- This Hurst/Olds features the famous His and Hers shifter.
- The dual-gate design blended convenience with driver involvement.
- Just 906 examples were produced for the 1969 model year.
Porsche’s latest attempt to make EVs more engaging centers on software that mimics the experience of rowing through multiple gears. It’s a modern solution to an old problem. How do you give drivers more involvement without sacrificing convenience?
More than half a century ago, Oldsmobile and Hurst arrived at a very different answer. Instead of programming artificial shifts, they built a transmission selector with two personalities. One for everyday driving and another for when the driver wanted to take charge.
Also: This 1984 Oldsmobile Has Three Shifters For One Automatic Transmission
The result was the Hurst Dual Gate, better known as the “His and Hers” shifter. Of course, the “His and Hers” branding feels decidedly dated today. Period advertisements leaned heavily into gender stereotypes, even though the Dual Gate’s real innovation was giving any driver a choice between automatic convenience and manual-style control. If marketed today, it would no doubt lean into more neutral terminology.
Photos Mecum
That said, it appeared in several GM performance cars during the muscle car era, but few applications are more desirable today than the 1969 Hurst/Olds. One particularly impressive example recently crossed the block at Mecum’s Indy auction, where it sold for $187,000.
Read: Porsche Gave The 2027 Taycan Eight Fake Gears, On Top Of The Two Real Ones
Unlike the later Lightning Rod setup that looked like it belonged in a dragster, the Dual Gate was surprisingly elegant. The shifter featured two separate channels. One side operated like a conventional automatic, allowing the driver to simply select Drive and go. Move the lever into the adjacent gate, however, and it became possible to manually command shifts through the transmission without accidentally overshooting a gear.
Photo Oldsmobile / Facebook
The car itself is noteworthy even without its unusual shifter. One of just 906 Hurst/Olds models built for 1969, this example is number 176 and underwent a concours-level frame-off restoration using NOS parts. Under the hood sits Oldsmobile’s legendary 455 cubic-inch (7.5-liter) Rocket V8 producing 380 hp (283 kW), paired with a Turbo 400 automatic transmission.
Photos Mecum
More importantly, the Hurst/Olds represents a fascinating moment in Detroit history. GM still officially limited intermediate cars to engines of 400 cubic inches or less, yet somehow this 455-powered coupe slipped through the cracks. The Dual Gate shifter reflected that same spirit of creative rule-bending. Today, Porsche is using software to make a single-speed EV feel more interactive. Back in 1969, Hurst accomplished much the same goal with nothing more than a clever piece of hardware and a questionable marketing campaign.
