1968 Shelby GT350 Hertz 1 of 224

1968 Ford Mustang Additional Info:

Up for auction at no reserve is a very rare car that has never been offered for sale on eBay or the internet. In 1968, there were just 1,053 Ford Mustang Shelby GT350’s produced, according to Kevin Marti and other Ford experts. Of this number, 224 were sold to Hertz for their “Rent-A Racer”program. There was no agreement between Shelby and Hertz in 1967, thus, no Hertz cars. The only other year for the “Rent-A-Racer” program (also, the first year), 1966, Hertz received 999 cars for this program. This car is one of the original 224 Hertz cars for 1968. When was the last time you’ve seen a GT350 project for sale, much less a true Rent-A-Racer”?

The last owner purchased this car at the Auto Fair at Lowe’s Motor Speedway in Charlotte, NC in 1991. A Marine stationed at Camp Lejeune brought it there to sell. He owned it for many years. It was sold new at Bill Watkins Ford in Scottsdale, Arizona and spent years in California before going to North Carolina, then South Carolina.

This Shelby is a very solid project that will need a total restoration. It was parked in 1993 and sat in a barn until about two months ago. There are no dents or dings on the car. There is bubbling on both lower quarter panels and the leading edges of both doors on the bottom under the stripe.The fenders have no bubbling or rust. The rockers and door jams are very solid.The only through rust is next to a drain plug hole on the driver’s side front floor pan, as pictured. The rest of the floors, frame, trunk area, drop offs, firewall,shock towers, etc look nice. There was a cheap single stage repaint sometime in the late 1980’s. The doors, trunk lid and hood line up very nicely and open/close very well. The original fiberglass hood is in good shape. All glass is nice. The interior is original and has that familiar “been in a barn for 26 years” smell. The dash has no cracks, and the car has its original AM radio. The original Shelby Cobra hubcaps and 15” steel wheels are on the car.

The motor has not run since 1993. The ’68 GT350 was the only year for the 302 small block. All Hertz cars in 1968 were automatics. Both the engine and transmission are supposed to be original to the car, as well as the rear end, but I have not confirmed this. I have no history on the motor, but I do know that the transmission was rebuilt in 1991. I have some paperwork on the car going back to the ‘80’s. I have a Marti Report, further documenting what this car is. The door tag, and Shelby ID plate are in place. The passenger side inner fender tag is with the car as well. Has a clear SC title. All numbers on title, door tag, Shelby ID tag, dash plate and fender tag match, as shown in pictures. Although, this is an air car, most of the components were taken off and put on the previous owner's convertible Mustang. The car also has headers and not the original exhaust manifolds. The motor is not locked up (turns over by hand).

This car deserves a complete rotisserie restoration. If you know these cars, you know what just a decent driver quality Shelby goes for. Of the 224 ’68 Hertz cars, how many can be left? Please call Andy at (706) 836-4410 with any questions. If you want specific pictures, please let me know. Inspections are welcome BEFORE auction ends. If you should want this car, I want a $500 deposit within 24 hours of the auction’s end. Payment in full before car leaves my house. Full payment is due within seven days. No trades. I have the right to end the auction at any time. I will be listing it elsewhere as well. Serious calls and bids only, please. Thanks

Just an FYI - I sold a few cars on here back before the recession, when the market was nuts. That said, I've never had this much interest in any car. Ever. Please don't waste your time or mine with an offer below the starting bid, which is the reserve. I've had offers well below and slightly above the reserve so far. While I appreciate your knowledge, I know what this car is and the uniqueness of it. Like I said, try and find another one. The car probably won't see the end of the auction. Thanks

UPDATE - I was told this was an original 30,000 mile car, but had no way to prove this. Being a rental car, I was pretty skeptical. Today, I happened to look at the title from 1991. The odometer reading is 34,784 and states "actual mileage". The car has not run since 1993 and was driven very sparingly between '91 and '93. Again, the interior is original and not torn to shreds, so who knows?