Questionably the ‘best muscle car ever,’ just 562 Shelby Mustang GT350s were built in 1965 and of those just 36, perhaps 37, were the lightweight R models (2 prototypes and 34 productions). If you wanted one, you’d expect to pay a premium. In July 2020, a prototype GT350R was sold at Mecum for a record $3.85 million and production versions fetch nearly half that.

Sticker shock aside, there is hope for those looking to own an authentic Shelby GT350R since the Original Venice Crew (OVC) set up shop at the old Carroll Shelby facility at 19021 S. Figueroa, Gardena, CA. OVC offers a continuation version of the famed GT350R.

Now you might wonder, do these continuation cars cheapen the fleet of the original 36? Are they just a copy? Well if you know the story of OVC you’ll realize that they are not looking to make a quick buck but to offer a car as true to the original as possible.

The OVC story starts in Venice Beach, CA well, it actually starts in Cleveland, OH whereas a teenager Jim Marietta would frequent races. After many trips to the track, he caught the eye of Al Dowd; Shelby’s race team manager who offered Jim a job, all Marietta had to do was move to Los Angeles, which is what he did. Upon his arrival in LA, Marietta’s job was to work with Peter Brock, Ted Sutton, Chuck Cantwell, and Klaus Arning on an independent rear suspension (IRS) for the GT350R. The IRS setup worked well but did not provide enough ROI for them to go into production so was shelved. Well get back to this later, I promise.

Fast-forward almost 60 years and with the demand for GT350Rs exceeding supply, Jim teamed up with Ted Sutton and opened OVC. They set out to build a series of continuation GT350Rs to compliment the original 36. OVC received licensing from both Shelby and Ford in 2014 to build another 36 GT350Rs, and within 101 days had two prototypes built at Peter Brock’s shop in Henderson, NV. Peter was able to incorporate some of the design elements he originally suggested for the GT350R such as a new front lower valance, new Plexiglas three-quarter windows, and a new Plexiglass rear window.

We caught up with Jim at the OVC shop to see what has been going on during the past year. Upon our arrival, it was clear that OVC has been very busy, not only building GT350R continuation cars but also servicing a slew of other cars such as Cobras, classic Mustangs, and a few Chevys—yes you read that correctly.

OVC had several Mustangs in different stages of conversion and Jim was kind enough to walk us through the process of converting a genuine ’65 Fastback into a 350R. Like the original, all OVC cars start life as production Mustangs that are stripped down to the bare metal. The originals all came in Wimbledon White with Guardsman Blue stripes as will the OVC GT350R that will be built to original Shelby spec, sort of. Other external additions include the original-style scoops behind the doors, the new Pete Brock front valence and windows, and an original-style fiberglass hood complete with a scoop.

A New OE cast iron 306 hp 289 built by Bill DenBeste’s Carroll Shelby Engines will power each car and upgrades to the engine consist of balancing, ported and polished heads, and high-compression pistons. External add-ons included an aluminum high-rise intake with a 715 cfm Holley, a 6.5-quart oil pan; Tri-Y headers, and an X-pipe exhaust system that exits ahead of the rear wheels.

The suspension is somewhat similar to the original; however, OVC can offer that original IRS option that Jim worked on. It comprises a limited-slip Dana center section with vented discs. Upfront, there’s a period-correct aluminum 4-speed with the stronger cast-iron tail shaft. The wheels are 5-spoke Americans shod with Goodyear 7 x 15 race tires.

The interior is Henry Ford-black and comprises the shallow-dish, wood-rim wheel, deleted back seat, an original-style, four-point roll cage with a non-original kill switch, a driver’s race seat, a stock seat for the passenger, and a new instrument cluster.

The icing on the cake is that every OVC Shelby GT350R is tracked tested with the customer present at Willow Springs International raceway. The test team included Rick Titus, son of Shelby Trans-Am winning driver Jerry Titus and former Shelby American driver and Le Man's winner John Morton. The drivers put the car through its paces making sure it is ready to be delivered to the customer and demonstrate what OVC claims it is capable off. That is how confident OVC is of their cars not to be brake but be reliable and deliver the level of performance they claim.

So, if you are thinking of buying or restoring a classic Mustang maybe you should give OVC a call. Considering that some K-Code Shelby GT350s have fetch prices above $500,000 the $250,000 price, which includes the cost of a suitable 1965 (or potentially ’66) K-code Mustang fastback donor car might actually be a better option.