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1966 Shelby Mustang GT350H Fastback

Posted by David Kinney

In 1966 Hertz began renting Shelby GT350Hs for $17 per day and 17 cents a mile. The “H” stood for Hertz, and 936 of them were built for use at rental locations throughout the country.

The majority of GT350H cars were delivered in a standard format of black paint with gold stripes - Hertz corporate colors. Most of the cars had automatic transmission, a special oversized brake master cylinder and a fold-down rear seat. They were equipped, as were all 1966 Shelbys, with a dash-mounted tachometer, a Plexiglas rear quarter window and all modifications Shelby used to transform a standard Mustang into a Shelby.

It didn’t take long for the racetracks located close to rental locations to have visitors in the form of Hertz “rent-a-racers.” As opposed to the commonplace rental of a Falcon or a Galaxie, a Shelby GT350H did wonders for the image of the businessman who could transform himself into a secret agent, a race car driver or a bon vivant, at least for a week or a weekend. The GT350H was a “halo car” for Hertz, an opportunity to create a buzz about the Hertz corporation and its products and services.

Did this stunt pay off? Well, we’re talking about a 35-year-old campaign for a rental car company right now, aren’t we? And somehow, the glow from a GT350H creates a more favorable corporate impression than one of Mr. Simpson vaulting over suitcases.

(From the January 2002 issue of Sports Car Market magazine.)