But look at GM's lineup in the 80s. Designs were usually reflecting signs of the times a few years or thereabouts prior to the release year of said design. If you recall, EVERYONE was getting into the air dam skirts and crap in the mid-80s. This kit, like Doc Watson himself, had gone above that line of subtle thinking to come out with something more outrageous. I have to admit, the front air dams on the 83/84 Hurst/Olds looked about as far as I would have taken things. The air dam was noticeable, sure, but not too much to where it didn't grind directly against the attempt to blend.
So in a way, this "look" was more along the sign of the times. Back in the 80s, it really didn't look all that terrible when you compared it with other offerings. In fact, there were a few cars that even stock started getting more bold and elaborate with their skirting. Namely the F-body Camaro and Firebird. The 82 Camaro Z28 came out with fairly thin body skirting and squarish nose. But by the late 80s, that skirting got bigger and goofier. This kit follows that line of thinking.
However, time has not been kind to the extra cladding on cars as a good look for them. So chalk this one up as a time-era piece, and then we can move on to something that doesn't stop the clock of auto design.
Keep in mind there are really FUNCTIONAL ones and then the ones more for show. There's a place for them, but other than say, and 80s stocker that came with it from the factory, I would advise against adding of the cladding.He's right, remember the fat air dam on Minty's Firebird?
or the Shelby Dodges?
Cuz you can't forget crap like THIS:
If they could have kept it tight without warpage, it might look ok. But just....no.
Keep in mind there are really FUNCTIONAL ones and then the ones more for show. There's a place for them, but other than say, and 80s stocker that came with it from the factory, I would advise against adding of the cladding.
Cuz you can't forget crap like THIS:
If they could have kept it tight without warpage, it might look ok. But just....no.
Personally I think they look better with them, the Fox Bodies anyway.
There was never an '86 Hurst Olds, the FE3X supposedly was supposed to be the '86 Hurst Olds but that never happened:
Doc could have done better with the shovel nose portion, usually what everyone get's their panties in a wad over...
I personally like the rear wrap of the design better:
I picked up Doc Watson's personal prototype when he passed, #001 of the 4 he made, the rest he offered as kits, 160 made, 122 sold approximately. If you put it on any 81-87 Cutlass it was an Aero Commemorative like this '86. The kits were intended for people to make their own 20th Anniversary Hurst Olds in commemoration to the 1968 Hurst Olds Doc Watson had designed. GM turned down the proposal for the 1988 Hurst Olds due to the W-body car line and wanted more focus on selling FWD cars.
Doc's has a Hurst pushbutton shifter prototype they could never get working right and I pulled it out and looked it over and all the wiring and solenoids are gone now. His had a 640ci Olds DRCE in it back when he first built it but now has a 307.
I get ton's of complements when I take it out, and I drive it quite often like he did since it was one of his daily drivers.
Joe Vitek did one up some time ago as a tribute to the '68 H/O, the white/black and gray colors seem to complement the kit better, there are a few burgundy ones and a red one out there and I don't think that color works well with those colors.
More Hurst Aero cars here:
https://www.facebook.com/88hurstolds/
Doc could have done better with the shovel nose portion, usually what everyone get's their panties in a wad over...
I personally like the rear wrap of the design better:
I picked up Doc Watson's personal prototype when he passed, #001 of the 4 he made, the rest he offered as kits, 160 made, 122 sold approximately. If you put it on any 81-87 Cutlass it was an Aero Commemorative like this '86. The kits were intended for people to make their own 20th Anniversary Hurst Olds in commemoration to the 1968 Hurst Olds Doc Watson had designed. GM turned down the proposal for the 1988 Hurst Olds due to the W-body car line and wanted more focus on selling FWD cars.
Doc's has a Hurst pushbutton shifter prototype they could never get working right and I pulled it out and looked it over and all the wiring and solenoids are gone now. His had a 640ci Olds DRCE in it back when he first built it but now has a 307.
I get ton's of complements when I take it out, and I drive it quite often like he did since it was one of his daily drivers.
Joe Vitek did one up some time ago as a tribute to the '68 H/O, the white/black and gray colors seem to complement the kit better, there are a few burgundy ones and a red one out there and I don't think that color works well with those colors.
More Hurst Aero cars here:
https://www.facebook.com/88hurstolds/
Tread lightly, good sir. Everyone knows that the Aztec and Avalanche were decoys so that when Pontiac introduced the Vibe (my personal work car and clearly the division's swan song) everyone one would say, "I guess that's not so bad. But why is GM trying to clone a Subaru Outback?"
See? Cladding is a timeless kind of sexy.
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