Real Rent-a-Racer: Hoovie Buys a Shelby GT350H

By John Coyle - November 24, 2021

This 1966 Shelby GT350H was built to turn hot laps — and that’s exactly what Hoovie intends to do with it.

Carroll Shelby is best know for building weapons-grade machines like the Shelby Cobra and the Mustang GT350, and for his role in helping Ford beat Ferrari at Le Mans. But while the brash Texan can never be separated from his role as a hot rodder and car designer, it’s important to remember that he was also one hell of a salesman. One of my favorite stories about his early days involves how he painted the first Cobra multiple times, in multiple colors, just so he could convince investors that he’d made more than one car.

In the late 1960s, he also made a deal with Hertz, and sold the rental car company 1,001 examples of his GT350 Mustang. Under the Rent-a-Racer program, anyone with a valid drivers license and enough cash could get behind the wheel of a GT350H, and many folks actually drove them straight from the rental office to the track. Apparently, some were even returned with roll cages welded in, and many more came back with the clutches burned up. So after the initial batch, all the cars Hertz got were automatics.

Today, an original Hertz Rent-a-Racer is a pretty rare find, and it’s unclear how many are left. But Hoovie from Hoovie’s Garage just scored one, and it looks amazing. While there were actually a few colors available, including Sapphire Blue, Ivy Green, and Wimbledon White, his version features the iconic black body and gold Le Mans stripes. It’s also been extensively modified, as it was raced at drags, hill climbs, and on road courses like California’s beautiful Laguna Seca.

As it sits today, this is still a Group B legal car, meaning that it’s ready to go toe to toe with other vintage Mustangs in that class. And though Hoovie plans to make a couple of changes — most notably fitting it with a key and adding windows — so he can drive it on the street, he’s committed to taking it back to the track. Personally, I love that idea, and I can’t wait to follow his adventures with this classic piece of Mustang history. Watch the video for a proper introduction — and cross you fingers it doesn’t get wrecked in battle!

Photos: YouTube