Shelby American has unveiled the new 2019 Shelby GT-H Mustang.
Fans of Mustang and especially Shelby, will know the GT-H Mustang was the delight of every car renter in the late ’60’s, and the most sought after race car of the period.
Some pretty wild stories abound when the conversation comes up. As wild as they seem, the stories of people renting a Shelby GT-H only to take it racing for the day and then return it to show room are actually confirmed and true.
Some even go as far as to say that full roll cages have been put into them for the day to qualify for national events and then they’ve been removed prior to returning the car. Evidence has been small cutouts in the floor carpeting.
There’s even another story of an entire engine being removed, and replaced with a standard 289ci or 302ci of the day.
Crazy! But true.
And we can certainly understand the temptation when you understand that the GT-H was a fully spec’d Shelby race car available for rent!
The H, in the GT branding stands for Hertz! That’s Hertz-Rent-a-Car, the Car Rental company!
In 1966, 1,001 Shelby GT350-H model Mustangs were delivered to Hertz locations all over America. Only 100 were with a manual transmission and distinctive gold Le Mans stripe and the remainder were automatic’s with black paint with gold striping and all-black interior.
When it all came to an end, the cars were either sold off at auction, or returned to the dealerships for public sale.
The concept was revived in 2006, and again in 2016 with similar spec and once again exclusive to Hertz-Rent-a-Car.
Once again, the Shelby GT-H appeared with distinctive black-and-gold Le Mans striping. Special GT-H badging was located on the front fenders, and each car had a numbered dash plate signed by Carroll Shelby.
The cars had great street credibility with the Shelby GT-H featuring a Ford Racing performance pack that included a cold air intake, X pipe cat-back muffler kit and a performance calibration. This boosted the Shelby GT’s already impressive output an extra 25 horsepower. Other upgrades included a unique front fascia, side scoops, painted calibers and 17” performance tires. This time though, all of the 500 units were equipped with Ford’s five-speed automatic transmission.
In 2016, with the 50th anniversary of the Hertz Edition coming up, Shelby and Ford Performance teamed up to offer the iconic GT-H once more making 140 units available. This version carried a Shelby GT-H polycarbonate raised hood with heat extractors, Rocker Panels with Carbon Fiber Accent Plates, Shelby GT-H rear spoiler and exclusive upper and lower grilles. On the performance front, they also had Ford Performance Handling Package and matching Cat-Back Exhaust with Chrome Tips.
Now in 2019, Shelby and Ford Performance once again release the latest in the iconic Rent-A-Racer line.
The car was officially unveiled at the Woodward Dream Cruise along with the full range of 2019 Shelby Mustangs. The cars receive upgraded suspension, custom bodywork, a Borla exhaust, unique wheels, and exclusive of Shelby accents. Customers have their choice of coupe or convertible with either a 10-speed automatic or six-speed manual.
Thanks to the sports exhaust, the Shelby GT also makes an easy 480hp naturally aspirated to match the Bullitt. For high horse power aficionados, the Ford Performance supercharger added by Shelby, boosts engine output to more than 700 hp.
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