1966 Shelby GT 350H - The H is for Hertz

by Mike - 

Was the GT 350H really a good idea for Hertz? They bought 1,002 Shelby GT 350H cars for use in the Hertz rental fleet. As you can see in the advertisement below from July 1966 they were eager to rent them. They also pointed out the performance features of the GT350. Look at this picture from the ad!

However, many came back wrecked or with the high performance engine replaced with a standard Mustang engine. In the end Shelby bought the entire Hertz lot of GT350s back at a reduced price according to Mike Mueller's book on the Mustang.

This does not seem like a good strategy for a rental car company. The rental cost was $17 per day or $70 per week plus $0.17 per mile. What a bargain for a race car!

Most GT350Hs were black with gold stripes but some were other colors like this beautiful white with gold stripe car that was at the Marin Sonoma Concours d'Elegance on May 15, 2011.

Click on the images for a larger view.

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Shelby GT350 Mustang

by Mike

In 1964 Ford asked Carroll Shelby to transform the Ford Mustang into a race car. He did that and in 1965 the Shelby GT350 Mustang won the SCCA B/Production Class championship. There were 562 1965 GT 350s produced: 34 were the race version, 9 were drag racing models, 1 street prototype, 2 race prototypes and 516 street versions.

In 1966 there were 2,367 GT350s made. These have become highly collectable and have increased in value over the years. The GT350 was produced until 1970, however, the 1965 and 1966 are the most desirable and valuable.

I especially like the 1965 "double digit" cars, these are the first 100 produced for homologation purposes. One of these is shown in the pictures below taken at the Palo Alto Concours d'Elegance in June 2007.

This is the important Shelby identification plate located on the left under the hood.

The 1965 GT350 below will be at the Mecum Auction at Kissimmee, Florida on January 26-30, 2011.

This 1965 Shelby GT350 R below will be at the Gooding & Company auction on January 21 & 22, 2011 in Arizona. It has an estimate of $650,000 - $850,000. This is an R model - one of the rare race cars.

This 1966 Shelby GT 350H model is for sale at Fantasy Junction for $115,000. This is a Hertz model that could have been rented from Hertz when new.

This is an advertisement promoting the 1967 Shelby Mustangs using success on the race track to attract buyers.

Click on the images for a larger view.