In 2010, David Letterman made a cheek-in-tongue comment on Jay Leno, highlighting that the man with the big chin “has more cars than Hertz.” Six years later, Hertz dropped by Jay Leno’s garage.
I know what you’re thinking right now. “Oh, so they gave him the keys to rental? Hahahaha, that sucks!” Well, let's put it as it is: the original GT350-H is an out-and-out masterpiece, whereas the 2016 Shelby GT-H doesn’t even share its internals with the Voodoo V8-engined Shelby GT350. When all is said and done, it’s just a GT Fastback with a six-speed slush box, some nice badging, and a cat-back exhaust system.
To be brutally honest, $399 a day to rent a Mustang that tries to trick you into believing it’s a Shelby is not OK, not OK at all. A period leaflet from Hertz, titled “The Difference Between the Shelby GT350-H and the Mustang,” makes it crystal clear that there are many bits and bobs which draw a dramatic distinction between a regular Ford Mustang and the 1966 rental special.
Hence, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that Jay Leno prefers the 1966 model over the 2016 could-have-been. After the former host of The Tonight Show finishes his talk with the man from Hertz about the Shelby GT-H, he gets down to business with the owner of the Shelby GT350-H. Before the two get in for a spin, the car-loving gentlemen have a talk. I don’t know if it’s me, but the way the owner speaks about his car makes this of the best Jay Leno’s Garage episodes I’ve ever watched. To be honest, I could listen to him talk for ages.
Other than the slithering serpent from days gone past and its Mr. Clean-alike owner, Jay Leno also adds some flavoring spices with a story regarding girls who didn’t make it to their prom because of a Mustang.
After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well. Full profile
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