MEET THE ORIGINAL MISS GOLDEN SHIFTER: PAT FLANNERY STEVENS
It seems hilariously obvious now, but it was the master stroke of marketing at the time. Back in the ’60s, who purchased high-performance parts, including shifters? Young men. Who best to grab their often fickle attention, focus it like an exowatt laser, and then pitch the boys some speed equipment? Why, an attractive young woman, of course. George Hurst was a genius, and not just at shifter mechanisms.
Pat Flannery [the Stevens came later) wasn’t the first young lady recruited by George to promote his products. Early on, he drafted his office staff and even his wife, Lila, to pass out trophies and work the booths. But in 1965, Pat became the first full-time, salaried spokesmodel for Hurst Performance Products—and the…
