Shelby Mustang GT350 H – An Old Favourite!

Some model car kits come and go, while others sell so well that they are constantly reissued, sometimes with minor variations to the tooling or new decal sheets, but often the amendments are limited to updated artwork. One such is Revell’s 1:24 scale 1966 Shelby GT350 H, which has been around since at least the mid-Eighties. The scale indicates that it was originally a Monogram kit, Revell’s car kits traditionally being 1:25 scale. Over the years it’s been labelled a Monogram kit, then a Revell-Monogram one and latterly as a Revell kit. It’s currently available in

Revell Germany’s typical ‘flat’ box, rather than the square American one. Amazon was listing them for £27.95 with free delivery, which these days isn’t bad for a car kit.

The kit represents a Ford Mustang sent to Shelby American for conversion into a GT350. Ford was the major shareholder for the large car rental company Hertz. Ford persuaded them to buy 1000 GT350s which were marketed as ‘Rent-a-Racer’ cars and had unique GT350 H stripes and decals. In reality 1001 were provided, the majority in black

with gold stripes. There were some in white with the gold stripes and a few in other colours too. All came with the 289cu in V8. Most had the four-speed manual transmission, though there were some autos. The deal was that after Hertz had finished with them they were to be returned to Ford for refurbishment and re-sale through their dealership network.

It will come as no surprise that these cars were often thrashed while rented out and there are rumours that a few showed evidence of having roll bars installed and removed. These Shelbys are now rare and desirable, changing hands in restored condition for well over $100,000. The kit is typical Monogram, with a one-piece body, removable bonnet, detailed V8 engine and interior. Inside there are bucket seats and authentic instrument panel.

The underside is similarly detailed with a separate exhaust. The wheels are chromed, with vinyl tyres and there is a large colour decal sheet with the Hertz stripes.

The kit has stood the test of time and still builds into a nice and iconic representation of an unusual and attractive classic Mustang.