In 1966, Carroll Shelby, as shrewd a business man as he was a racer, struck a deal with Hertz to offer a high-performance rental car to the public for the first time. This made the legendary performance of the Shelby GT350 accessible to the general public. The GT350 had been around for just a year, but it had already gained an excellent reputation both on the street and on race tracks across the country.

Enthusiasts that might not have been able to afford such a car could now rent it on a Friday afternoon and drop it off at Hertz on Monday morning, after a weekend full of racing or high-speed cruising. The cost to rent all this performance was just $17 a day and 17 cents per mile. One thousand GT350s, with the majority finished in Hertz’s colors of black and gold, were delivered to the company for use around the country in 1966.

This specific GT350 H wears serial number 1822 and was delivered new to Hertz in Chicago, Illinois, with a total invoice price of $3,757.25. According to the SAAC Shelby Registry, it featured a radio and chrome Magnum wheels. After concluding its career at Hertz in Chicago, it was purchased by Robert Layman, of Michigan, and subsequently travelled to Florida, where it was owned by James J. Cali, of Dania, and then Todd Clements, of West Palm Beach.

The car was then purchased and later fully restored to original specifications by noted Texas collector Don Davis. In May 2010, Davis sold the car to none other than Carroll Shelby to be part of his personal collection, as it was an outstanding example of one of the best cars to bear his name. Shortly before his passing, the car was purchased by a renowned collector on the East Coast, who owns it to this day. The GT350 H remains in excellent condition following its restoration, and it still retains the title from Carroll Shelby’s ownership.

Offering such an incredible car as the GT350 truly set Hertz apart from rental car companies in its day. As many saw hard lives while seeing duty as a “rent-a-racers,” it is often difficult to find one in a condition such as this, with its original engine and a complete ownership history verified by the Shelby Registry. This example is surely one of the best, as it has been subject to a recent thorough restoration and has been part of some of the finest American collections of automobiles. Simply stated, in terms of provenance, when it comes to Shelby Mustangs, nothing beats owning one that was once owned by the man himself.