Shelby Surprise! Grabber Orange G.T. 500

Vern Holden didn’t panic when his G.T. 500 wasn’t delivered as expected.

- Eric English

When Doug Byers bought this 1969 G.T. 500 in the fall of 2017, he knew very well what he was getting. More concisely, there were absolutely no surprises. Beyond the variety of features that distinguish the last of the vintage Shelbys, this one was originally finished in a brilliant Grabber Orange, had been freshly restored to a high standard, was powered by the rare 428 Super Cobra Jet, and had been sold when new by none other than Tasca Ford in Providence, Rhode Island. Understandably, it was a car that pushed all of Doug’s buttons, and nearly two years later he still has no regrets.

While Doug was well versed in the attributes of his new car, it was a stark contrast to the circumstances surrounding its purchase by the prior owner, Doug’s friend Vern Holden. Vern is a self-described “car guy” rather than a Mustang guy, a Mopar guy, or even a muscle car guy. Examples of Vern’s recent collector history include machines as varied as a ’32 Ford street rod, ’60 VW Bug, ’63 Buick Riviera, ’65 327 Corvette, ’68 427 Corvette, ’75 BMW 2002, ’07 GT500, and, of course, this ’69 G.T. 500.