Ford shipped cars from Michigan to the Shelby Automotive assembly plant in Las Vegas, NV for the spa treatment. As with the GT-H, the GT is offered only in the coupe body style, with metallic Silver Le Mans stripes instead of the Hertz-specific gold. While all GT-Hs are black, the GT comes in either White or Black with the White cars getting polished aluminum wheels and the Black GTs having black wheel centers.
All the GT's performance hardware is the same as that on the GT-H. Which means a Ford Racing Powerpack, consisting of a 90mm cold-air intake system and more aggressive calibration of the engine management system, mandating the use of premium fuel. Ford Racing performance mufflers and an X-pipe, replacing the standard H-shaped crossover, complete the powertrain mods with output originally estimated at 325 horsepower.
Underneath, Ford Racing provided new struts and shocks, which reduce the ride height about an inch and a half. Stiffer anti-roll bars improve body control and make for flatter cornering. And a race-inspired twin-tube strut tower base increased chassis rigidity in the engine bay and sharpened up steering response and the entire rear end was swapped for a new unit carrying a 3.55:1 diff ratio.
Here's where the GT and GT-H diverge. While the rental could only be obtained with an automatic transmission, the GT was offered with your choice of the same five-speed automatic transmission or a five-speed manual sporting a stubby Hurst shifter wearing a white shift knob that looks right out of the 1960s.The Hertz model runs "Bullitt"-style 17-inch alloys but the GT had a factory Plus One combination of 18-inch wheels and lower-profile tires.
The GT-H has its own unique Shelby hood, while the GT uses the factory aluminum hood fitted with a riveted-on hood scoop. This scoop's size and shape is close to that on the mid-1960s 427 Cobra and the treatment is preferable to the GT-H's bulky-looking fiberglass hood. Both cars have the same aluminum replacement grille, front fascia (borrowed from the California Special), and individual Shelby letters on the decklid. The "Hertz" badge on the GT-H's front fenders is replaced with one stating "Powered by Ford."
Things are standard GT fare inside with all interiors Black, and Shelby mods consisting of machined-aluminum sill plate badges, Shelby GT floormats, and an aluminum number plate on the I.P. that proclaims the car to be officially produced by Shelby Automobiles and its Shelby serial number.
Only a limited amount of Shelby GTs were built in the '07-'08 total production run, and what made these limited cars extra special was that Ford sent them directly to Shelby Automobiles Inc. in Las Vegas, just like the Shelby Mustangs of the '60s. And just like in the '60s, they were then sold 'pre-title' to customers. The Black with Silver stripes was one of only two colors offered in 2007 (the other being White with Silver stripes). The Shelby GT added a deeper front air dam, a special billet grille with offset Mustang emblem, a retro Shelby hood scoop and hood pins, and the requisite Shelby emblems, badges, and lower-body decals, SHELBY block letters, a deleted rear spoiler, as well as a diffuser panel under the bumper and twin exhaust tips that shine brightly against the sinister Black paint.
With so few miles, it shouldn't be a surprise that this particular car looks and feels almost new, with very few visible defects that you'd be hard-pressed to ever find. The interiors sculpted buckets are as new, the instrument panel is equal parts retro and state-of-the-art, and the packaging job on the airbag steering wheel is nothing short of miraculous.
As a Shelby, you do, of course, get a signed, numbered plaque on the dash (# 1288), as well as a Hurst cue ball shifter for the 5-speed manual transmission and other factory options including A/C, cruise control, power windows, locks, seats, and mirrors, AM/FM/CD changer stereo system with speakers throughout the passenger compartment. All of it looks virtually new, including the driver's seat, making this a great choice for collectors. The Mustang provides a reasonably-sized trunk, but the Shelby guys got rid of the spare tire in the quest for more performance and less weight.
Ford's 4.6 liter V8 got a few tweaks for duty in the Shelby GT, starting with a cold air induction system and the Ford Racing Power Upgrade Package, which ups output to a performance-tuned 319 horsepower and 330 pounds of torque. There's also a strut tower brace that really makes a statement in the packed but tidy engine bay and reminds everyone that this is absolutely no regular Mustang. Underneath there's an X-pipe exhaust system that gives the Shelby a distinctive sound. Big disc brakes were part of the Mustang's standard equipment, with this particular car having the afore mentioned upgrades, but it does have the Ford Racing suspension package which includes specially tuned shocks and struts, lowering springs, oversized sway bars, and a 3.55 gear set out back. The last part was big wheels and sticky rubber: 18-inch black Shelby alloys wrapped in BFGoodrich G-Force radials.
One of the best balances between looks and performance, price and exclusivity, this very low-mileage Shelby GT is impeccably preserved and you will look long and hard to find a finer example available anywhere else ready to be sparingly enjoyed as it continues to appreciate.
