Shelby struck a deal with the Hertz Corporation to produce a special line of G.T. 350s for rent that, after their rental-car lives were finished, were returned to Ford, refurbished, and sold to the public as “GT 350-H” models. Most Hertz cars featured gold LeMans stripes and rocker panel stripes, although a few were white with blue stripes. The first 85 Hertz cars were available with four-speed manual transmissions and Hertz advertised them as “Rent-a-Racer” cars.
During rental, these cars were sometimes used as production class cars at SCCA events, and were rumored to have been returned to Hertz with evidence of roll bars being welded in. Hertz ordered the last 800 models with black paint, gold stripes and black interior, as well as automatic transmissions.
When the Hertz cars were returned to Ford to be prepared for sale to the public, the high-performance parts were often “lost” (presumably at the manufacturer) before final sale.
Car Specifications
- Engine: 4.7L V8
- Weight: 1,270 kg / 2,800 lbs
- Power: 228 kW / 306 hp / 310 PS
- 0-100 kph: 5.9 seconds
- Torque: 446 Nm / 329 lb-ft
- Top Speed: 206 kph / 128 mph