1966 Shelby Mustang Hertz GT350 Fastback

Shelby struck a deal with the Hertz rental car company to offer his performance-enhanced Mustang as part of the Hertz's new Sports Car Club. A total of 1,000 of the GT 350 H models were supplied to Hertz in 1966 and most were finished in black with distinctive gold Le Mans stripes. 85 examples of the GT350 H models were originally delivered with a four-speed manual transmission. With clutches needing to be replaced at an alarming rate, and many of the Hertz being returned after a weekend rental with signs of racing numbers still on the doors, Hertz made the decision to equip the remaining cars with automatic transmissions.

This particular example is equipped with a four-speed transmission and finished in black. It was ordered by Hertz on November 15th of 1965 and shipped to Riesmeyer Motor Co. in Crestwood, Missouri, on December 28th, 1965 for dealer prep, then delivered to Hertz in St. Louis, Missouri. Hertz was invoiced $3,547, plus additional cost for chrome Magnum 500 wheels, brake booster, and a radio, for a total of $3,767.40.

Upon arrival on January 7th, 1966 the antenna required replacing as it had bent in shipping. On January 13th, 1966, issues with the hood required it to be refinished.

After its use as a hertz rental car came to an end, the car was sold to the general public. It is believed that this car remained in Missouri until approximately 2006 under various owners. The car was eventually sold to Florida before being purchased by the current owner from Southern California in early 2014.

The car was given a show-quality restoration overseen by Steve Beck of Checkpoint Automotive and completed in October 2020.

It is believed that this car is powered by its original powerplant with proper stamping, backed by a correct-type aluminum T-10 transmission, and the rear axle is the correct nine-inch unit. Inside, there are three-inch lap belts, Ford push-button radio, a dash-mounted Cobra tachometer, and a wood-rimmed steering wheel.

By Daniel Vaughan | Nov 2021