Skip to main content

Ford, Shelby, and Hertz pay homage to the Rent-a-Racer program with a commemorative Mustang

Fifty years ago, renowned American tuner Shelby teamed up with Ford and Hertz to put car renters behind the wheel of a Mustang GT350. Ford is paying homage to the program, which was cleverly called Rent-a-Racer, by releasing a limited-edition Mustang called GT-H that’s inspired by the original GT350-H.

Based on the 2016 Ford Mustang GT, the GT-H features a heritage-laced black paint job that’s accented by a pair of gold racing stripes and gold accents right above the rocker panels. The two-tone look helps the GT-H stand out from the regular Mustang GT, and it brings the coupe in line with the GT-350H that was found on Hertz lots nationwide half a century ago.

The GT-H isn’t all retro. It also wears a front splitter made out of carbon fiber, side skirts with carbon fiber inserts, a Shelby-specific grille, and a spoiler on the trunk lid. It rides on 19-inch alloy wheels wrapped by sticky Michelin Pilot Sport tires.

A metal plaque engraved with the car’s serial number and attached to the dashboard lets the passengers know they’re not riding in a run-of-the-mill Mustang GT. The cabin has been spruced up with new sill plates, redesigned headrests, and custom floor mats.

Mechanically, the GT-H is powered by a Mustang GT-sourced, 5.0-liter V8 engine that sends a solid 435 horsepower and 390 pound-feet of torque to the rear wheels. Transmission options haven’t been revealed yet. The eight-cylinder exhales through a new exhaust system, and Shelby has added a performance-tuned suspension to improve handling.

Just like the original GT350-H, the 2016 Ford Shelby Mustang GT-H will exclusively be available through Hertz branches at select airports scattered across the continental United States; in other words, you’re out of luck if you want to soak up the Hawaiian sun or discover the vastness of Alaska behind the wheel of the GT-H. The GT-H is scheduled to join Hertz’s fleet starting on Memorial Day weekend, though finding one might be easier said than done because only 140 examples will be built by Shelby in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Ronan Glon
Ronan Glon is an American automotive and tech journalist based in southern France. As a long-time contributor to Digital…
Trump administration prepares to end Biden’s EV tax incentive, report says
president biden drives 2022 ford f 150 lightning electric pickup truck prototype visits rouge vehicle center

If you’re looking to buy or lease an electric vehicle (EV) and benefit from the Biden administration’s $7,500 tax incentive, you’d better act soon.

The transition team of the incoming Trump administration is already planning to end the credit, according to a report from Reuters citing sources with direct knowledge of the matter.

Read more
Kia EV4: everything we know so far
Kia EV4 Front

Kia is continuing to expand its electric car lineup. The EV6 and EV9 have both been out for some time now, and the company is in the middle of rolling out the EV3 in Europe, with a North American release expected next year. After that, it's likely the company will turn to the EV5. But what about after that? Well, that could be where the Kia EV4 comes in.

Kia announced a concept version of the EV4 at its EV Day in 2023, showing off a futuristic-looking hatchback that's seemingly a little smaller than the EV6, but keeps many design elements. Since then, Kia has confirmed very few details about it, though we have seen it shown off at other automotive events. Here's everything we know about the Kia EV4 so far.
Kia EV4 design
The Kia EV4, or at least the concept version of it, is smaller than the EV6, and much smaller than the EV9. It's actually closer in size to a sedan than anything else, though with its open trunk, it could be considered a hatchback. Regardless, it certainly blurs the line between the two. So much so, that in recent months we've actually seen a full hatchback version of the EV4 being tested -- and it's possible that Kia is pivoting the design of the EV4 entirely to be a hatch, or will be releasing both hatchback and sedan versions.

Read more
Hertz is selling used Teslas for under $20K, Chevrolet Bolt EVs under $14K
2018 Chevrolet Bolt EV

Tesla CEO Elon Musk recently nixed hopes of a regular Tesla model ever selling for $25,000.

But he was talking about new models. For car rental company Hertz, the race to sell used Teslas and other EVs at ever-lower prices is not only still on but accelerating.

Read more