Shelby GT350R's at Turn 3, Laguna Seca
Photo by author, 1997 Monterey Historics
Shelby Mustang GT350H Hertz "Rent-a-Racer"
Photo by author, 1996 NorCal SAAC MiniNats, Sears Point Raceway
Ford's Lee Iacocca turned to none other than Carroll Shelby, who had already created the Cobra, to help spiff up the Mustang's performance image. Shelby promptly turned the Mustang Fastback into GT-350, one of the most successful road racing sedan in America. There are many stories on how the name "GT-350" came about, but it's generally accepted that Shelby and his staff had to come up with a name quickly, so they decided to use the approximate distance to the building across the street, which was 350 feet. In 1966, Hertz Rent-a-Car decided to enhance its image by offering the GT350H for rent at major airports, for $17 a day, 17 cents per mile (had to be 25 years or older). Imagine the smile on the face of the person who had managed to rent one of the 936 "Rent-a-Racers"!
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