1966 Shelby GT350H Fastback

Chassis no. 6S1422

289ci OHV V8 Engine
Single Four-Barrel Holley Carburetor
306bhp at 6,000rpm
Automatic Transmission
Front Independent Suspension - Live Rear Axle
Front Disc - Rear Drum Brakes

*Nut and Bolt restored
*Numbers matching car
*The famed 'rent a racer'

THE SHELBY GT350

Ford created a new class of car almost overnight with the introduction of the Mustang Sports Coupe partway through the 1964 season, catching the rest of the US auto industry off-guard. The brainchild of Lee Iacocca, subsequent savior of the Chrysler Corporation, the Mustang is one of the most remarkable automotive success stories of modern times and arguably the pinnacle of Iacocca's long career with Ford. Legendary Texan racing driver Carroll Shelby's team had been campaigning Ford's with considerable success in North America, winning the SCCA's B-Production title three years running in the mid-1960s. Capitalizing on his success, Shelby began manufacturing a Shelby GT based on the Mustang, which were officially sanctioned and sold through selected Ford dealerships. The first Shelby Mustang – the GT350 – arrived in 1965 powered by a modified version of Ford's 289ci high-performance small-block V8 producing 306bhp, with options of a 340-360bhp unit in competition trim or 400bhp supercharged. A 4-speed Borg-Warner manual gearbox was the stock transmission on early Shelby Mustangs, though a heavy-duty, 3-speed automatic soon became available as an option. The running gear was up-rated appropriately to cope with the GT350's increased performance, though outwardly there was little to distinguish Shelby's GT350 from the standard product apart from a pair of broad 'racing' stripes down the body centerline.

In 1966, Carroll Shelby, as shrewd a business man as he was a racer, struck a deal with Hertz to offer a high-performance rental car to the public for the first time. This made the legendary performance of the Shelby GT350 accessible to the public. Enthusiasts that might not have been able to afford such a car could now rent it on a Friday afternoon and drop it off at Hertz on Monday morning, after a weekend full of racing or high-speed cruising. The cost to rent all this performance was just $17 a day and 17 cents per mile. One thousand GT350s, with the majority finished in Hertz's colors of black and gold, were delivered to the company for use around the country in 1966.


The Motorcar Offered

This 1966 Ford Mustang Shelby GT350 is a true, all original Hertz Rental car. This nut and bolt restored Mustang wears a brilliant black paint job with the Le Mans gold stripes. In 1966, Hertz sports car club member could rent a GT350 for $17 a day and 17 cents a mile. The Cobra 289 high-performance V8 306 HP and 329 lb-ft of torque would run 0-60 6.6 seconds with a standing quarter mile in 15.2 seconds at 93 MPH. Due to the affordable availability of the Shelby GT350 through the rental program, many cars were rented and the performance parts robbed and swapped out with the owners of regular mustangs. This makes the rarity of a true, numbers matching, Hertz Shelby GT350 extremely hard to find.

The previous owner spared no expense in the expansive restoration of this American classic. A real and true barn find in Quitman, MS with 81,438 miles.