When we last visited the Hurst facility in Irvine, CA, we noticed something unusual. While nearly all of the Challengers were painted in either white or black, a lone Challenger painted in B5 Blue sat tucked away in a corner. When we inquired about the car, we were told that we would find out soon enough. Well, we know now, as Hurst has just unveiled a Competition/Plus package for the Dodge Challenger at the NHRA Motorsports Museum in Pomona, CA.

The Competition/Plus project was started in an effort to provide a more affordable package, as well as appeal to customers who might not necessarily want the classic gold paint schemes. Named after the legendary shifter that helped make Hurst famous, the package includes only the essentials: an Eibach suspension system, Magnaflow exhaust system, Hurst 20-inch alloy wheels, color-matched leather inserts and stitching for the interior, matte black exterior accents, and, of course, a Competition/Plus short throw shifter with the classic white ball. We're told the package is available on any color of Challenger, whether it's the B5 Blue pictured here, Hemi Orange, TorRed or any other.

Pricing has yet to be announced, but full details on the car should be released soon. Until then, take a look at our exclusive gallery of photographs that were given the chance to snap a couple of days before the car's release.



Photos copyright ©2009 Drew Phillips / Weblogs, Inc.

The Pontiac brand may be on its way out the door, but that doesn't mean it can't have one last fling with a renowned tuner. Hurst Performance Vehicles, the legendary shifter company that most recently has made waves with its Hemi Challenger, announced its new H.O. program for the Pontiac G6 and G8. Few details have been released regarding the performance upgrades of the cars, but each will feature Hurst's signature black/gold or white/gold paint scheme, forged alloy Hurst wheels, an exclusive Hurst shifter, supercharged engine, suspension upgrades, and a newly trimmed interior.

To help with the development of the car, Hurst also brought on performance icon "Doc" Watson, who developed such vehicles as the Hurst Hemi-Under-Glass and the 1972 Pontiac SSJ. Only 52 Hurst H.O. Pontiacs will be built along with ten G6 convertibles used as parade and special event vehicles. More details regarding the performance upgrades will be announced on August 1st, but until then all the available information can be found in the press release after the jump.

At SEMA last year, the legendary shifter company Hurst made huge waves with its Hemi Challenger. We've been following Hurst's progress of the cars ever since, and even got the chance to get behind the wheel of the prototype car for a brief stint. We recently made the trip down to Hurst Performance Vehicles' headquarters in Irvine, CA to see just how stock Challengers are transformed into one of their limited edition muscle cars.

You might think that Hurst would be hard pressed to find customers in today's economy, but we were surprised to see their building overflowing with Challengers. There were completely stock cars that had just been delivered, cars getting superchargers and suspension upgrades, and plenty of complete cars waiting to be delivered to their lucky new owners.

Hurst was kind enough to give us a full tour of the facility, and showed us exactly what goes into making one of their Challengers, whether it's a base Series 2 model or a full blown Series 5 with all the bells and whistles. Follow us on our tour in the gallery below, which includes high-res photographs and detailed descriptions that follow a Hurst Challenger from start to finish.



Photos copyright ©2009 Drew Phillips / Weblogs, Inc.

Autoblog was the first media outlet that was granted access to the matte gold-colored Hurst 50th Anniversary Dodge Viper. Unfortunately, our pockets aren't nearly deep enough to actually purchase one for ourselves. We did, however, manage to witness the sale of the very first model down the assembly line to one very lucky bidder here in Scottsdale, AZ, at the 2009 Barrett-Jackson Classic Car Auction. Included in the deal were an adjustable Motion Sport Suspension with Eibach springs, a custom Corsa exhaust system and a fresh set of Hurst black chrome wheels sized 19-inches up front and 20-inches in the rear. Oh, and a custom dash-mounted plaque with the buyer's name engraved on it for all to see. How cool is that? Wondering what sum of money it took to secure rights to the first Hurst Anniversary Viper of 50? Exactly $275,000 after auction fees. In what has been a very charitable night, Woodhouse Dodge vowed to donate the profits from the sale to Victory Junction who runs a camping facility for chronically ill children.


Photos copyright ©2009 Drew Phillips / Weblogs, Inc.

Legendary maker of all things used to shift, Hurst has taken some time out today to unveil the car that will mark its 50th year of building specialty performance vehicles under the banner of Hurst Performance. That car is the appropriately named the 50th Anniversary Hurst/Viper. Since adding more power to the Viper's 600-hp 8.4L V10 engine is akin to putting Yao Ming in heels, Hurst instead focused mostly on the aesthetics. The Hurst/Viper, of which only 50 will be made, comes only in two color combos that commemorate the official colors of the company: Black with Gold stripes or White with Gold Stripes. Of course, it wouldn't be a Hurst car without a Hurst shifter, so these special Vipers will be fitted with the company's new HARD-DRIVE gold anodized pistol grip shifter. Also from the company catalogue are Hurst 19- and 20-inch polished aluminum wheels wearing Michelin Pilot Sport PS2 tires. The interior is shrink wrapped in Katzkin charcoal leather that's embroidered with the Hurst logo and touched off with gold stitching and perforated leather inserts.

It's hard to modify a car of the Viper's caliber and not play with the performance a little, so Hurst did add a Corsa exhaust and Moton Club Sport adjustable coil-over suspension to make it that much more special than stock. The first of 50 examples will be auctioned off next week at the Barrett-Jackson Scottsdale auction in Arizona with all proceeds being donated to Victory Junction, which runs a camping facility for chronically ill children.


[Source: Hurst Performance Vehicles]

Cars-n-Coffee is a weekly gathering of automobilia in Irvine, California at Ford's former Premier Auto Group parking lot. Every Saturday morning from 6AM, Ferraris, Jaguars, Lamborghinis, Porsches, '50s hot rods, Mercedes, Camaros, you name it, rumble their way into the lot. On one recent overcast morning, Autoblog headed down to the dawn soiree, having been offered a drive in the Hurst HEMI Challenger. Although 6AM is closer to our bedtime than it is to reveille, we stayed up and paid a visit to the Challenger, hoping to find out if it had any hope of being a champion. Follow the jump for the story.


Photos copyright ©2008 Drew Phillips / Weblogs, Inc.

Hurst is at it again, breathing their 50th anniversary magic on a Dodge Viper. Fifty cars will be made, each featuring a number of details already seen on the Hurst Hemi Challenger, including the Hurst pistol-grip shifter and Hurst wheels. The interior will be stitched up by Katzkin leather, and sound effects will come via a Corsa exhaust. As for colors, you will be offered the usual two: black with gold stripes, and white with gold stripes.

The car you see peeking through in the picture above is a 1-of-a-kind that will go under the gavel at next month's Barret-Jackson auction. That one is matte gold with matte black racing stripe and black chrome wheels. But we have a feeling that if you don't get the car at Barrett and you really want one just like it, Hurst will be happy to exchange some of your green for some of their gold. Check out the press release after the jump, and the well-heeled among you should make your reservations for Scottsdale now.

Hurst, makers of those iconic shifters that sat atop four-speed manual transmissions in classic muscle cars, has just announced official pricing for its Hurst/HEMI Challenger that debuted at SEMA in Las Vegas last month. There are 4 "stages" of tune for the Challenger, which are oddly numbered 2 through 5. Series 2 will add exactly $18,350 to the price of a donated Challenger R/T, which means putting a Hurst Challenger in your driveway will cost at least $48,895. For that heady sum, you'll get 352 horses, 20-inch alloys and a special paint and graphics kit. Maxing things out will get you a Series 5 SRT8 Hurst Challenger with 572 raging ponies courtesy of a Vortech supercharged 6.1L HEMI V8... all for a cost of *gulp* $75,395.

The shifty firm has a long history of creating special editions American muscle cars, starting with the seminal Hurst Olds from 1968. It should be noted that some of those vehicles have gone on to become highly collectible. Time will tell if the new Hurst/HEMI will follow in those footsteps, but that may largely depend on how many people are willing to plunk down the extra dough in the first place. See the complete pricing breakdown after the break.


[Source: Hurst Performance]

George Hurst's mission was to make hot rods for gentlemen. The new Hurst, in the body of the new Challenger, has carried on George's mission admirably. This particular blogger isn't wasn't even a Challenger fan, and then we laid eyes on the Hurst Hemi Challenger, and, like the Grinch, our heart grew three sizes. It's available in four levels, from a 5.7-liter HEMI Challenger to a fire-breathing 6.1-liter supercharged HEMI underneath a MOPAR hood. And when you get to those upper reaches, then you can avail yourself of that Hurst paint job and a car that will do those mammoth wheels justice. We were told the Stage 4 puts out 530 hp at the rear wheels. Which means the car will be waiting for you to it justice as well. Check out the gallery of high-res photos below, and see if your heart doesn't grow a bit as well.

Click above for a high resolution image

Hurst is no stranger to offering up special edition Mopars. The 1970 Chrysler 300 Hurst packed a 440ci "TNT" V8 with 375 horsepower, as well as a fiberglass hood and trunk, Satin Tan leather interior, and a Spinnaker-White paint scheme with gold trim. Ok, that was nearly 40 years ago, but Hurst is still going strong and planning to renew its Mopar connection with a limited edition Dodge Challenger that will make its debut at SEMA this year. The Hurst Challenger will be available in four trim levels and include features like a supercharger system good for 500 horsepower, 5-spoke Hurst alloy wheels, and a "Pistol-Grip" Hurst shifter. Pricing will start at a $10,000 premium over the stock Challenger and could go as high as $20,000 for the top level model. Follow the jump for the press release from Hurst.

[Source: Hurst via Edmunds.com]