Hurst Performance was originally named Hurst-Campbell. The company was established in 1958 as an auto repair shop when George Hurst and Bill Campbell were both young men. An older man named Lawrence Greenwald, took certain cars from his collection to Hurst's shop for repair. Greenwald saw promise in Hurst and Campbell and decided to finance them in a venture to manufacture large aftermarket bumpers for VWbuses, which were becoming increasingly popular. When Volkswagen began manufacturing its own large bumpers for the buses, Hurst-Campbell branched out into the piston-driven gearshift business. They also manufactured, at various times, engine mounts, wheels, and shift knobs in addition to its line of gearshifts. The company's research department developed and invented the Jaws of Life. The product was spun off and sold separately when it was owned by Dick Chrysler. By the early 1960s, Hurst transmission shifters and other products had become legendary in auto racing, particularly in drag racing, and among custom car makers. Many automobile enthusiasts replaced flimsy factory shifters with Hurst floor shifters to obtain better control of gear selection, particularly for competitive driving. As automotive historian Mike Mueller noted, "If you didn't have a Hurst shifter in your supercar, you were a mild-mannered loser." General Motors' official policy up to that time had prohibited the use of the names of outside vendors on GM products. Pontiac Division manager Elliot "Pete" Estes convinced the corporation that having the Hurst name on its cars' shifters would be an effective sales tool. Various Pontiac models had already been equipped with Hurst shifters from the factory, but the Hurst name did not actually appear on Pontiac shifters until 1965. Hurst's shifters were so good that U.S. automakers were forced to offer Hurst branded gear sticks on their muscle car models, although at the time they preferred manufacturing their own parts rather than outsourcing. George Hurst expanded into other specialty performance products during the 1960s by acquiring Schiefer Manufacturing, a manufacturer of clutches and Airheart, which manufactured brake systems. In 1968, Greenwald and Hurst took the company public. The company was acquired in 1970 by Sunbeam Products, a manufacturer of small appliances. Hurst was promised an executive position and seat on the board of directors as part of the buyout, but Sunbeam did not follow through. Greenwald fully retired at age 67. George Hurst died in 1986. Lawrence Greenwald died of natural causes in 1986. In 1987, the Hurst operations were sold by Sunbeam and became part of the Mr. Gasket Company. In 2007, B&M Racing and Performance Products bought the Hurst brand.
Today
A subsidiary, established in 2008, called Hurst Performance Vehicles, is responsible for creating new renditions of Hurst vehicles that include the Hurst Challenger, Hurst Viper, and the Hurst Camaro.
