The Hurst shifter doctor(remembering)

[Hack Goby]

Does anyone remember the Hurst shifter doctor that back in the 60`s? that would do clinics around the country?He would show up in a Tiger striped GTO convertible.There dont seem to be any history or pictures of him but I remember getting a ride in his car back in the day.

[Hack Goby]

OK,I FOUND THIS.........THE SHIFTY DOCTOR
One of the key selling points of Hurst products was their lifetime warranty. In the early sixties, Hurst hired a young man named Jack Watson, who had previously worked at General Motors. At first, Watson's role was minor -- Ed Almquist described him as a gofer -- but he subsequently became Hurst's traveling repair technician. Armed with a portable machine shop, he traveled to various drag racing events to perform on-site repairs and adjustments for Hurst products. The role eventually earned him the nickname "Shifty Doc," or just "Doc."

Watson still had connections at GM, and in 1961, he helped Hurst get a meeting with Pontiac general manager Bunkie Knudsen and chief engineer Pete Estes. Estes had seen a favorable write-up on the Hurst shifter in Hot Rod, and had been impressed. He was also impressed with Hurst and his obvious marketing acumen. Hurst, Estes, and Knudsen struck a deal to use a Hurst linkage and shifter in Pontiac's new limited-production Super Duty Catalina.

The deal was a great achievement for Hurst-Campbell; Detroit tended to ignore the aftermarket, or look on it with disdain. It was also the beginning of a long and mutually profitable association between Hurst and Pontiac. Over the next few years, many high-performance Pontiac models would carry Hurst shifters as standard equipment, including the highly successful Pontiac GTO. Pontiac's association with Hurst did great things for its credibility with hardcore performance cognoscenti, helping to cement the division's status as the hot American car.

To cultivate more relationships with the major automakers, Hurst opened the Hurst Performance Center in Detroit in 1965, appointing Doc Watson to run it. Much of Watson's business was with Pontiac, where Hurst now had a strong relationship, but he eventually made deals with other many automakers, including Plymouth, Dodge, AMC, and Oldsmobile.


One of Pontiac's marketing coups in the mid-sixties was the fact that all manual-transmission GTOs came standard with a Hurst shifter. Starting in 1967, automatic GTOs could also be ordered with a Hurst Dual-Gate Shifter.

[Vortex]

My 66 LeMans (damn I wish I had kept that car) had a Hurst factory 3 speed; my 67 GTO had the Hurst factory "His and Hers".

[LIGHTNIN1]

I was reading about that this week when I was reading about George Hurst the founder. Remember the Miss Hurst Shifter Linda Vaughn? She is still out there. Remember Hurst also invented THE JAWS OF LIFE.

[03blackmerc]

i love the Hurst in my Stang i dont think i would ever want another shifter

[Hack Goby]

I was reading about that this week when I was reading about George Hurst the founder. Remember the Miss Hurst Shifter Linda Vaughn? She is still out there. Remember Hurst also invented THE JAWS OF LIFE.Linda Vaughn was at Woodward last year at the Berkley parade,After it was over someone in a black Marauder took her to where ever she was staying(True story)Of all the pictures I have ever taken I`ll be damn of I could get my camera ready when she went by.

[CBT]

Linda Vaughn was at Woodward last year at the Berkley parade,After it was over someone in a black Marauder took her to where ever she was staying(True story)Of all the pictures I have ever taken I`ll be damn of I could get my camera ready when she went by.
That was Rex in a Dolly Parton wig.

[Mr. Man]

There's an article in the latest Hemmings Musclecar mag describing Hurst's new foray into the pony car market. You can order a Mustang, Camaro or Challenger with Hurst packages.