Hertz Drains Special Edition Corvette, Camaro From Rental Fleet

Matt Posky
by Matt Posky

Reeling from the pandemic-born financial crisis, Hertz is unloading some particularly cost-intensive vehicles from its rental fleet. While plenty of these vehicles are old stock it would have had to get rid of eventually, Hertz is limiting fleet turnover this year, recently cancelling roughly 90 percent of new vehicle orders it had on the books for 2020. The company’s also selling some of the special performance vehicles slotted into its lineup every year ⁠— and not all of them seem to have accrued the kind of mileage that would normally warrant a sale.

We’ve chronicled the rental agency’s plight for a while now; Hertz seems to be on the brink of declaring bankruptcy, making it a good case study for the perils confronting auto rental groups everywhere. While we don’t think selling a handful of high-horsepower Chevrolets will be anyone’s saving grace, it might help Hertz scrounge up some loose cash — and provide a half-decent opportunity for enthusiasts to procure a bargain project car.

Jalopnik was the first outfit to notice the rental agency listing C7 Corvette models painted in its signature color on Autotrader. Most are Z06 variants from 2019, priced as though they were a couple years older than listed. Granted, ‘Vettes enlisted by the rental firm probably suffered a few incredibly hard miles and exchanged hands frequently. That said, they also come with the 3LZ equipment package, something that would have resulted in an MSRP dangerously close to $100,000 when they were new.

Today, you can find those same Z06s hovering around $60,000 with less than 30,000 miles on the odometer ⁠— assuming you’re actively browsing for one on the Hertz website. Cars come with the 6.2-liter supercharged LT4 V8 boasting 650 horsepower that can give the base mid-engined C8 a run for its money in a straight line, with loads of creature comforts on the side. However, if you’re wholly preoccupied with track handling, a base-model C8 may still be the way to go.

Of course, if the Corvette is not to your liking, Hertz is also getting rid of Camaros. Like the Z06, these cars also utilize the corporate color palate ⁠— with black swapped as the dominant hue. Hertz Edition Camaros also come in two flavors, neither of which have been left stock. SS models come equipped with an aftermarket air intake and an upgraded cat-back exhaust system, pushing peak output to 480 hp. Meanwhile, Hertz LT1s were equipped with a Callaway SC750 supercharger that brought the 6.2-liter V8 to a whopping 750 horsepower.

The latter of the two have proven difficult to find online and would likely out-price the yellow-and-black C7s by several thousand dollars. Yet the SS models can be found rather easily (with examples from the 2020 model year). That said, some seem to be priced a little high when you consider someone could just buy a brand new Camaro SS directly from Chevrolet and still have cash leftover for options. One item that cannot be had with any of the Hertz cars is a manual transmission, however.

[Images: General Motors; Hertz]

Matt Posky
Matt Posky

A staunch consumer advocate tracking industry trends and regulation. Before joining TTAC, Matt spent a decade working for marketing and research firms based in NYC. Clients included several of the world’s largest automakers, global tire brands, and aftermarket part suppliers. Dissatisfied with the corporate world and resentful of having to wear suits everyday, he pivoted to writing about cars. Since then, that man has become an ardent supporter of the right-to-repair movement, been interviewed on the auto industry by national radio broadcasts, driven more rental cars than anyone ever should, participated in amateur rallying events, and received the requisite minimum training as sanctioned by the SCCA. Handy with a wrench, Matt grew up surrounded by Detroit auto workers and managed to get a pizza delivery job before he was legally eligible. He later found himself driving box trucks through Manhattan, guaranteeing future sympathy for actual truckers. He continues to conduct research pertaining to the automotive sector as an independent contractor and has since moved back to his native Michigan, closer to where the cars are born. A contrarian, Matt claims to prefer understeer — stating that front and all-wheel drive vehicles cater best to his driving style.

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  • EBFlex EBFlex on May 19, 2020

    Shouldn't we be celebrating this? Another business on the brink of financial ruin because of an overreaction to a cold. Yay America!

  • Arthur Dailey Arthur Dailey on May 19, 2020

    @EBTovarich: Can you see any mass graves from your office cubicle in St Petersburg? Or are you closer to Pyongyang? For those with some interest in the truth, I have posted a link to a video produced in/by a hospital in the Greater Toronto Area demonstrating the actual impact of COVID. https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/markham-stouffville-hospital-icu-covid-19-1.5539212

    • See 5 previous
    • EBFlex EBFlex on May 20, 2020

      @Arthur Dailey Nothing I posted was fake news. 80 percent of cases see zero to mild symptoms. That is a fact. It’s also a fact that you choose to present a small minority of cases as if its common. It’s fine that you want to twist facts to make them fit your narrative. We’re used to it.

  • Mikey My late wife loved Mustangs ..We alway rented one while travelling . GM blood vetoed me purchasing one . 3 years after retirement bought an 08 rag top, followed by a 15 EB Hard top, In 18 i bought a low low mileage 05 GT rag with a stick.. The car had not been properly stored. That led to rodent issues !! Electrical nightmare. Lots of bucks !! The stick wasn't kind to my aging knees.. The 05 went to a long term dedicated Mustang guy. He loves it .. Today my garage tenant is a sweet 19 Camaro RS rag 6yl Auto. I just might take it out of hibernation this weekend. The Mustang will always hold a place in my heart.. Kudos to Ford for keeping it alive . I refuse to refer to the fake one by that storied name .
  • Ajla On the Mach-E, I still don't like it but my understanding is that it helps allow Ford to continue offering a V8 in the Mustang and F-150. Considering Dodge and Ram jumped off a cliff into 6-cylinder land there's probably some credibility to that story.
  • Ajla If I was Ford I would just troll Stellantis at all times.
  • Ronin It's one thing to stay tried and true to loyal past customers; you'll ensure a stream of revenue from your installed base- maybe every several years or so.It's another to attract net-new customers, who are dazzled by so many other attractive offerings that have more cargo capacity than that high-floored 4-Runner bed, and are not so scrunched in scrunchy front seats.Like with the FJ Cruiser: don't bother to update it, thereby saving money while explaining customers like it that way, all the way into oblivion. Not recognizing some customers like to actually have right rear visibility in their SUVs.
  • MaintenanceCosts It's not a Benz or a Jag / it's a 5-0 with a rag /And I don't wanna brag / but I could never be stag
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