Posted on 11/08/2018 10:59:13 AM PST by ETL
Old rental cars often make the least appealing used vehicles, but there’s one very big exception to that rule: The 1966 Shelby GT350H.
The “Rent-a-Racer” was a run of special edition cars built for Hertz by Carrol Shelby that were based on his high-performance Shelby GT350 version of the Ford Mustang.
Only about 1,000 were made, and the vast majority of them were finished in Hertz’s signature black and gold color scheme, but a few were painted other colors.
Some were literally driven by renters from the agency to race tracks. They were eventually retired and resold for around two grand each, but took months to liquidate, because even a car like this one couldn’t shed that rental car stigma.
But as with all GT350s, the survivors are among the most highly sought-after Mustangs today and sell for prices ranging from $100,000 to $250,000, depending on their condition.
One that’s probably not worth that much right now, but could be, was recently found in a “little old lady’s garage,” where it was sitting for 30 years.
According to BarnFinds.com, the coupe appears to have been undergoing a restoration that was never completed. It has a red driver’s side door, and the taillights and rear bumper are removed. But most of its important components, including the 289 V8 engine, are still with it. It also looks like it has a four-speed manual transmission, which makes it one of the rarest of the rare if it’s original equipment. Only a handful of the GT350Hs came with one, the rest getting three-speed automatics.
(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...
Photos By ALFRED FISHER
Cigarette butts in the ashtray of a rented car? Not when we rented a Shelby Mustang GT 350H from Hertz. No—sir we found cigarette butts in the rear brake scoop. What other rent-a-car outfit can make that claim? One of the technical boys at Shelby once hinted that those distinctive scoops on the flanks of the Cobra-ized Mustang are more decorative than functional, that the rear brakes don’t need any more fresh air, except when racing. Apparently, nobody realized that Shelby’s ingenious crew had created the world’s first external cigarette receptacle.
Seriously, the alliance between Shelby and Hertz has eliminated the necessity of owning a sports car. Now the enthusiast can have his cake and eat it too. Rates vary according to locale: in the New York area it was a moderate $17 per day (or $70 per week) and 17 cents per mile. Hertz wouldn’t rent us one when there was snow on the ground; said they didn’t have snow tires for it. (New York has a law that says you get towed off the roads in a “snow emergency” if you don’t have approved snow tires.)
Renting a Shelby Mustang is bound to be more ego gratifying than a no-go small-bore import or a big, blowsy “sport-type” American sedan. The GT 350 is a real guts sports car, with hair on its chest—all the way down to its navel. Shelby has contracted to supply Hertz with one thousand GT 350s, designated the GT 350H (”H” for Hertz).
Most of these special GT 350s will have the new high-performance automatic transmission, although a limited number will be available with 4-speed manual transmissions for the do-or-die purists. Said puristi will have to join the Hertz Sports Car Club, the qualification for membership being a demonstration of your ability to operate a manual gearbox. Hertz then gives you a little card, so the next time you want to rent a stick shift Shelby Mustang, you just flash your smile and your HSSC card.
There isn’t any significant difference between the GT 350 you can buy and the Hertz version. The standard GT 350H color scheme is black with two broad gold stripes—a sensational, crowd-stopping combination. Other color schemes are available, including the regular GT 350’s white with two broad blue stripes. A trio of narrower stripes along the rocker panel are interrupted by a “G.T. 350H” nameplate behind each front wheel.
All the Hertz cars have the “occasional” rear seats and “mag-type” wheels that are options on the GT 350. Incidentally, the “H” might well stand for “Homologated” if Shelby—or, for that matter, Hertz—wanted to race the car as a Group 2 sedan; the 1000 examples Shelby will produce for Hertz fulfill the FIA’s minimum production requirement.
https://www.caranddriver.com/archives/1966-ford-shelby-mustang-gt350-h-road-test
Seller’s Description:
1966 Shelby GT350H
Real Deal Not A Clone!!!
Lone Star Muscle Cars Is Proud to present this Super Rare and highly collected Rent-A-Racer From Shelby.
Powered By The All Famous 289 K Code V-8 Motor With The Paxton Super Charger For that extra go power.
The 1966 Shelby GT350H, based on the 1966 GT350, featured a Cobra 289 High Performance V8 engine outputting 306 hp and 329 lb-ft of torque.
Other special features include functional fiberglass scoops used to cool the rear brakes, a red, white, and blue cobra gas cap featuring the Shelby emblem, a tachometer mounted on the dash, and Plexiglas rear quarter windows.
In all, only 1,001 of these fastbacks were built for Hertz in 1966.
Over the years the 1966 Shelby GT350H Mustang has become highly sought after by collectors.
Years later the ones that are left are extremely valuable and easily net $150,000 or more in auctions each year.
In fact, those lucky enough to own one own a coveted piece of Mustang history.
Shelby massaged the 289-cube V8 to pull in 306 horses, but the fruits of the Paxton blowers on the GT350s equated to a jump to around 390 horsepower, with proper tuning as much as 450-hp.
With zero to 60 launches in the mid 5s and a top speed of 150-mph. This 1966 Still In It’s All Famous Black With Gold Stripe’s Side Air Scoop’s. On the interior it is a factory correct down to the seat belts.
https://www.hemmings.com/classifieds/dealer/shelby/gt350h/2156188.html
The best I’ve found is a 1910 penny in my yard. Worth about a buck.
Ok. If I played the lotto and won...
Would buy one.
What was the one Steve McQueen drove in “Bullitt”? This one looks similar.
A beauty when it’s restored.
For some reason I’ve never understood the atraction to mustangs, new or old... they just don’t appeal to me. But, this one is cool. However, if I had it, I’d sell it.
Modern "spell correction" software (combined with public school education) is turning American writers into idiots.
Why does this never happen to me?
All I’d find would be a used Yugo................
Found a civil war coin in my yard, in absolute mint condition and made of some unusual metal since it was wartime. I think the last time I checked, worth about $150. The condition is absolutely remarkable, sharp edges and detail.
IIRC it was a green 66 fastback.................
Reminds me...Bullitt is on tonight ..the movie channel...
‘68 Mustang was used in “Bullitt”.
“Little old Lady.” Garage in Pasadena?
here’s the famous car chase scene from Bullitt with Steve McQueen...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=no7XR7s8Z7o
You have to know where to look in the garage.
Dang. I was going to go there today and take it off their hands.
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