Hot Wheels 1984 Hurst/Oldsmobile Cutlass 4-4-2

The name Hurst and Olds are synommous with each other as both partnered to create the famous Hurst/Olds package for the 442 and have pioneered the famed pace car look in white with gold stripes and really brought the Miss Hurst to the spotlight: Linda Vaughn.  But during the 1970's oil embargo and emission regulations performance took a back seat and so did Hurst and Oldsmobile.  The two would reunite one more time to produce a special version of the Cutlass Supreme coupe called the Hurst/Olds 442.

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The Hurst/Olds was revived for 1983 and 1984 model years in black over silver and silver over black color scheme.  The look joined the new aerodynamic look that adorned all A-body GM coupes in 1982.  The Hurst package adds the Regal T-type's domed hood, Hurst badges, mag wheels, dual exhausts, and a rear spoiler.  Inside the interior is similar to all Cutlass Supreme coupes but with an added difference: the Hurst lightning rod shifters for the 4-speed automatic: The left lever is the main Park, Reverse, Neutral, Overdrive, and Drive selector and the shifter also acts as the 3rd and 4th gear engagement.  The two other levers engage second (middle) and first (right).  At a standstill first gear is engaged when the two right shift levers are pushed in the up position and the left one is in drive.  To activate the next gear each lever is moved down until it's left in 4th gear with all levers down and the left one in overdrive.  The power comes from a 307 CID Oldsmobile V8 that produces 180 hp. and 245 Ib-ft of torque.

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Hot Wheels first released the Hurst/Olds 442 in 2012 for the Ultra Hots series, and today is widely popular among collectors.  After success with the Buick Grand National and 1986 Monte Carlo SS the Hurst/Olds takes the similar styling cues and applies it in its own way.  The silver with lower black stripe and red striping is nicely done, though the basic wheels sitting on a raked stance look a bit awkward, especially the rear tires.  The front has quad headlights with twin grilles that flow down into the bumper where the signal lights reside.  The hood bulge stands out from the hood, as does the rear spoiler on the trunklid.  The rear has detailed taillights, reverse lamps, Hurst/Olds badge, and dual exhausts that stand out.  The base shows the detailed exhaust, drivetrain, transmission pan, and rear fuel tank with vertical spare tire hump.  The base has always been metal and still stays that way even today.  The interior has the detailed front bucket seats with rear seats, speakers and brake light on the rear decklid, dashboard with lightning rod shifters on the console, all done in a dark red color.

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While the Hot Ones version is the must-have for collectors, other versions have come out and are relatively easy-to-find.  The Cool Classics version has a nice clean look on a spectrafrost orange paint, but it looks too custom compared to the realistic-looking Hot Ones version.  A tad closer to the original, and the cheapest of the bunch, is the Target retro version.  It uses standard 5-spokes that look much better than the basic wheels on the Hot Ones and the modern wheels used on the Cool Classics version.  The paint is an interesting gray that has a touch of blue tint in it and it wears very '80's orange stripes.  Even though the rear end lacks any details much of the detail is still there thanks to tooling cuts to show off the taillights and bumper design.

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Hot Wheels has done a lot of good with the 1984 Hurst/Olds, but it would be nice to see it more in the future, possibly as a mainline with a plastic base.