(Lead Photo: Shelby American) “Rent-a-Racer”. The first one was the 1966 Shelby G.T. 350H, a package group of 1,001 Shelby Mustangs allotted to the Hertz rental agency for their Sports Car Club members. As long as you had your membership, for $17/day and $0.17/mile in 1966, you could drive off of the lot in a legit Shelby Mustang. What happened between the moment you took the keys and the moment you gave them back…well, let’s just say that it was easier to get away with things fifty-odd years ago. While the mix of cars that Hertz got had a mix of colors, Raven Black with Bronze Powder stripes soon became associated with young men trying to suppress a smile as they asked for the hot number parked in the lot.
The magic of the Rent-a-Racer has not been lost on either Ford or Shelby American. In 2006 a second GT-H emerged as part of Hertz’s Fun Collection, and it was more than just black paint and gold stripes…the rear-axle sported 3.55 gears, Ford Racing engine and suspension goodies, and a traction control disable switch that was…well, disabled. If you wanted to repave the Las Vegas strip, sorry to break it to you, but you had to wait until the cars were put up for sale at auction before you could beat on your own personal rental car.
Or you could rent the new one, debuting in time for the original’s 50th anniversary. Based on the Mustang GT, the GT-H has a Ford Performance cat-back exhaust and the Ford Racing Handling Pack, which includes lower springs, retuned dampers, and new sway bars. It might not go drag racing, but there are some nice canyon roads that should be calling your name with that kind of setup, and go with confidence, knowing that Shelby American’s choice of tire are Michelin Pilot Sport all-weather units on special 19″ wheels. As for the actual horsepower figure…well, that hasn’t been finalized yet. But if you think that’ll stop us from trying to rent one, you’ll be wrong…though we doubt that we are in good enough standing to get the keys!
Photo: Ford Motor Company
Can I rent one without that hideous hood bulge?
Can I black out that GT-H billboard on the back?
Otherwise I want one!
Back in the 60’s a friend of mine rented one for almost a week. Then him and a group of friends pulled the drivetrain out, and swapped it with the inline 6 out of his wife’s base model Mustang. He then returned the car and no questions were ever asked.
You probably couldn’t get away with that today.
Much like the ’06 versions, there are sealing cables on the engines and transmissions.
Yeah, right!
If Herz are renting these absolute beauties – what’s to stop me renting it for a week under a false identity, shipping it to the UK and enjoying it for ages before selling it on when it starts to appreciate in value.
D’oh – I’ve given the game away…..
“It may not go drag racing….”
Wanna’ bet?