1968 Shelby Mustang GT350H – Auction Car of the Week

You walk up the rental desk in 2023 and show the bored customer services rep your paperwork and licence, they force half a smile, hand you some keys and give you a mumbled description of where it is. You meander out to find your car, and what greets you is a small, dull hatchback with more scratches than a freestyle DJ’s set list. You sigh, get in and then stifle a gag as you notice the smell. Something akin to a wet dog with the afternotes of a student bedsit. Hateful, on every level. It’s a shame it’s not 1968, really. You could have had a Shelby Mustang GT350H. No, really.

In the ’60s you could, if your plane landed in the States, walk into a Hertz rental office and bag yourself a legit Shelby to drive around in for a week. A legit, V8, tyre-smoking, fastback of epic proportions. Stripes, Shelby GT350H badging, white lettered tyres, bucket seats and so much more. In reality, the whole thing was something of a publicity stunt, but not by Ford. It was orchestrated by Carroll Shelby himself. In 1966 he managed to convince Hertz bosses to buy 1,001 Mustangs. The logic was simple – it made the cars accessible in a way a dealer test drive never could. It worked.

Those first cars were most famous in black with gold stripes. And those early Mustangs are arguably the defining Hertz car. However, there was another one, the 1968 GT350H. Shelby only built  224, and now for those in the know, those cars are the most sought after. Happily, that’s exactly what here have here in the form of this stunning, beautifully original 1968 Shelby Mustang GT350H finished in Wimbledon White with black interior trim. Delicious. And this car has all the paperwork, build sheets and other documentation to clarify exactly how special it is. Just have a read of this, for example…

This GT350H is arguably more special than most. After its Hertz time, it was sold in the ’70s to a private owner. It was taken off the road in 1987 and the hidden away, carefully, until it was found, bought and shipped to the UK in March of this year. Since then, the car has had a full and detailed mechanical overhaul. The 302 V8 has been rebuilt, the brakes, the suspension, the carb, the manifold, the steering, the electrical system, the exhaust, nothing mechanical has been missed. It’s on the button and ready to go, and has of course been registered in the UK. Just bid, win, turn up and drive it home.

The best bit about this car, however, is the aesthetic and with it, the patina. The mechanicals have been sorted, which makes sense after so long off the road. However, the body and interior have been cleaned and detailed, and that’s it. It’s all original even down to the period wooden steering wheel. This GT350H has some chips and some marks, and signs of life here and there, but it’s rock solid, it looks amazing and the originality has been beautifully preserved rather than removed in favour of new paint. Paint that wouldn’t suit this car at all. It wears its years with grace and purpose, and that’s how it should stay. The only ‘modification’ of note is on the dash. Some chap named Carroll Shelby has written on it. We’re sure it’ll come off with a bit of interior cleaner.

This 1968 Shelby Mustang GT350H is a true once in a lifetime find. The visual originality is unbeatable, the extenve work done to the mechanicals give your peace of mind and performance, while the lines of the ’68 fatback never fail to captivate. This is a car that, as a fan of American cars, you need. And just think, now that it’s for sale, you won’t have to give it back after a week. Or ever.