In 1966, Carroll Shelby partnered with Hertz on the Rent-A-Racer program, which began with the car rental company in question purchasing 1,001 Ford Mustangs. As an essential history of the program at Hemmings points out, this was a significant partnership for both sides, though it wasn’t without its problems — and it’s telling that, the next time the two teamed up, Hertz had to modify its rental agreement somewhat to prevent especially adventurous driving.
Since the beginning of May, Hertz has been posting cryptic images and videos on Twitter, suggesting something big is in the works, seemingly with its roots in that initial team-up. As Autoblog’s Jonathon Ramsey points out, many of the details of the car featured in Hertz’s video, including its black-and-gold color scheme, hearken back to the Shelby GT350-H — in other words, the car where the Rent-A-Racer program got its start.
“Drive an American Icon,” reads the text in one of Hertz’s videos — and Shelby’s automotive work certainly fits that description. It’s worth mentioning here that, as per the Hemmings article, this isn’t the first time Hertz has embraced a Shelby-designed vehicle in black and gold since 1966 — a 2006 Ford Shelby GT-H in those same colors was also offered for rentals to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the initial partnership.
More details on this program are due later in the week. We suspect it might make Shelby enthusiasts looking to take one of their newer offerings out on the road very happy indeed.
More Like This
Thanks for reading InsideHook. Sign up for our daily newsletter and be in the know.
