Those who know Ford Mustangs will be well aware of the pony car's ongoing affinity with the rental car world.
This is mainly through the brand's ongoing relationship with rental company Hertz. In 1965 Hertz ordered 1000 Shelby GT350GH Mustangs, with came emblazoned with their corporate colours (black and gold). They were offered as classy, upscale rentals to customers, before becoming a cult collector's item in the Mustang community decades on. Hertz has since had two more special-edition Mustang models produced, in 2006 and 2016 respectively.
But Hertz isn't alone. Fellow rental-car company Sixt have revealed a special edition Mustang of their own; the Shelby GT-S.
Straight off the bat the GT-S distances itself from the standard GT through a bevy of Shelby-specific panels. The new front bumper houses a revised grill and more aggressive spoiler.
The side-skirts are more vast, sweeping up into the rear wheels. And the boot-lid has grown a few contours, and the aforementioned wheels are new 20-inch examples, wrapped in Shelby X-Comp rubber.
This bodywork comes dressed in Sixt's trademark orange and black; with inverted colour-schemes available (black stripes on orange, and orange stripes on black). Those colour changes are reflected inside too, via re-upholstered two-tone leather seats, embroidered floor mates, and a numbered plate wacked on the dashboard.
And thankfully the changes don't end there.
The GT-S is a true Shelby in the sense that it's had a requisite level of chops and changes under the skin. The biggest of these is the addition of a supercharger, which pushes the 5.0-litre V8's power figures over 600hp (447kW). This power is paired to Ford's 10-speed automatic, which appears in the Mustang GT and Ford Ranger Raptor, among other vehicles in the blue-brigade's line-up.
An increased propensity for acceleration means other things need adjusting too, and Shelby have obliged with the addition of a new Brembo brake system. An alternate suspension tune that features Ford Performance–derived springs and sway bars also gives drivers a better chance of taming those 600 horsies.
Just 20 of the Sixt-special Shelby GT-S will be built, and they'll be offered through outlets in Southern California, Florida, and Las Vegas.
You're highly unlikely to see one in Kiwi roads, but who knows. It might become a true collector's item down the track, and Kiwis do love their rare Mustangs ...
