This particular model GT350 is known as the “Holy Grail” of all Hertz Shelby’s, and for good reason. This early production 1966 Shelby GT350H has the earliest serial number of any GT350H with known whereabouts.
A second unique aspect of the early White cars is the absence of the “H” in the sill stripes. Through the magic of time, it is now a virtual certainty that the White cars all received the standard “GT350” stripes, as there has never been any photographic or other documentation of any White car originally finished with GT350H stripes. Even though it has long been rumored that H-stripe kits were available, none have ever surfaced.
Another interesting feature are the competition-rated brakes on the GT350 Hertz. Uninitiated Hertz customers were shocked when stomping on the pedal while the brakes were cold resulted in little to no stopping power, a matter first addressed by a Ford engineer in a December 1965 company memo. Twenty cars, including 6S440, were designated as “brake test” cars; 12 of those, including this car, were fitted with the stock master cylinder and hard metallic pads and sent to Hertz San Francisco. In the end, the first 400 cars delivered to Hertz received the booster, but the complaints persisted because the boosters were not the answer. Finally, softer pads were fitted to all models which helped to increase pedal feel and cold braking performance. 6S440 is also one of the cars to receive the hand-brake warning light requested by Hertz as part of the ongoing brake-fix regime; these were installed randomly by Hertz and do not appear on all the Hertz Shelbys.
A Paxton supercharger was installed onto the original engine upon a recent restoration, as well as what is believed to be one of only three prototype Cobra intake plenums with Le Mans 650 CFM carburetor.
Sky’s the limit for this car, but it should fetch over $165,000 at auction later this summer.
Enjoy the images of this historic Shelby!
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