72HOpilot’s Oldsmobile Hurst/Olds

I purchased my 1972 Hurst Olds Indy Pace Car in 1979 for $700.00 back in my hometown of St. Louis, Missouri. It didn't run, was very dirty, and had chevy rally wheels when I towed it home. I cleaned out the interior, put on the correct SS III rally wheels, installed a new battery, points and plugs, and changed the oil. It started right up and ran excellent. I spent a week detailing everything and after I finished it looked like new again. This was my first true muscle car and of all the cars I ever owned, it was my favorite. My wife and I would cruise every chance we got and take it to the dragstrip at St. Louis International Raceway on grudge night. I joined the Air Force and had to have my father-in-law sell my H/O in 1981 when I received an assignment to Germany. A week later my assignment was changed to California so I returned home to buy my H/O back. Unfortunately, my Father-in-law failed to keep any paperwork from the sale. I searched everywhere but had no luck finding it. I continued to search for over 24 years. Through a very bizarre string of events too long to explain here, I found my H/O while returning home for my Grandmother's funeral in April 2005. It was still back in St. Louis where it had been all these years. I bought it back and dedicated it to my late Grandmother. It now wears a vanity plate with her name. Since getting it back, I've spent alot of time returning it to original condition like it was when I bought it in 1979. It still has the original numbers matching 455 V-8, 400 turbo automatic tranny with the Hurst Dual Gate shifter and 3:23 posi rearend. It's still as fun to drive now as it was then, although it doesn't do daily driver duty anymore. It was a miracle that I got my H/O back, but now she's here to stay.