1966 Shelby GT350-H — The Original "Rent-a-Racer"

Few footnotes in automotive history are stranger than a rental car company handing over the keys to a race-bred Shelby. The GT350-H exists because Carroll Shelby needed volume. The standard GT350 had been built in the first place to satisfy SCCA rules requiring 100 production cars within twelve months to homologate the car for B-Production racing — a requirement so strict it cost the stripped-down '65 its back seat entirely. By late 1965, Shelby American approached Hertz with a different idea: let the Hertz Sports Car Club rent these cars to enthusiast members for $17 a day plus 17 cents a mile, in more than 60 cities nationwide. Hertz got a car no other rental fleet could offer. Shelby got volume and exposure it couldn't have bought. Some 1,000 GT350-H cars were built for the 1966 model year — about 800 in Raven Black with gold Le Mans stripes, the rest split in small numbers across Wimbledon White, Sapphire Blue, Candy Apple Red, and Ivy Green. Roughly 85 to 100 left the factory with a 4-speed manual; the balance, like this car, were fitted with Ford's C4 automatic. The program didn't last past one season — high repair costs and the inevitable renter abuse saw to that — but the stories are part of the car's legend now: clutch fires, impromptu drag races, and more than a few roll bars fitted by renters who took "racer" literally. What survived is one of the most recognizable and sought-after Shelbys ever built.

This GT350-H carries the K-code 289 High-Performance V8 at its core, the same Shelby-modified engine rated at 306 horsepower and 329 lb-ft of torque in period testing. It's paired here with the original 3-speed C4 automatic, with long-tube headers and a true dual exhaust system opening up both the sound and the breathing over stock. The rear end has been re-geared from the factory's 4.11 ratio to a more relaxed 2.75, dropping cruising RPM for comfortable highway driving — and the original 4.11 gears are included with the car, so a future owner can return it to factory spec if period-correct performance matters more than long-distance comfort.

The exterior is finished in the car's signature black with deep gold flake, paired with the gold racing stripes that have defined the Hertz "Rent-a-Racer" look since 1966. The paint presents in excellent condition, consistent with a car that has been well cared for over the years.

Inside, the cabin keeps its period-correct styling and layout, updated with a modern Classic Auto Air air conditioning system for genuinely cold air on warm-weather drives — a rare and welcome concession to comfort in a car built for a very different kind of daily use.

Key Features

• K-code 289 High-Performance V8, 306 hp / 329 lb-ft
• Original 3-speed C4 automatic transmission
• Long-tube headers with true dual exhaust
• Rear end re-geared to 2.75:1 for highway cruising; original 4.11:1 gears included
• Black with gold flake paint and factory-style gold Le Mans stripes
• Modern Classic Auto Air A/C system
• One of roughly 1,000 GT350-H cars built for the 1966 Hertz Sports Car Club program

The GT350-H suits a collector drawn less to outright performance than to the story behind the car — a Shelby built not for the track, but for the glovebox of a rental counter, and one of the more improbable partnerships in Detroit's history.

Please note: the selling dealer may be required to collect applicable sales tax depending on the buyer's location.