Shelby GT-H "Rent-a Racer" Car enthusiasts and collectors will now get the chance to own a piece of automotive history as the first of 500 2006 Shelby GT-H Mustangs leave The Hertz Fun Collection and head to auction.

In launching the GT-H last spring, Ford Motor Company, Shelby and Hertz celebrated the 40th anniversary of the Hertz's original "Rent-A-Racer" program and the 1966 Shelby GT350H by teaming up to create another one-of-a-kind Mustang.

"We have a '66 Shelby GT350H on display in our lobby," says Walter Seaman, Hertz Corporation division vice president, Worldwide Fleet, Maintenance, and Car Sales Operations. "I thought that with 2006 being the anniversary year, it would be a good idea to add a V-8 Mustang to The Fun Collection. After talking to Ford about getting some automatic GTs, we found that they had already been talking to Shelby about some different projects and we just kind of brought it all together."

The 2006 Shelby GT-H Mustangs draw their inspiration from the original car, wearing distinctive Shelby/Hertz black paint with gold striping, and feature a modified body, suspension and powertrain, all brought together at Shelby Automobiles in Las Vegas, Nev.

Manheim Auctions, headquartered in Atlanta, is handling the sale of the cars. The first five were released for sale in mid-December 2006 at public auction to gauge market value. Those five, with mileage ranging from 3,900 to 6,000, sold for prices ranging from $68,000 to as high as $90,000 - the latter for the first car sold.

The remaining cars will be sold exclusively to licensed Ford dealers, who can in turn sell them to the public. Seaman says that about 50 or 60 have been released for sale so far, with the average selling price in the low $60,000 range.

"We've taken out all of the units we had in the Northeast for obvious reasons," says Seaman. "They're still available for rent in selective markets such as California and Florida. We'll have all the cars sold by April. We're selling quite a few with less than 10,000 miles and we'll try to keep the rest under 15,000 miles, just because it makes it more of a collectible car."

The program has been a major success for all parties involved. Beyond the financial rewards, the car has created a buzz that has spread quickly from major news publications to Internet blogs and chat rooms. A budding young Hollywood producer even went as far as to rent a GT-H and produce his own 30-second "Bold Moves" commercial that found notoriety on the popular youtube.com.

"It's one thing for us to say it's a legend, but it's another to see that coming from third-party endorsements," says Robert Parker, Ford car marketing manager. "That just proves the strength of the brand. The Shelby GT-H is a car that people will be talking about 40 years from now."

And just like the original GT350H, each of the Shelby rentals comes with its own stories attached, from winning drag races at local strips, to taking home the hardware at car shows, to the story of a bride-to-be who rented a GT-H for her honeymoon as a gift for her husband. What you won't hear are the wild stories of engine swaps, like those from the '60s - at least not true stories.

"Forty years ago, when Hertz had the program, it was little less controlled," says Seaman. "We were very careful with a very detailed check sheet when the car was rented and returned. There were some people who thought they were getting away with a lot of things, but they ended up reimbursing us for damage."

Seaman says that Hertz has received thousands of requests from potential collectors who are interested in purchasing one of the Shelby GT-H Mustangs. He suggests that they contact their local Ford dealer and work out a deal with them, then have the dealer pick up the car at auction.

And if they can't grab one of the 500 GT-H Mustangs, they can always put their order in for a Shelby Mustang GT that offers the same basic modifications. They'll just have to write their own stories.

Reproduced with the kind permission of Ford Media