Here’s an awesome video with a long look back at one of the great Indy 500 Pace Cars, the 1972 Hurst/Oldsmobile, and the real star of the show, Linda Vaughn.
In MCG’s opinion, “icon” must be the most overused word in the car enthusiast world, and we do what we can here at Mac’s Motor City Garage to avoid using it altogether. However, this video features three indisputable automotive icons: the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, the Hurst/Olds, and Linda Vaughn, the best ambassador motorsports ever had.
All three of these automotive legends came together in 1972 for the Indianapolis 500. Introduced in 1968, the Cutlass-based Hurst/Olds was one of the more successful boutique specials of the muscle car era, and for ’72 the limited-production model stepped into prime time to represent Oldsmobile as the official Indy 500 pace car. Naturally, the program included Miss Hurst Golden Shifter herself, Linda Vaughn. As warm on the inside as she is gorgeous on the outside, Linda is easily the most popular spokesperson in the performance industry. Here she is billed as “the first lady of auto racing,” and that she is.
The 1972 models are among the rarest of the Hurst/Olds line with only 633 vehicles produced. (Only the first year, 1968, is more exclusive at 515 units.) All the ’72s were the signature Cameo White with reflective gold stripes, and at least 33 of them were on hand for the opening-day festivities at the Speedway that year. Now here’s another icon, Sid Collins, the familiar radio voice of the Indianapolis 500 from 1952 through 1976, to call the action. Video below.
I had the pleasure to meet Linda a few years ago, she is as lovely and wonderful now as she was back then! Just like Dick Clark, I don’t think the lady ages a bit! And neither does the 1972 Olds Cutlass, it still is one of the best looking designs in the long life of the Cutlass.
Little story about Hurst and G.M.
A automotive division at G.M. could not use or put a name of a outside vendor on their product.
In the very early 60’s Pontiac’s with floor mounted stick shift cars had problems with the shifters jamming up, linkage coming loose and coming out of adjustment etc. Pontiac Engineering with the help of Pontiac’s advertising agency’s executive Jim Wangers ( a friend of George Hurst) went to the corporation and convinced the corporation they could sell more stick shift cars by using the Hurst shifter that the racers were already using in racing. From 1961-1963 Pontiac’s were using Hurst shifters and in 1964 the Hurst name appeared on the Pontiac shifter for all to see that Pontiac was using the racers shifter.
Without Pontiac’s foresight in marketing and getting the corporation to change policy ( no easy thing to do) the Hurst Olds would never would have become a reality.
What period I have no idea but I have used factory GM Hurst Shifters on my Muncie and Super T10s in road race cars. They are the best, I had another well known brand on one gearbox for one meeting and my arm ached for a week after. About 45 laps with 21 changes a lap.
These shifts have Hurst on the actual shifter and not on the lever unlike Ford that late 60s Mustangs had. An option I believe. A friends 70 Mach 1 has one and it is so much nicer than the factory Ford shift and does NOT jam in reverse.