On the 40th Anniversary of the Shelby GT350H Ford Mustang, the Ford Motor Company, the Hertz Corporation, and Shelby Automobiles jointly produced 500 of the reborn GT-H Mustangs with the latest Mustang body style. While 500 were produced, only 499 are going to be up for the rental program. Why? The one remainder was auctioned off by Barrett-Jackson auctioneer ?Spanky?, Carroll Shelby, and Edsel Ford at the annual ?Gathering of Eagles? fundraiser at the EAA AirVenture 2006. The winning bid: $250,000.

Proceeds from the fundraiser and the auction benefits EAA?s aviation education initiatives, including Young Eagles the most successful youth aviation education program ever created with more than 1.2 million young people flown since 1992.

?Ford Motor Company?s support of EAA and its programs, in partnership with Hertz and Shelby Automobiles, is supplying a truly dazzling addition to this year?s Gathering of Eagles auction,? said Tom Poberezny, EAA president and AirVenture chairman. ?Aviation enthusiasts enjoy performance both in the air and on the ground, and the Shelby GT-H Mustang was a spectacular highlight of the evening.?