Rent-A-Racer
The original Shelby GT350 proved such a success that Carroll Shelby made a deal with the Hertz rental car company to offer his hotted-up Mustang for hire to the general public. This was a master stroke by Shelby, cleverly promoting his new car through what amounted to paid test drives by potential buyers. A total of 1,000 GT350 H models, most of which were finished in black with gold Le Mans stripes, were supplied to Hertz in 1966. It was not uncommon for the cars to be returned after a weekend rental with signs of racing numbers still on the doors.
Of the initial order of 150 cars, the most desirable GT350 Hs are the 85 examples that were originally delivered with a four-speed manual transmission. Hertz quickly notified Shelby that not everyone could drive a manual, and so the remaining 850 cars after the initial delivery batch all featured automatic transmissions. The car featured here is one of those original four-speed examples.
RM Sotheby's will be offering this 1966 Shelby GT350 H at their upcoming Elkhart Collection auction held between the 23rd-24th October. For more information on this and other vehicles at the sale, click on the link below. Photos: Darin Schnabel © Courtesy of RM Sotheby's.