Race Car Stuff

I think this speaks for itself

This is the big debate that all of us racers and racing fans have to debate. Ford is being brutally honest in the previous episodes of this series about the “remaking of Ford”.

It seems like they are truly committed to racing. Of course to see this and and the other episodes check out their site:

FordBoldMoves.com

Did you like the Shelby GT-H but wanted to own one rather than rent one occasionally on weekends? Well, According to AutoBlog.com:

Now you don’t have to go to a Hertz car rental just to pilot the best Mustang on the planet — you can actually buy it. Observe the 2007 Ford Mustang Shelby GT, the car that, until now, was only available as the Ford Mustang Shelby GT-H, the black and gold pony exclusively rented out at your local Hertz Rent-a-Car.

On a tip from our buddies at Winding Road, Ford’s grand pumbah of the Americas, Mark Fields, will unveil the second-wildest steed in the Ford stable for the 2007 model year later today. For those uninterested in picking up such the 325 hp beast with automatic transmission (available only as such where the GT-H is concerned), the Shelby GT will come with available manual transmission, as well as in different color schemes: black or white with silver stripes.

Ford’s Flat Rock, Mich. plant will churn out 10,000 at most, according to the Associated Press.

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From our friends at AutoBlog.com comes this important news:

The Sports Car Club of America will keep the longest-running U.S. road race series on track for at least another year. With 2006 marking the 40th anniversary of the famous series, two events are scheduled at Heartland Park, Topeka, Kansas, starting with “Trans-Am Thunder in the Heartland” in September.

Heartland Park Topeka owner Raymond Irwin says that he and the SCCA are trying to keep the Trans-Am series alive in the hopes that the new generation of Ford Mustang, Chevy Camaro and Dodge Challenger will bring back the series’ glory days of the late ’60s and early ’70s, when factory-sponsored Mustangs, Camaros, Challengers, Barracudas and Javelins fought it out on America’s road courses.

Parnelli Jones, who drove for the Ford factory team, says it best - “The Trans-Am was a no-holds-barred, highly competitive series. We had the best American drivers, we ran on the best North American circuits, and we drove cars that were spectacular to watch and that the fans could easily identify with. The Trans-Am was the greatest road racing series that has ever been run over here…”

In the meantime, the Historic Trans-Am Group is keeping the memory alive, actively racing the cars that actually competed during the heyday of the series.

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As you may have realized, this is my favorite racing series of all time. I love the cars and everything about the series. I was somewhat involved during one of the good times for the Trans Am series, the middle to late 80’s. Like everyone else, I think the 67-70 seasons were the best, but I was too young to be involved then.

From a Ford Motor Company press release:

FORD SHELBY GT-H AUCTIONED AT EAA AIRVENTURE OSHKOSH SETS FUTURE COLLECTORS PRICE

* Ford Shelby GT-H auctioned at EAAs Gathering of Eagles
fundraiser raises $250,000 to benefit Young Eagles youth
flight program.
* Barrett-Jackson auctioneer Spanky, Carroll Shelby and
Edsel Ford make history at the first auction of a new GT-H.

OSHKOSH, Wis., July 28 - Marking the 40th anniversary of the Shelby GT350H Ford Mustang, Ford Motor Company, Shelby Automobiles and The Hertz Corporation created 500 Shelby GT-H Mustangs. All but one of those cars will be available to rent through the Hertz Fun Collection this year.

That remaining car was sold to the highest bidder for $250,000 during the annual Gathering of Eagles fundraiser at EAA AirVenture 2006. Proceeds from the fundraiser and the auction benefits EAAs aviation education initiatives, including Young Eagles the most successful youth aviation education program ever created with more than 1.2 million young people flown since 1992.

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Anyone considering renting a new Shelby GT-H from Hertz will find a few interesting things about the car. It seems that when you rent the car Hertz agents are required to give the renter a little lesson about the car. It seems that Hertz is well aware of the legends of how many of the Hertz Rent-A-Racers were used as sources for various race car parts in the 60’s. The agent then explains how they expect the car to be returned with all of its parts that it left the rental lot with. They point out how various critical parts of the car are tagged with special yellow paint that indicates to them if something has been removed from the car. Other parts are sealed with safety wire and tamper tags. If you attempt to remove the engine as a possible donor for you lowly Mustang, the safery wire tags with the crimped and serial numbered seals will indicate that something has gone on. Expect there to be an investigation if such things happen.

With that, the person who rented a GT-H and said he would just keep the car rented until Hertz decided to give it to him, paying the daily rental all along, still has posession of the car. The Hertz Shelby that was rented for a car show I reported on a little while ago happend to encounter a deer crossing the road on the way to the rental car return. Well… the car is repairable. Wonder if he paid the insurance fee?

But I personally know of a line of Shelby GT-H’s that were in the tech line at a track event, preparing for the track sessions. The rumors and urband legends for these cars will be as good as the 1966 Hertz Shelby GT350’s.

Well if you are a member, you have recieved this email recently:

Hertz #1 Club Gold

The Shelby GT-H Mustang joins Hertz Fun Collection

The Shelby GT-H is just one of the many exhilarating cars you can reserve from the Hertz Fun Collection. The Shelby Mustang’s history started 40 years ago, when The Hertz Corporation teamed up with racing and automotive design legend Carroll Shelby to produce 1,000 high-performance, special-edition Shelby Mustangs. Now, the thrill is back with our limited edition offering of the Shelby GT-H, exclusively available through the Hertz Fun Collection.

The Shelby GT-H and the other fun and sporty vehicles in the Hertz Fun Collection all come equipped with SIRIUS(R) Satellite Radio. Reserve yours today. After all, it isn’t every day you can drive such a legendary vehicle. Then again, maybe it is.

Fun Collection vehicles available at select major airport locations
in the U.S.:

Phoenix, AZ; Ft. Lauderdale, FL; Ft. Myers, FL; Miami, FL; Orlando, FL; Tampa, FL; West Palm Beach, FL; Burbank, CA; Los Angeles, CA; Oakland, CA; Orange County, CA; San Diego, CA; San Francisco, CA; San Jose, CA; Honolulu (Oahu Airport), HI; Maui, HI; Denver, CO; Las Vegas, NV

Terms and Conditions: Available at select major market locations in the U.S. Restrictions apply.

(C) 2006 SIRIUS Satellite Radio Inc. “SIRIUS,” the SIRIUS dog logo, channel names and logos are trademarks of SIRIUS Satellite Radio.