Car Collector's Corner: 1984 W-40 Hurst Olds, Not Exactly Grandmother Approved

Darcy Snider inherited a fair amount of money from his grandmother, but he doubts very much that she would appreciate how he spent her hard-earned cash.

Darcy is a hardcore car guy. His natural instinct kicked in and he invested in this rare 1984 W-40 Hurst Olds.

He said he could hear his Grandmother saying, “What the heck are you doing spending money on something like this?”

Grandma was clearly not a car person, but she might have backed off a bit had she known how rare Darcy’s automotive investment was when he purchased it 4 years ago. He reports “it’s one of only 226 in total and one of only 15 with a factory sunroof”. That’s pretty close to the same financial integrity of a gold bar investment – Grandma might have changed her mind about the Hurst Olds.

Darcy is the 3rd owner of the car. The original buyer was involved in Alberta’s oil industry, and he moved east to Ottawa Ontario, the capital of Canada. There it was sold to the 2nd owner where it stayed until Darcy repatriated the rare Olds with its home in Alberta back in 2006.

He was highly motivated to own the Olds, so he flew out to Ottawa, handed the owner a money order, picked up the 35,000 mile car and marathoned back to Alberta. The 44-hour trip was punctuated only by one 3-hour rest stop. Darcy adds, “It was an awesome highway cruiser”. That comfort certainly justified the purchase and probably explains why Darcy didn’t buy a stock Model A Ford.

Darcy has tried to maintain the original status of the Hurst Olds, but it has been treated to new paint and decals in various areas of the car. There are certain realities with a 28-year-old car, but Darcy adds, “The car still has many of its original markings”. That is a huge triumph in car guy world.

The car almost left the Snyder family a few years ago as financial realities crept into the scenario, but Darcy’s wife insisted that the car remain in the plans. That is a wife with a true automotive soul.

In the end, Darcy has two “keepers” in his life – his wife and his car. Grandma would approve.

For more of J Sutherland’s work go to mystarcollectorcar.com