This car was bought in 1972 with 10,000 miles registered on the odometer by Larry Zane. Mr. Zane’s father owned the Chrysler dealership in Southern New Jersey. They could not get a Hurst when they became available.

Mr. Zane used the car for many years to go to and from the dealership. If the car needed anything at all, it went in the shop and was repaired. No problem, no cost!

Then the car sat in the dealership lot for four years in the sun and rain. Mother nature did her job as usual. The front and rear windows started leaking, the dash dried out and the tops of the rear seats dried out. The dash also developed two stains on the padded part.

Lo and behold, in ’84 the car was placed in Dad Zane’s garage in his new home on his son’s farm. Ron Chuchola told me about the car at the 1984 Mayo Beach Meet. At the time we could not afford to buy the car.

Thoughts of this car laid in the back of my mind for a year. This year, 1985, we started to remodel our house, providing me with the ability to buy the Hurst. (I stole the money from the house account.) Being irresponsible has its good points!

I had to go to New Jersey on business, so I called Ron and got some phone numbers. Ron said that Larry lived in Florida now. Also, it was nearly impossible to get a hold of him. As luck would have it, Mr. Zane answered the phone and we talked about the car. Larry said his Dad would show it to me. Larry’s Dad was in Florida; but he was leaving in the morning to go back to Jersey. He said he would meet me there.

The car was in excellent condition, but would not start! We tried and tried but no luck. Mr. Zane then showed JoAnn and myself around his property. He also let us take photos of the Hurst.

JoAnn and I returned home, thinking about the Hurst. After returning home and after much discussion and thought, I called Larry and made a deal.

This car sat for years, but is in perfect condition, runs strong and has almost no rust (3 small holes in the quarters), none in the floor or trunk.

We took possession of the car and some spare parts, shop manual, all original papers and books, including Hurst owner’s manual, for $2,000.

When I picked up the car it had 49,000 original miles on it. We got 18 miles per gallon on the way home (10 MPG in town) but who cares! The Hurst starts instantly, no matter how cold it is, and runs faultlessly. It is a joy to drive. It is a welcome addition to our little stable of 300s. Now, I have to decide which 300 to drive to work each day: the 300L, the ’66 300 convert. Or the Hurst.

Thanks to Bill Elder (Wild Man of the North) for preparing this article