1968 OLDSMOBILE 442 HURST OLDS 16,932 Miles PERUVIAN SILVER 455 AUTOMATIC

This car is documented #320 of the 515 original-batch of Hurst/Olds coupes. That makes it true muscle car royalty. Not only were these the big motor juggernauts of the streets, but also they had one of the coolest looks going. So it's awesome to find an ultra-low mileage example that completed a full restoration in 2018. The Peruvian Silver paint is special to the Toronado, and was only applied to the Cutlass for these special edition cars. So they took extra care in applying it during restoration. It's nicely complemented by the black stripe package that outlines both the power bulge in the hood and the curvaceous profile of this Holiday Hardtop. And the black trunk shows off the stylish raised lip of the rear fenders while also looking race-ready. They even have all the details right, like the Hurst badging, black rockers, thin white pinstripe around all the black. This is a truly wide machine meant to truly own the road, and those form-fitting chrome bumpers make it look even more imposing. Hood vents, notched dual exhaust in the rear, and Super Stock II wheels complete this accurate and intimidating package.
Inside is more evidence of a solid investment. The all black interior looks great as it complements the exterior silver as nicely as the stripes do. There's an authenticity about the materials used from the pattern on the bucket seats to the trunk mat. The restoration was completed with originality in mind so original pieces were reused to retain the OEM pieces. It really has a time machine quality, right down to the factory AM/FM radio that still cranking out tunes. The factory three-spoke steering wheel has that perfect thin grip for the power steering. Ahead of that, the three round pods house the instruments in a European-like way that makes this Olds feel premium. Plus, these Hurst/Olds machines were truly upmarket with true walnut trim. Of course, because this is a Hurst machine, you got the iconic His & Hers dual gate shifter.
What made the Hurst/Olds a true in-demand marvel of its time was that this was the only intermediate car that broke GM's displacement rule. So while the stock 442 has the 400ci motor, these very special cars had the big 455 cubic-inch V8 borrowed from the Toronado. And you'll want to dig a little deeper into this one. According to Sam Grewal letter on file, this 455 and a few others were originally built for Oldsmobile by Mondello and dispered to participating Olds sponsored racers. The heads on this motor are stamped 585, and according to Lynn at Mondello, the 500 series motors went to baja and Pikes Peak racers. Lynn said these motors were all in excess of 500hp. The Mondello crew preferred 425 internals. This engine was rebuilt just how the Mondello crew did with 425 internals with 12 to 1 pistons ( Mondelleo Pistons) shows the right signs to be a block that was used in Oldsmobile racing programs due to the designated "E" stamped into the block. The original forged crankshaft was used and it has new forged pistons from Mondello. The ram air feeds the four-barrel carb to inhale deeply, which passes through the period correct, "D" heads, and it exhales from the dual exhaust with a terrific muscle car growl. As you look at the undercarriage photos, you'll spot a clean look of a well restored car. While your down there, you'll also see great driving features like the strong, rebuilt, TH400 three-speed automatic transmission sway bars front & rear, boxed rear arms, and power brakes w/discs up front.
Not only does this come with owner-provided engine history, but also the owner's manual, build receipts, and restoration photos. This is a rare Olds with low mileage and It's true muscle car royalty
In 1968, GM had a corporate edict that forbade the installation of any engine larger than 400 cubic inches in an intermediate body. Thus, the 442 had a 400, the Chevelle a 396 and the GTO a 389. Shifter mogul George Hurst had a '68 442 that he had swapped an Olds 455 into, and found the swap to be not only successful, but relatively simple. Not only was there an increase in power, but the 455 actually weighed less then the 400 it replaced, so the 442's legendary handling remained intact. George's right-hand man, Jack "Doc" Watson, took the idea of the engine swap a few steps further, adding special paint, a Hurst shifter, engine modifications, and a walnut dash appliqué, and the Hurst/Olds was born!
The first Hurst/Olds was almost a sleeper. Sedate looking in its silver and black paint scheme, it was far from sedate acting with 390 horsepower nestling under the hood. Based on the already potent 442, the H/O featured a special Toronado-only paint color, Peruvian silver, accented with black stripes and a black trunk. The 442's 400 was replaced with a hot-rodded 455 from the Toronado, which featured big-valve heads, lumpy cam, specially modified carb and distributor, and the W30's ram air induction system, with twin scoops under the front bumper. Air conditioned cars lost 10 horsepower, but still, the "gentleman's hot rod" was able to show its taillights to most competitors. A unique feature found on the '68 was the red plastic inner fender liners, which were slipped into the package by Olds boss John Beltz. On the inside, the '68 featured a walnut inlay on the dash panel and a short plastic console that housed the Hurst Dual Gate shifter. Production started on the cars late in the model year, and was handled by Demmer Engineering in Lansing, MI. Demmer had only about 30 days to convert the planned run of 500 cars. Olds had thousands of orders it couldn't fill, and the production run was finally upped to 515 to accommodate a Lansing area Olds dealer who demanded more cars. The '68 was a success by any standard, and would pave the way for a long relationship between Oldsmobile Division and Hurst Performance.
1968:
Authentication:
• ALL '68 H/Os were built in Lansing.
• The cowl plate build date code should be between mid April and mid June.
• The paint code HAS to be Z-Z. ONLY H/Os have this paint code. The interior trim code is 940 on ALL H/Os. ALL (and only)'68 H/O cars will have these trim codes on the body plate
• A/C cars use C heads and the 442 auto trans cam. Non A/C cars used D heads and the 308 duration .474" lift cam. Some cars with A/C might have been built with "D" heads. This has been seen on an original car.
• Used the W-30 OAI package on the 455, utilizing red fenderwells and under bumper scoops of the W-30, but it was not a W-30 or have that option
• Peruvian Silver in color, with black stripes, and white pinstripe.
A total of 515 were built. 459 Cutlass Holiday 2-Door Hardtops, and 56 Cutlass Holiday 2-Door Post Coupes. Story Olds, the largest Olds dealer in the world, is responsible for the extra 15 68 H/O's being built.
The '68 H/O's were built out of 442s. The body tags of Lansing built 442s have Cutlass numbers on them.
'68 H/Os should have wood on the dashes and a 'H/O by Doc Watson' sort of foil decal on the wood on the glove box. I think some of the cars might not have gotten the wood though. A real wood sport wheel and tic tac toc. It MUST have disk brakes in the front.
The Ram air scoops under the bumper should be the larger 13' scoop as opposed to the 1969 under bumper 9" scoop, and it should have a chrome molding around mouth of scoop.
Engine Specs:
If the car is non A/C (W-45): 455 If the car is A/C (W-46): 455
D-Heads C-Heads
The H/Os used a Toro 455 short block with the W-30's D heads (except for the 1968 A/C cars), a milder cam cam than the W-30,
Rear Axles:
Non A/C cars have the T3 rear (3.91:1), while A/C car have the S5 rear (3.08:1).
This is truly an amazing piece of Muscle car history and Ultra rare with less then 200 known to exist. This car is in the registry and comes with a folde of receipts and literature. Everything on the car works and functions correctly as it should.
314-594-1404