Return of the Rent-a-Racer!

http://www.autoblog.com/media/2006/03/poster07-LoRz.jpg

Linkie.

The Dearborn automaker will produce a limited run of 200 of the vehicles, in black with gold paint stripes, just like the 1960s version.

Ford's latest retro vehicle harks back to the Shelby Hertz GT350H, which was modified by Carroll Shelby in 1966 and distributed to select Hertz franchises for the rental-car company's "Rent a Racer" program. The new version borrows from that concept liberally. Ford will build the Mustangs, ship them to Shelby for tweaking and then distribute them to Hertz dealers.

The carmaker told IL that the new version uses a 2006 Mustang GT as a platform and adds new calibration for powertrain controls to give the GT's 300-horsepower, 4.6-liter V8 a boost of 20 hp, to 320 hp. Other performance enhancements include intake and exhaust tuning.

"We're starting to have a little fun," the Ford executive told IL. "This is our big news in New York. The thinking on resurrecting the Shelby Hertz is that if you are going to Vegas for the weekend, you won't have to rent a Chrysler Sebring. You can get a hot Mustang."

I realize this won't be a true race car, but maybe we here at MME should take them up on their marketing and rent one for a little "MME Rent-a-Racer" impromptu autox!

::EvilBana ::Flame:: ::EvilBana

S.