During the summers of 2000 and 2001 I traveled with Hairy as a car in progress to the Hurst Olds Nationals in Minnesota, the Oldsmobile Nationals in Lansing, Michigan, the Dick Miller racing event in Norwalk, Ohio, and other special events. Each time the car was shown, more work had been accomplished by the volunteers.

One of the largest contributors of parts came from Dale Dobies of Mr. Gasket / Hurst of Cleveland, Ohio. Dale wanted Hairy to be in their booth at the 2001 SEMA Show. Much extra effort went into the car in August to October of 2001. During this time we were attacked by radical Muslims on 9-11-2001 and the world was changed forever. Lives were interrupted and everything seemed off kilter. But the team pressed on and we made the show.

Mike and Barb Siedlik of Columbus, Nebraska, paid their own way to Las Vegas to help clean, detail and set up the car at SEMA. When the car was pushed out of the trailer, it still smelled like wet paint. The One Shot paint on the lettering was still sticky and the car had zero decals. It was a successful unveiling of the car and Hairy found a whole new fan base on the Internet, magazines, toy companies and TV. Calls came in to drag the car from one end of the nation to another to special events. T-shirts were sold to help cover expenses and fuel in the summer of 2002.

America was getting back on track and people were totally amazed at the ingenious craftsmanship of the original Hurst crew and their creation. Given a second chance at life, the recreated Hurst Hairy Olds was again in front of the crowds and was more than a toy or a picture. People could see and feel the real thing.

I never fired the car up and it never made another trip down the racetrack. The car was much too rare and valuable to take the chance of another crash or fire. (The Hurst Hairy Olds had crashed and burned a number of times in 1966 and 1967.)

Hairy was sold for the total sum of one dollar to the Hurst Olds Club of America in August 2004. A big ceremony, with many original Hurst employees in attendance, was held at the Minnesota Oldsmobile 2004 Nationals and the title was transferred. The car was then transported to the hometown of Oldsmobile - Lansing, Michigan. It sits on display every day inside the RE Olds Transportation Museum as the crown jewel of the collection, to be seen and admired by the general public.

With the help of many volunteers and manufacturers, Hairy was given a second life to thrill another generation of young men as I was in 1966. I thank all of the people and companies that were involved with this project. No one was paid to do the work and no person benefited from its restoration. We did it because we had the means and it was the right thing to do. I thank each and every one of those that made a contribution and made a small difference in the world. God bless the Hairy legend of smoke and nitro fumes. It became the standard of today.