Who doesn’t love the concept of renting a Ford Mustang? Hate them or love them; they are fun to drive. This is especially true when it comes to Mustangs with a V8 powerplant under the hood. Of course, the bar gets raised even higher if you happen upon a rental for the 760 horsepower supercharged Shelby GT500. While that may not seem all that likely, it just became a far more real possibility!

Shelby American and Hertz teamed up to bring you these dream rentals

According to Hertz, this is the first installment of a three-year agreement between Shelby American and the legendary rental car company. Though we can’t say for sure what sort of cars are to come in the next three years, we can say that the cars they’re offering upfront are pretty insane.

As one might expect with Shelby, the cars are not your typically watered-down Mustang rental. While most rental companies will give you a four-cylinder Mustang, Shelby American wants you to feel the full brute force of the GT500 and then some!

The Shelby GT500-H fastbacks available for rental are modified 2022 GT500s. Instead of the “lowly” 760 horsepower you’ll find in a standard GT500 model, Shelby gave these the company’s traditional treatment, and they now kick out over 900 horsepower. Putting that into the general public’s hands, especially in rear-wheel drive format, is downright terrifying. At the same time, though, it’s pretty awesome.

Additionally, Shelby GT-H fastbacks and convertibles based on the standard Mustang GT platform are also available for rent. These cars feature Borla cat-back exhaust systems and staggered wheels. Additionally, they wear custom paint jobs with traditional gold “Le Mans” stripes that date back to the original Shelby/Hertz collaboration.

The cars are available for rent at select airports throughout the country. The GT500-H models are available in Fort Myers, Las Vegas, Miami, Orlando, Phoenix, and Tampa. Additionally, the GT-H fastback and convertible models are available in Atlanta, Dallas, Fort Lauderdale, Fort Myers, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Miami, Orlando, Phoenix, San Diego, San Francisco, and Tampa.

History of the Hertz Rent-A-Racer program

This is far from the first time Hertz and Shelby American have worked together. In fact, the original collaboration between these two companies dates all the way back to 1966.

The original Rent-A-Racer, the Shelby GT350-H, was a collaboration between Hertz and Shelby to offer customers a unique opportunity to drive a car they wouldn’t otherwise have access to. Shelby American built specific GT350 models for this purpose (hence the H at the end of the model name).

According to Mustang Specs, all of them were automatic transmission models. However, all came with the Ford 289 cubic-inch V8 under the hood, just like standard model GT350s. Shelby built 1,000 of these Mustangs, and nearly all of them were black with gold racing stripes. However, Shelby painted a select handful of them Sapphire Blue, Candy Apple Red, Ivy Green, and even Wimbledon White.

Members of the Hertz Sports Car Club could rent these via the Rent-A-Racer program for $17 a day. That’s about $150 in today’s money.

After the original Rent-A-Racer program, Hertz and Shelby joined forces in 2006, 2007, and again in 2016.

“This partnership has made automotive history many times over the years, and we look forward to future collaborations that will continue to both push limits and delight our customers with exciting cars and experiences,” said Stephen Scherr, CEO of Hertz.

Overall, it’s fantastic to see this collaboration come to life once again! If you’re traveling to one of the above-listed destinations, you should consider renting a racer!