Is the Hurst Olds 442 the fastest Muscle Car?
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Registered User
Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 1
Hey Guys,
I saw the thread started about the fastest muscle car. Good topic, but I think the answer isn't too far away.
Looks like the guys at Dream Car Garage created a Muscle Car Shootout that is airing on SPEED and they included a Hurst Olds 442 in fully restored condition.
Check it out at www.dreamcargarage.com.
Click on the hotspot on the homepage for more info!
Do you guys think anything was left out?
http://dreamcargarage.com/musclecarshootout.htm
I saw the thread started about the fastest muscle car. Good topic, but I think the answer isn't too far away.
Looks like the guys at Dream Car Garage created a Muscle Car Shootout that is airing on SPEED and they included a Hurst Olds 442 in fully restored condition.
Check it out at www.dreamcargarage.com.
Click on the hotspot on the homepage for more info!
Do you guys think anything was left out?
http://dreamcargarage.com/musclecarshootout.htm
Past Administrator
Joined: May 2004
Posts: 10,359
From: Rural Waxahachie Texas
This kind of question has been asked before on other threads. Fastest or Quickest? Fast usually means top speed, quick usually means 1/4 mile times. Most people mean quickest when refering to the "fastest" car. Frankly, I have no idea which car it would be, I still like my Olds.....
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Joined: Aug 2004
Posts: 127
I saw the Muscle Car Shootout mentioned above . I was pleased to see that the Hurst Olds was second in the quarter mile times, beaten only by the 429 Mustang . The test also included a GTO, an AMX, a Buick GS, a Chevelle ( 454 I think) , and a Hemi Cuda. The cars all used factory replica street tires, and the acceleration runs numbers were the best of three trys. The AMX , running a 390 motor, was slowest by a considerable margin. The Hemi Cuda was hampered by a slipping clutch. The cars were run in stock showroom tune , with no modifications.
While this was an interesting test, no single test qualifies as the last word in performance comparisons. Put some better tires on the cars, do a little tuning, ( and a new clutch for the Cuda) , and the results could change significantly. As an example, in 1968 a friend bought a new Hemi Roadrunner. The car ran 14.50s in stock trim . I rejetted the carburetors, put a 3.90 rear axle in it, and installed 10 inch Goodyear slicks. With only those modifications, the quarter mile times dropped to 12.90s , and the car was still a street daily driver.
Still, the Shootout was probably a better comparison than the magazine tests of the 1960's, where the cars were often provided by dealers or the factory and were already blueprinted and tuned !
[ September 30, 2004: Message edited by: PetChemMan ]
[ September 30, 2004: Message edited by: PetChemMan ]</p>
While this was an interesting test, no single test qualifies as the last word in performance comparisons. Put some better tires on the cars, do a little tuning, ( and a new clutch for the Cuda) , and the results could change significantly. As an example, in 1968 a friend bought a new Hemi Roadrunner. The car ran 14.50s in stock trim . I rejetted the carburetors, put a 3.90 rear axle in it, and installed 10 inch Goodyear slicks. With only those modifications, the quarter mile times dropped to 12.90s , and the car was still a street daily driver.
Still, the Shootout was probably a better comparison than the magazine tests of the 1960's, where the cars were often provided by dealers or the factory and were already blueprinted and tuned !
[ September 30, 2004: Message edited by: PetChemMan ]
[ September 30, 2004: Message edited by: PetChemMan ]</p>
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Joined: Nov 2024
Posts: 1
Stock 1968 442 M21 Muncie 4.56 Pos Track
I bought a New 1968 442 the summer after the 10 grade. I worked from the time I was 13 and saved enough to buy a new car and this is the one I picked. I came stock with just the std 400cuin @ 350 HP. I had a Muncie M-21 and a 4:56 Pos Trac rear end. I advanced the timing just a bit and installed colder plugs. I also installed an electronic Fuel Pump because it seemed to run out of fuel at high RPM's. At the Track I also locked open the butterfly on the rear barrels of the Quad. The best time I turned was 13.58 in the 1/4 mile. My friend's dad owned a used car lot and about every month he would come over with the latest muscle car on his dad's lot. I beat him every time, with cars like this: 65 Vette 327, 1967 Dodge Charge with a street Hemi, 1968 Hurst Olds with the 455, 67 Chevelle SS396 / 375HP, 1968 GTX with the 440 Sic Pack and even a 1969 Camaro RS/SS 396 / 375 HP. I was never beat on the street and at the track running Pure Stock. Later in the fall of 1969, it got stolen and wrecked. Broke My heart. I test drove a 69 442 and an early model 70 442, but none felt the same. I actually bought a 69 Camaro Z-10 with the 396 L89 motor. 375 HP with Aluminum Big Port Heads. But I felt that my 68 442 was faster. Also, just wanted you all to know that my father was in the Army and at the time he was stationed at Ft Sill Oklahoma and had been an Oldsmobile man sing 1960. Our family car at the time was a Coppertone w/ white interior Starfire with the 425 cuin engine. It too was fast for a big heavy car that I had to drive for 3 months because it was automatic. I had torn the heck out of my left knee and had a cylinder cast on my left knee from the ankle to my crotch. Dad drove the 442 but blew up the tranny hot rodding it. They wouldn't cover it on warranty, so he had to pay for this himself.
Last edited by DSmith52; Nov 22, 2024 at 04:49 PM.
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Joined: May 2010
Posts: 415
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I bought a New 1968 442 the summer after the 10 grade. I worked from the time I was 13 and saved enough to buy a new car and this is the one I picked. I came stock with just the std 400cuin @ 350 HP. I had a Muncie M-21 and a 4:56 Pos Trac rear end. I advanced the timing just a bit and installed colder plugs. I also installed an electronic Fuel Pump because it seemed to run out of fuel at high RPM's. At the Track I also locked open the butterfly on the rear barrels of the Quad. The best time I turned was 13.58 in the 1/4 mile. My friend's dad owned a used car lot and about every month he would come over with the latest muscle car on his dad's lot. I beat him every time, with cars like this: 65 Vette 327, 1967 Dodge Charge with a street Hemi, 1968 Hurst Olds with the 455, 67 Chevelle SS396 / 375HP, 1968 GTX with the 440 Sic Pack and even a 1969 Camaro RS/SS 396 / 375 HP. I was never beat on the street and at the track running Pure Stock. Later in the fall of 1969, it got stolen and wrecked. Broke My heart. I test drove a 69 442 and an early model 70 442, but none felt the same. I actually bought a 69 Camaro Z-10 with the 396 L89 motor. 375 HP with Aluminum Big Port Heads. But I felt that my 68 442 was faster. Also, just wanted you all to know that my father was in the Army and at the time he was stationed at Ft Sill Oklahoma and had been an Oldsmobile man sing 1960. Our family car at the time was a Coppertone w/ white interior Starfire with the 425 cuin engine. It too was fast for a big heavy car that I had to drive for 3 months because it was automatic. I had torn the heck out of my left knee and had a cylinder cast on my left knee from the ankle to my crotch. Dad drove the 442 but blew up the tranny hot rodding it. They wouldn't cover it on warranty, so he had to pay for this himself.
Last edited by Qwik71442; Nov 22, 2024 at 07:10 PM.
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Joined: Aug 2019
Posts: 2,089
Good stuff DSmith52.
68 442s were obviously quick cars. But your 68 sounds like a factory ringer, one of those rare cars whose components and assembly were handled by the right hands on their best day. Its akin to winning the lotto...
At the same time she was modded, even the simplest move like flipping the air cleaner cover is a modification. A seemingly nothing move that could reduce ETs by 2/10ths...
To answer the OPs question, and I love that comparo, having seen that show dozens of times over the years. Oldsmobile peaked in 1966 in both performance with the W30 and quality with the Toro. 68-72 although most widely regarded is the aftermath. What was attained in 1966 was maintained to some degree regardless of weight and creature comfort variations till and including the 1972 W30.
P.S. regardless great story on your part, my only wish was that you posted in your own unique thread. As your introduction is really worthy of it and will get lost in the sauce, so to speak within this thread.
68 442s were obviously quick cars. But your 68 sounds like a factory ringer, one of those rare cars whose components and assembly were handled by the right hands on their best day. Its akin to winning the lotto...
At the same time she was modded, even the simplest move like flipping the air cleaner cover is a modification. A seemingly nothing move that could reduce ETs by 2/10ths...
To answer the OPs question, and I love that comparo, having seen that show dozens of times over the years. Oldsmobile peaked in 1966 in both performance with the W30 and quality with the Toro. 68-72 although most widely regarded is the aftermath. What was attained in 1966 was maintained to some degree regardless of weight and creature comfort variations till and including the 1972 W30.
P.S. regardless great story on your part, my only wish was that you posted in your own unique thread. As your introduction is really worthy of it and will get lost in the sauce, so to speak within this thread.
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