G.T. 350R REVIVAL
The name Original Venice Crew (OVC) refers to a small group of fabricators, race-car drivers, and builders who set out to change the automotive world. They won championships and numerous races, including the prestigious 24 Hours of Le Mans. Unlike many of the brilliant mechanics and fabricators who worked in near-anonymity during the 1960s and 1970s, the names of the OVC crew have become synonymous with automotive design and motorsports performance. They were Carroll Shelby’s original employees at his first race shop in Venice, California, which was in operation from 1962 to 1967. They are names you will recognize, a team of talented drivers, Ken Miles and Bob Bondurant; aerodynamicist Peter Brock, designer of the Daytona Coupe; and world-class race-car fabricator Phil Remington. Apprenticing underneath these greats were 17- and 18-year-old mechanics Jim Marietta, Peter Bryant, and Ted Sutton. The cars they built would become legendary and are worth millions today. Not the least of them is the 1965 Ford Mustang G.T. 350 Competition Model.
In the late-1990s, Shelby enthusiast Bob Shaw started organizing annual reunions to celebrate the original Shelby employees. For more than 20 years, he has held these events that brought together the old staff to reminisce about the cars they built and the championships they won. A few years ago, Marietta pitched the idea
