In 1966, Carroll Shelby inked a deal with Hertz to see Shelby deliver his modified Ford Mustangs to the rental car company's fleet. Thus began Hertz's "Rent-A-Racer" program that allowed anyone to rent one of the era's most potent performance cars. You can get behind today's performance vehicles through its Adrenaline Collection, and soon there will be another performance machine to choose from. It debuts tomorrow.
On May 10, Hertz will launch a new Mustang rental car, and it looks like it'll be a variant of the Shelby GT500. One teaser last week showed off an aggressive hood sporting modified vents. Today's teaser video revealed more, showing off the car's lighting signature and sleek silhouette. It also revealed the car's gold snake badge. The car could feature other styling tweaks that separate the Hertz variant from the standard Shelby model.
Tomorrow, get a first glimpse of the new American driving icon. Are you ready? Let's go! #Hertz #HertzLetsGo #TheNewAmericanDrive #AmericanRoadTrip #EnjoyTheRide pic.twitter.com/gnqZH6MeMW
— Hertz (@Hertz) May 9, 2022
The GT500 packs a supercharged 5.2-liter V8 engine that produces 760 horsepower (567 kilowatts) and 625 pound-feet (487 Newton-meters) of torque. It could create more if Shelby decides to make any powertrain tweaks for Hertz. The engine pairs with a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic gearbox. We expect the car to arrive in the iconic black-and-gold color scheme with plenty of Hertz touches inside and out.
Earlier this year, Hertz's new CEO admitted that the company had caused some of its customers to be arrested for stealing rental cars that weren't actually stolen. He detailed how it had happened and what the company plans to do to rectify the issue. Claims of false arrest date back to 2014; however, there are reports of this happening to Hertz customers as recently as this year.
The rental car company hit hard times when the coronavirus pandemic started, filing for bankruptcy shortly afterward for its US and Canadian operations. Hertz emerged from bankruptcy last October, and the company is already making moves. In April, the company announced that it'd partnered with Polestar, which will provide the service with 65,000 Polestar 2 EVs. They'll begin arriving in Hertz’s North American and Australian fleets in late 2022, and we hope this new Mustang is not far behind it.
Get ready to step behind the wheel of an American driving icon. We’re revving up something big May 10. Let’s go! #Hertz #HertzLetsGo #TheNewAmericanDrive #AmericanRoadTrip #EnjoyTheRide pic.twitter.com/0IO9LcHHeh
— Hertz (@Hertz) May 5, 2022