If Pavlov had experimented...

If Pavlov had experimented with car enthusiasts instead of dogs, it would have been the sight of an original Ford Shelby GT350 Mustang that got us Americans drooling - not a ringing bell. Ivan Pavlov was the Russian psychologist who rang a bell every time he fed his so-called "Pavlov"s Dogs". Eventually, the sound by itself would have the hounds salivating, proving that when the brain becomes conditioned to something, it can produce unconditioned responses. This is exactly what would happen to us Yanks with the Shelby.

Part of the legend concerns a batch of Shelby Mustangs called the GT350H - the "H" stands for Hertz. In 1965, builder Carroll Shelby approached the hire firm, hoping to sell a few special models. The idea was that enthusiasts who rented them would be so impressed, they"d go out and buy their own. Imagine Shelby"s amazement when the company ordered 1,000.

Still, the Hertz Mustang is a lot of fun to drive - I prefer it to the real GT500

As Ford reports: "The stories linked to the original 1966 GT350H Shelby/Hertz Rent-a-Racer are infamous. Offered for rental across the US, some were rumoured to have been returned looking like they had been driven, well, with more enthusiasm than one would typically attempt on a public road." What this means is that race drivers - both genuine and would-be - rented models at a day, 17 cents a mile, and took them to local tracks where they beat the stuffing out of them.

Ford says some were returned to Hertz with holes in the body where roll cages had been bolted in, while others were brought back with standard Mustang engines in them - the high-performance units had been swapped in back-street garages. Sometimes, a GT350H came back on a tow truck or in a basket, which partly explains why the value of these machines has risen. One example sold at a Barrett-Jackson auction in 1996 for ,538. A similar one was bought this year for 0,900.

I mention this because, as revealed in Issue 906, Ford, Shelby and Hertz are attempting to repeat history. Five hundred new cars are being built, called 2006 Shelby GT-H Mustangs, and painted in the same saliva-inducing black and gold as most of the 1966 GT350Hs. Granted, this isn"t the 2007 Shelby GT500 model with its 500bhp, 5.4-litre supercharged V8 - not even close. The Hertz version has the Mustang GT"s normally aspirated 4.6-litre V8, bumped up from 300 to 325bhp. Still, it includes the Ford Racing Handling Pack, with tuned dampers, lowered springs, sway bars and a strut tower brace.

Regrettably, when it comes to renting one you can expect to pay more than a day. I forked out 7.68 for 24 hours with the car, not including insurance, which is about a day. That price includes 75 free miles; each extra costs 39 cents.

And if you think you might abscond with some of the neat add-ons, be aware that you must show three types of identification and sign a lengthy checklist accepting liability for returning the car with door sill plates, Shelby letters on the bootlid cap and, of course, the engine, which is tethered to framework with a safety wire.

Still, the Hertz Mustang is a lot of fun to drive - I prefer it to the real GT500. The H models are set to be auctioned in a year or so. I missed out in 1966, and I"m happy to get another chance.

Steven Cole Smith lives and works in the US, and is the motoring correspondent for the Los Angeles Times and the Chicago Tribune