You older gearheads may recognize this ride, as it’s the Hurst 1970 Chrysler 300H that was known as the “Parade Float.” During the early 1970’s the Hurst Chrysler 300 was seen across the country at drag races, stock car races, and other automotive events promoting the Hurst Shifter brand. The Parade Float is a convertible that’s coated in the iconic gold and white Hurst paint job with a giant shifter on the rear and a platform for the famous Miss Hurst, aka Linda Vaughn, to stand on.

The car paraded around several drag races and other events in the early ’70s before it was sold to a retired man in Florida. In 1976 it was purchased from that man’s estate by Steve McCloud, a famous Mopar collector who owned the first 1955 Chrysler 300 ever produced.

After McCloud’s purchase, the car seldom made appearances, only showing up for the occasional Hurst reunion shows in the late ’80s and ’90s. Since the late ’90s the car’s location has been unknown, but it had been in storage by Steve McCloud and is now being sold by McCloud’s family.

Hurst’s Upscale Promotion

In 1969 Jim Wangers was the VP for Hurst, he wanted to help promote Hurst Shifters to the public by using a car that stood out, one that was powerful yet luxurious. Chrysler’s high performance luxury full-size 300 was the perfect choice. With a mix of straight edge sedan styling and rounded lines the 300 was an attention grabber.

Powering this massive float is a 440 TNT engine that puts out an estimated 375 horsepower produced by a combination of a steel crankshaft, open chamber heads, and an AFB four-barrel carburetor. This massive mill is connected to a 727 Torqueflite automatic transmission. Other features included power seats, telescopic steering wheel, search tune AM/FM stereo and a dual rear seat speaker.

Hurst is an important part of hot rodding history, their shifters are the ones that helped drag racers and there beloved machines fly down the strip. This Chrysler 300H is a piece of that history and will hopefully be well taken care of and preserved in the future. If this tuna boat of iconic American history catches your fancy, you can find it on eBay for $150,000.