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| Fate | Buyout |
|---|---|
| Successor | Sunbeam Products |
| Founded | 1958 |
| Defunct | 1970s |
| Headquarters | Warminster Township, Pennsylvania, United States |
| Key people | George Hurst |
| Industry | Automobile |
| Products | automobile transmission shifters |
Hurst Performance Inc. of Warminster, Pennsylvania, manufactured products for enhancing the performance of muscle cars.
Contents |
Products
Hurst produced aftermarket replacement manual transmission shifters and other automobile performance enhancing parts.
Hurst was also an Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) supplier for automakers and provided services or components for numerous muscle car models by American Motors (AMC), Ford, Chrysler, and General Motors. Their products were included in the AMC Machine, AMC AMX, Pontiac GTO, Ford Mustang Boss, Plymouth Barracuda, Plymouth Superbird, and Oldsmobile.
Many renowned specialty models were produced in cooperation with the company and sported the Hurst brand as part of the official name. These included the AMC SC/Rambler, Jeep Jeepster, and various Oldsmobile Hurst/Olds models, based on the Oldsmobile Cutlass.
History
The original company was called Hurst-Campbell, which was co-founded by George Hurst in 1958 to make Hurst shifters and other aftermarket high-performance car parts. By the late 1960s, Hurst transmission shifters and other products became legendary in auto racing, particularly in drag racing and among custom car makers. For example, many automobile enthusiasts replaced flimsy factory shifters with Hurst shifters to get better control of gear selection, particularly for competitive driving. The Hurst units were so good that U.S. automakers were forced to offer them, although they preferred making their own parts. [1]
Hurst Performance was also the inventor of the Jaws of Life rescue tool.
The company was bought out by Sunbeam Products in the early 1970s and later became part of the Mr. Gasket Company.
Today
Hurst is now part of B&M Automotive Products [2]. A new subsidiary, opened in 2008, called Hurst Performance Vehicles, is responsible for creating new renditions of Hurst vehicles such as the Hurst Challenger, Hurst Viper, and the Hurst Camaro. Hurst Shifters is based in Chatsworth, California, while the Hurst Performance Vehicles are produced/assembled in Santa Ana, California.
Book
- Robert C. Lichty and Terry V. Boyce (1983). Hurst Heritage High Performance History. Dobbs. ISBN 0-941596-24-9.
External links
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