Hertz Will Rent You A 1-of-100 Shelby Mustang Mach-E With A Simulated Borla Exhaust

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I pride myself in knowing at least a few things about every car I see on the road, but the other day I was walking in Los Angeles and came across a black Ford Mustang Mach-E with gold racing stripes that I had never seen before. I frantically Googled everything I could about it, and found no information on Shelby Mustang Mach-Es that are rentable through Hertz, so I knew I had to dig deeper.

The Mustang Mach-E Rally Revealed

Hertz has a storied history with offering special edition black and gold Shelby Mustangs. In 1966, Hertz founded the "Rent-A-Racer" program, which allowed renters to try out a special high-performance Ford Mustang built just for the rental company, the Shelby Mustang GT350-H. Hertz discontinued the program citing repair expenses that were too high, profit margins that were too low, and reckless customers that would take their rented GT350-H's to race tracks and abuse them. Imagine someone taking a rented performance car that was offered under a program titled Rent-A-Racer to a race track; who could have foreseen such tragic events? Snark aside, surviving Mustang GT350-H's are hugely sought after by collectors, as there were only 1,000 units produced.

Photo: Logan K. Carter

Moving into the 21st century, history repeated itself in 2006 when Shelby, Ford, and Hertz teamed up for a 40th anniversary Shelby GT-H Mustang that was more subdued than the original GT350-H's. Then, for the 50th anniversary, Ford produced 140 Mustang GT-H's that were rented out of 17 airport locations across the United States. Now, the three companies have come together once again, but this time with a more electrifying result.

Enter the electric Shelby Hertz Mustang Mach-E, of which there are only 100 units. Unfortunately, these black and gold special edition cars do not receive any power boost over the stock Mustang Mach-E GT, but it certainly looks and sounds more special. Shelby added a vented hood, front splitter and rocker trim made out of carbon fiber; matte gold stripes on the sides and dual stripes running on top of the car from nose to tail; Shelby and Hertz emblems; and Shelby wheels with GT-H center caps. There are a few interior emblems, too.

Sorry for the greasy camera, I wasn't expecting these shots to end up online but here we are.Photo: Logan K. Carter

Aside from the aggressive appearance, it's also fitted with Borla's Active Performance Exhaust Sound System that projects a simulated exhaust note. Though the original GT350-H had a K-Code 289 V8 under the hood, the Hertz Shelby Mach-E has more power, all-wheel drive, and nearly cuts the original GT350-H's 0-to-60-mph time in half.

The Mach-E is also ten times more rare than the original GT350-H, with just 100 produced. It might not carry the same cool factor as the original, but it's a good looking and fast modern take on the classic rent-a-racer. Anyone can rent one of these special Mach-E's, as long as you are 25 years old or older, have a valid U.S. or foreign driver's license, and proof of auto insurance.