Shelby GT350H Hertz Rent-A-Racer

Shelby GT350H Hertz Rent-A-Racer

The 1966 Shelby GT350H represents one of the most audacious marketing partnerships in automotive history and has become one of the most iconic and collectible cars in the entire Mustang lineage. Born from a deal between Carroll Shelby and the Hertz Corporation, approximately 1,001 GT350H models were built and delivered to Hertz rental locations across the United States, allowing ordinary customers to rent a genuine Shelby race-bred Mustang for the weekend.

The GT350H was based on the 1966 Shelby GT350, which itself was a substantially modified Ford Mustang fastback. Under the hood sat Ford's legendary Hi-Performance 289 cubic-inch V8, rated at 306 gross horsepower courtesy of a high-rise aluminum intake manifold, Autolite 4-barrel carburetor, free-flowing exhaust headers, and a more aggressive camshaft profile. While the standard GT350 was exclusively available with a four-speed manual transmission, the majority of GT350H cars (approximately 800 of the 1,001 built) were equipped with Ford's C4 three-speed automatic transmission to make them more accessible to rental customers. Around 85 cars received the four-speed manual, and these are the most sought-after variants today.

The Hertz cars were built at Shelby American's facility in Los Angeles, California. Most were painted in the iconic Raven Black with Gold Le Mans racing stripes, though a small number were produced in Wimbledon White, Candy Apple Red, Sapphire Blue, and Ivy Green. The black-and-gold color scheme became so closely associated with the GT350H that it remains the definitive image of the car in popular culture.

The legend of the GT350H was amplified by stories, some true and some apocryphal, of renters taking the cars to drag strips and road courses on weekends, then returning them to Hertz on Monday morning. While this certainly happened in some cases, the reality was that Hertz marketed the cars as a premium rental experience for business travelers and automotive enthusiasts who wanted something extraordinary. Regardless, the mythology of the 'Rent-A-Racer' became an indelible part of American car culture.

Mechanically, the GT350H shared most of its performance hardware with the standard 1966 GT350. The suspension received heavy-duty components including Koni adjustable shock absorbers, relocated front suspension pickup points for improved geometry, a heavier front anti-roll bar, and rear traction bars. Kelsey-Hayes front disc brakes provided stopping power far superior to the standard Mustang's all-drum setup. The lowered stance, functional brake cooling ducts, and side-exit exhaust (on earlier cars) gave the GT350H a purposeful, race-ready appearance.

After their rental service ended in late 1966 and early 1967, Hertz sold the cars to the public, often at bargain prices with significant mileage. Many were purchased by enthusiasts who recognized their potential and preserved them. Others were lost to the ravages of rental abuse, racing damage, and time. Today, surviving GT350H models with documented Hertz history command extraordinary premiums at auction.

The GT350H's collectibility has soared in recent decades, driven by its unique provenance, limited production numbers, and the enduring romance of the Rent-A-Racer story. A genuine black-and-gold GT350H with verified Shelby American and Hertz documentation is considered a blue-chip collector car, and values have consistently trended upward. The four-speed manual cars, of which perhaps 85 were built, are exceptionally rare and command the highest prices.