A Mustang GT, Penske Racing, and Hertz (the rental company) walk into a bar. After several drinks, Hertz and Penske decide to play dress-up with the Ford — possibly against their better judgement. The result is the Hertz Penske GT — a vehicle that’s oh-so-much-more than some stickers and a taped-on hood scoop.
Those who remember the Shelby GT350H may already be aware of the history behind Hertz and Ford in building souped-up rental cars. And this Hertz Penske GT is the one rental car in which you would feel comfortable visiting the track. Not that Hertz recommends it (although we’re not entirely clear on that).
In playing their game of dress-up with the Mustang, Hertz and Penske added a plethora of Ford Racing parts to a stock GT, to include an intake, new exhaust, new suspension, new brakes, and an off-center stripe. Mustang aficionados will also notice that the final result also looks a bit unusual to the eye, and that’s because it sports the front end of a Boss 302 and the rear end of a GT500.
Only 150 copies of the Hertz Penske Mustang GT will be made; 140 of them will be equipped with automatic transmissions. The remaining 10 will mate the wonderful Coyote 5.0 liter V8 with manuals. Unfortunately, these units are all but reserved for the likes of Roger Penske and other VIPs.
So, how does the tuned rental Stang GT compare with a stock GT? Judging from the video below, it’s a vast improvement. Those who have driven it say that the suspension is tuned to the point of eliminating or substantially decreasing body movement, including the nose lift and dive that stock GTs are known for. And whereas the stock GTs are also known for cooking their brakes only after a lap or two, the upgraded brakes on the Hertz Penske GT are effective at lasting lap after lap. And despite the SelectShift feature, the automatic transmission doesn’t really help track driving. But that exhaust note is to die for.
The Hertz Penske Mustang GT will be available to rent in select markets around the country as part of the Hertz Adrenaline Collection. It will cost somewhere in the vicinity of $150 a day to rent (roughly twice as much as a stock GT), and Hertz estimates that the vehicles will be sold to the public after 8-10 months, or roughly 15,000 miles of service. At that point, the unique Stangs will likely end up at high-dollar auctions to become collector items… although why anyone would buy a vehicle branded by a rental car company after it’s been driven (and likely driven hard) by rental customers, rather than buying a 2013 or 2014 Mustang GT and customizing it using off-the-shelf Ford Racing parts, is anyone’s guess.
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