Hurst Lightning Rods Are Super Weird, Super ’80s

I can remember being a kid and looking into the window of an Oldsmobile Cutlass, only to be completely flummoxed by the three-stick voodoo protruding from its center console. Hurst Lightning Rods were standard issue on the Hurst/Olds that was built for 1983 and 1984, but the trio of shifters were also offered as an aftermarket addition to a number of GM-sourced automatic transmissions throughout the decade.

How do the Lightning Rods work? Why would anyone want to deal with such a seemingly-complicated setup to shift their slushbox? I dive deep into Hurst’s weirdest accessory in this feature for Driving Line.