Imagine for a minute that you’re 25 years old in 1966 and also a member of Hertz’s Sport Club. For $17 and pocket change for mileage, you could rent a Mustang Shelby GT350-H for the day. This was thanks to a program between Shelby and Hertz that resulted in 1,000 of the GT350-Hs being available for hire. Of the ones left today, they are quite pricey, so the seller’s car may be the next best thing, a GT350-H tribute. Located in Spokane Valley, Washington, this wild Ford clone is available here on craigslist for $85,000.
One of Carroll Shelby’s greatest coups was the GT350, which employed a 289 cubic inch V8 that was modified to produce north of 300 hp. In late 1965, Shelby and Hertz cooked up the “Rent-A-Racer” program that involved 1,000 of the cars being added to the Hertz fleet and only available to the rental company’s Sports Club members. Needless to say, the “H” in GT350-H stands for Hertz. The cars were very popular with wannabe racers, and many of the cars were quickly ragged out and too expensive to keep going over time. So, it was a one-year program.
This ’66 Mustang began life as a C-code Ford, meaning it also came with a 289 V8, but an ordinary one with a 2-barrel carburetor and 200 hp. Details of the transformation of this Mustang into a GT350-H tribute aren’t divulged, but should prove interesting. It looks stunning even though the odometer quit working at 47,000 miles, whenever that was. It has the Hi-Pro 289, a 4-speed Toploader, power front disc brakes, a 9-inch rear end, and an aluminum radiator. There are also some newer items like a Bluetooth stereo, headers, and a 22-gallon gas tank.
Some other work is “in progress” per the seller, such as a rebuild of the carburetor, a new alternator, and a new brake master cylinder. All of which we assume will be completed before the Ford changes hands. If you don’t have $200,000 to spring for a real GT350-H, would you spend 40% of that for a clone? Thanks for this nifty tip, “Curvette”!
Everytime I see one of these, I’m reminded of the movie Grand Prix, where James Garner aggressively drove one with Jessica Walter hanging on for dear life. I believe, that scene, by the way, was filmed on Mulholland Blvd. in L.A. hills, with a 2CV added, for effect, not Europe. There was an urban legend that drag racers would rent one of these over a weekend, pull the motors, and replace them with regular ones. I read, that simply was not true. There were explicit rules when renting one and the cars were gone over upon return, but made a good story at the lunch counter. Nice cars.
Two stories. Story 1:
My wife used to be the manager of the Avis franchise at Hilton Head about 40 years ago. They had a real problem with people renting a car similar to one that they owned…most often a Camry…for the weekend. Take it home, swap the wheels and tires and turn it in on Sunday when they had minimum staff. Car would be re-rented several times before anybody noticed. Never heard of an engine swap, however.
Story 2:
I read in a car magazine many years ago…CarCraft maybe?…of a winter circle track up north. Maybe Minnesota or Wisconsin? Took place on a frozen lake and had only one rule…all the cars had to be rental cars. Got so bad that all the rental companies within 100 miles of the race closed their doors and wouldn’t rent cars to anybody for a week before the race.
Keyword: clone
I didn’t like the Hertz Mustang, why would I like this one?
I liked the Hertz Mustangs. They looked and ran as good as any Mustang out there.
Saw one in the wild near Greensboro. It was going 75 a couple lanes over when at a sharp curve he slowed down to 60 while I merged at over 90 with zero tire squeal.
60 years newer means a lot of handling improvements. If I owned the real thing or a clone I would be disappointed.
Looks like a fun driver. Lively 289 w stick 👍Thanks Dixon, enjoy the Easter Long Weekend. 🤝
It was not a one year only program. In 1968 Hertz rented 1968 Cougar XR-7Gs with the S code 390. In 1969 and 1970 Hertz rented both Shelby Mustangs and Cougar Eliminators. The only difference was that the cars were not marked in a special way like the GT-350H.
CATHOUSE, I absolutely love those 390 powered Cougars. 😍
Tribute=counterfeit
The concept lives on today. Near the office building in Houston where I worked, a local exotic car rental agency stored their cars in a parking garage. When I was out for a walk it was not unusual to see the vehicles coming and going. Occasionally even a car carrier loading or unloading something interesting. Eye candy!
if you’ve never heard this, check it out.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OKKJCaKvfZI
It’s Don Imus “calling” Hertz to rent one.
The word “Tribute” kills it for me. It’s a fake, nothing more.
Me too, Sarge! “tribute”, “clone” and “replica” all mean FAKE! It’s either the real thing or it’s not.
I dunno. Looks like a skinny damper and a vacuum advance. At least make it look authentic?