The Shelby American (Winter 2021)

Back in 1965 Hertz contracted with Shelby American to build 1000 special 1966 Shelby GT350s as rental units (the actual number produced counting prototypes was 1001). All were fast- backs with the 289 cu. inch 306 hp Hi- Po engines. There were 86 four-speed cars (85 early build four-speed cars plus the first prototype); the balance were automatics. These cars were shipped to more than 50 Hertz Sports Car Club Agencies across the country, mostly at larger airports. You could rent one for $17 a day plus 17¢ per mile (versus $12 a day plus 12¢ per mile for a standard Mustang). If you were a high roller, you could rent one for $70 /week (plus mileage). Hertz’ requirements were, you had to be at least 25 years-old and had to demonstrate the ability to drive a manual transmission car. If you passed the driver’s test you received a Hertz sports car club card and did not have to demonstrate proficiency for subsequent rentals. The car could only be driven by the renter and Hertz would not rent one when there was snow on the ground. I was out of luck at the age of 17. The dream of renting one remained only a dream. One of Hertz’s problems was souvenir hunters stealing Shelby accessories off the cars while in trans- port or on airport parking lots waiting to be rented. After nine to twelve months of rental service the cars were sent to Ford dealerships to be sold as low mileage used cars. The Hertz fleet was not in high demand on the used car market but they finally got sold. A lot of the new owners quickly re- painted them to a color other than black/gold and changed the transmis- sions to four-speed in an attempt to conceal their identity as former rental cars. In the late ‘80s the Ford and Shelby documents were recovered and identi- fied all the GT350H Shelbys. Most of these cars are restored as rentals today because the Hertz program was a big part of the unique Shelby history. Along with all the exaggerated tales. Some of the stories have even been proven true. One of my lifetime goals was to own an early Shelby GT350. Early in the year of 1967, my older brother Tom and I visited Schmit Ford, one of the two Shelby dealers in the Baltimore, Maryland area. They had a parking lot full of about thirty ex-Hertz rental units. They were all parked in rows, bumper to bumper. They were all black with gold stripes. I was interested in buying a real GT350, not a rental car. By the end of the year I was getting desperate to buy a Shelby. We had been watching a 1966 Hertz car in a neighboring town for months. One night, we decided to go and buy the car. When we got there, the car was sold. Fast forward to SAAC-14 the 1989 Shelby American Auto Club conven- tion at Pocono, Pennsylvania. My brother Tom and I looked at a ‘66 Hertz black-and-gold that was for sale. The SHELBY AMERICAN Winter 2021 63 6S678 The Story of One Man’s Hertz Car – Jim Walsh