Hertz Rent-a-Shelby is back You can't buy them, only rent them. Black and gold Shelby Mustangs will be available at Hertz locations only. April 12, 2006; Posted: 9:45 a.m. EDT (1345 GMT) NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) - In 1966, you could go to Hertz and rent a Shelby GT350-H, a 306-horsepower high-performance version of the Ford Mustang. Those cars, slightly modified versions of the Shelby GT350 available for purchase at Ford dealerships, were available to members of the Hertz Sports Car Club and could be rented at selected Hertz airport locations around the country. Shelby produced 1,000 of the cars, most with automatic transmissions and black-and-gold paint schemes, but the program lasted for only one year, said Matt Stone, executive editor of Motor Trend Classics magazine. During that time, rental Shelbys made occasional weekend appearances at race tracks, he said. Forty years later, Hertz customers will again get the chance to rent a Shelby. This time, 500 black-and-gold Shelby GT350s will have 325-horsepower engines and high-performance suspension. A standard Mustang GT has a 300-horsepower engine. The black car with broad gold stripes will be unveiled Wednesday at the New York Auto Show. Hertz will not be renting out the Shelby GT500 which goes on sale this summer with a 475-horsepower engine. "Putting those in the rental fleet would be like putting a match to gasoline," said Stone. Despite the program's short life, the original Shelby GT350-H has become a performance legend. "The Shelby GT350-Hs are some of the most sought-after collector cars in the world," said Steve Davis, vice president of the auto auction company Barrett-Jackson. One of the original cars in pristine shape can be worth up to $200,000, said Davis, who owns a nonrental 1967 GT350. "Bringing back some of these styles and retro looks is absolutely brilliant," Davis said.
In the picture of the Hertz car in USA Today, the hood looks to be different than the pictures I have seen in the mags. Is it a custom hood meant only for the Hertz car. I really like it much better.
I think that is the hood Shelby is using on his cars. I was at the Ford show at Knotts last weekend and at the Shelby display they had a Supercharged GT500 or something and it had the same hood. I actually think it looks better than the hood on Ford's GT500. IMO
DeLa1Rob, You look to be correct . Pictures & article http://www.worldcarfans.com/tuners....rd/shelby-cs-6-concept-and-shelby-wcc-mustang I'm liking this exterior much better, but then there goes the 500HP.
i plan on renting one for the weekend when Red River Raceway or Cherokee is running. Now how to figure out how to swap the block before i return it.
The Shelby GT-H (originally GT350-H) looks like fun though news releases had HP at 320 or 330. Go to the www.shopshelby.com web page and you will notice that the front upper and lower and rear facia, side scoops, hood pins and hood are the same as the CS6 and available from Shelby Autos. No coincidence that the GT-H then is being done in Vegas, not Detroit. Maybe since the Ford bailed on the Shelby Expedition and F150 projects??? this is a peace offering. Am looking for the rentals to get here in Hawaii (Honolulu and Maui are two of the 18 locations). Note: heard that the first 12 issues will be the only ones with a 5-speed manual and go to the Hertz execs and Carroll. I guess it is a Shelby GT-H not a GT350H possible due to the Ford?Shelby challenge after the use of the GT350 name on the 30th anniversary Mustangs???? At least these are being done at Shelby's shop. With all the add on parts you could make your own 2006 GT into a GT350 2006 with your own paint scheme. Kep cruisin'
Shelby GT-H Version of the Ford Mustang Begins Production The Daily Auto Insider Wednesday, April 19, 2006 April 2006 Shelby Automobiles, Inc. announced the start of production of the new Shelby GT-H at its Las Vegas production facility. The Shelby GT-H was recently unveiled to press on April 12th at the media days at the New York International Auto Show and received rave reviews from the crowd with anticipation building for their introduction to the rental market later this year. The 2006 Shelby GT-H is a new performance Mustang that will be available only to Hertz rental customers beginning later this year, the company said in a news release. Like the original "Rent-a-Racer," the Shelby GT-H has a Black-and-Gold Hertz exterior paint-and-stripes theme, Shelby Automobiles performance hood, and other exterior styling enhancements, including a special front fascia and side scoops. Each Shelby GT-H will also have unique emblems and feature a numbered dash badge with Carroll Shelby's signature. The car's 4.6L V-8 automatic powertrain gets a Ford Racing Performance Power Pack, including a 90mm Cold Air kit, the Muffler Kit and the special Ford Racing engine calibration. Ford Racing Performance Parts also supplies its Handling Pack, including special dampers, lowering springs, sway bars, strut tower brace and a Ford Racing 3.55:1 ratio rear axle assembly. These modifications increase the overall horsepower to 325 and torque to 330 ft-lbs, a 25 horsepower and 10 ft-lb increase respectively. "The Ford Shelby GT-H is going to be a unique rental experience for some lucky drivers," said Carroll Shelby, CEO of Shelby Automobiles, Inc. "We are excited to produce these cars at our Las Vegas production facility which will ensure the Shelby GT-Hs have all of the performance capabilities our fans expect from a Shelby Mustang." http://www.caranddriver.com/dailyautoinsider/11022/shelby-gt-h-version-of-the-ford-mustang-begins-production.html
I was at the Shelby factory today and they built 20 hertz cars last week and were in fact this afternoon loading several finished cars on a truck for delivery. The cars look beautiful and they have two assembly lines working in the main building and another building full of cars waiting to be converted. Each car has a numbered plaque on the dashboard and 3.55 rear diffs. I was really impressed with the cars. My warehouse is in the same complex as Shelby's at the speedway so I begged everyone I could find to let me sneak one into my warehouse but was rebuffed. The Shelby factory has lots more cool stuff planned for the new GT 500 in the future. It's an exciting time to be a Shelby guy right now. I was also told the new GT 500 will be advertised at 475 HP but be more towards 500HP. Someone who has had extensive seat time in the protoype told me it was all of 475HP but a bit heavy at almost 4000 pounds which could be felt in the handling.
I posted a few more photos of the Shelby GT-H cars. Thanks to Gary Patterson and Stephen Becker for passing them along! Here's a couple samples but check out the photo gallery for more.
On the Shelby Autos site, they are requesting snapshots of any transports you run across loaded with Hertz cars. robin
From the Hertz Website... Introducing the Shelby GT-H Coming Soon. The Shelby GT-H. Only from Hertz. In 1966 the Hertz Corporation and Carroll Shelby produced 1000 Shelby Mustangs. Together, they made these high-performance, special-edition Ford Mustangs available to car rental customers. And the car rental business was never the same. 40 years later, the thrill is back. Introducing the Shelby GT-H—a one-of-a-kind limited edition, available exclusively through Hertz. It’s just one of the many exhilarating cars that you can reserve from the Hertz Fun Collection. And unlike the 1966 Shelby, this one comes equipped with SIRIUS Satellite Radio, like all Fun Collection vehicles. The Shelby GT-H will be available for reservations in mid-May at the following airport locations: Phoenix, Arizona Los Angeles, Orange County, San Diego and San Francisco, California Denver, Colorado Fort Lauderdale, Miami, Orlando, Tampa and West Palm Beach, Florida Maui and Honolulu, Hawaii Boston, Massachusetts Las Vegas, Nevada Portland, Oregon Seattle, Washington
my wife and i just returned from cheyenne frontier days in wyoming....flew into denver and had a rental reserved at hertz....guess what they had sitting there??? 3 shelbys!!!! we upgraded on the spot and had the car for 4 days......feels like a hopped-up gt, but gets lots of looks everwhere it goes!! we both enjoyed it.
You can add Nashville, Tennessee to the list of locations that have the Shelby GT-H available. I made my Mustang reservation over a month ago and was told on the #1 Gold phone line that no Shelby GT-H Mustangs were available anywhere in the state of Tennessee. No problem....booked a regular V6 hardtop Mustang. Landed in Nashville last Friday morning and there they were...right next to a sign that said, "Hertz Fun Collection Available Here". I immediately upgraded and then drove to Bristol Dragway for the Fun Ford Weekend Series event held last weekend. I entered the car in my usual class, Ultra Stang, and then proceeded to win the event! There also seems to be some rumblings about this being the first national event win for the Shelby Mustangs in the "new Shelby era". I just thought I was having fun. Here is a picture taken at the top end after the final round. This car was an absolute dream to drive and run down the track. The only bad thing I experienced about this car? I had to return it Sunday night.
