Whether you’ve seen the film or not, if you're a car enthusiast, your mind thinks of the 1967 Ford Mustang GT500 in grey with 2 stripes when you hear the name Eleanor. Gone in 60 Seconds stars Nicolas Cage, the great Robert Duvall, and Angelia Jolie. Gone in 60 Seconds was inspired by the original movie of the same title, filmed in 1974 and that once held the record for the most wrecked cars in a movie. The original Gone in 60 Seconds managed to wreck 93 cars in a 97-minute film. That’s pretty impressive considering that it was a low-budget film produced by a junkyard owner.
What the 2000 remake did, was to launch an entirely new fan-based obsession with the 1967 Shelby GT500. Anyone who watched the film immediately wanted a custom ’67 Fastback Mustang with a nitrous button that read “GO BABY GO”. Eleanor is the only Mustang more famous than Steve McQueen’s Bullitt GT Fastback
Focusing on the remake from the year 2000, here are 20 facts you didn’t know about the Gone in 60 Seconds movie. You’ll learn things such as which actors actually did their own driving, unplanned accidents, improvised stunts and pre-production notes that would have made for a completely different movie. If you're a fan Eleanor, and curious about the film, this article will be a real treat while blowing off work or sitting on the can.
20 Nicolas Cage Did Most of His Own Stunt Driving
In order to prepare for the role of the notorious car thief Randall “Memphis” Raines, Nicolas Cage got behind the wheel. Cage attended Bondurant Driving School in Phoenix, Arizona. Bondurant has been shown in just about every automotive related television series you can think of. It teaches everyone from private security firms to Hollywood actors about the art of high-speed car control.
Cage also attended 2 other driving schools, Willow Springs, and Bobby Ore Stunt Driving School. When it came time to practice the driving stunts for Gone in 60 Seconds he used a black ’65 Mustang Fastback. During the cinematic car chases with Eleanor, every time you see Nick Cage behind the wheel, it's actually him driving.
If you pause the film, you can see Cage driving as Eleanor rips 180-degree spins and power slides through LA traffic. The only stunts he wasn’t allowed to do were the jumps, and the high-speed nitrous run for obvious safety reasons.
In an interview with Men’s Journal, Cage stated that the Gone in 60 Seconds movie was the most intense stunt work of his career. They were driving through parts of downtown LA at full speed, so any hesitation or misstep would have resulted in disaster. Not to mention a really mean headline in TMZ.
19 Chip Foose Designed Eleanor’s Look
The Eleanor Shelby GT500 is far from stock in the film. It is almost hard to describe, because it doesn’t have enough modern equipment to be considered a Resto-mod, but it’s not exactly factory original either. It’s probably why it has become an icon and continues to haunt the dreams garages of car enthusiasts around the world. But who came up with the look?
Production designer Jeff Mann happens to be a car-guy and it was his idea to give the hero-car Shelby a Hollywood facelift. His idea is to have a styling upgrade to make it stand-out and not be outshined by its exotic Ferrari, Jaguar, and Lamborghini co-stars. It makes sense because if you park an original GT500 next to a modern supercar, the old 60’s pony will look awesome, but a little dated.
Mann asked hotrod builder Steven Stanford to render a design for Eleanor with the look he was aiming for. From these drawings, it was up to car designer Chip Foose to bring it into the 3D world. Foose fabricated the body kit out of wood and clay to dress a ’67 Mustang fastback. They gave the car fender flares, a more aggressive hood scoop, a fascia with driving lights, side skirts and new exhaust tips with a modified tailpiece. After the design was approved the body kit was made out of fiberglass and manufactured for the stunt cars in the film.
18 Eleanor Was Supposed To Be A Ford GT40
A 1967 Shelby GT500 wasn’t t the production team's first choice when it came to choosing a hero-car for Gone in 60 Seconds. In the original 1974 film, Eleanor is a 1973 Ford Mustang (in yellow of all colors). This new film wanted to step up the game in a big way. Production designer Jeff Mann was interviewed in Mustang Monthly saying that they wanted a Ford GT40 at first.
“We really wanted to see a GT40 blowing through downtown L.A., flying down the L.A. River.” Said Mann. Of course, using a handful of original GT40’s in a Hollywood film would cause a riot among car enthusiasts. The cost to build a fleet of fake GT40’s would be too expensive for the production’s budget.
While the GT40 would have been a great choice on paper, real-world factors shut down the idea pretty fast. The Ford Mustang was the alternative, but a GT500 was a way to make it stand out from the other Mustangs used as hero cars in films. On a side note, I don’t think six foot tall Nick Cage would have been able to fit inside a GT40 without part of his head sticking out.
17 Some Scenes in the Final Chase Were Improvised
Rewrites and last-minute improvisation were common themes for the production team behind Gone in 60 Seconds. Repetitive changes to the script often meant changes to entire scenes. It kept everyone involved on their toes. The final chase scenes were constantly changing as the filmmaker’s requirements differed on a daily bases.
This was bad news for stunt coordinators and people working on the stunt cars. Eleanor is the hero-car of the film and it has seen a lot of screen time. Therefore, the script demanded a lot from the Mustang. Several Eleanor cars had to be built in order to meet those demands that included jumps, high-speed runs, sliding, and other abusive maneuvers.
Since part of the chase takes part in downtown L.A., parts of the city had to be shut down to film.
I imagine the people of L.A. weren’t too happy with the added traffic this may have caused just so Nicolas Cage could powerslide through an intersection in a grey Mustang. The Vincent Thomas Bridge was closed down for an entire day of filming. To this day it has been the only time in the bridge’s history where it wasn’t open to the public.
16 Actor Vinnie Jones Bumped a Stunt driver Off a Ramp in a Hummer H1
One of the characters in the film is named Sphinx, played by Vinnie Jones, best known for his roles in Guy Richie gangster movies like Snatch and Lock and Stock & Two Smoking Barrels. He’s large with a frightening presence but loyal to the crew.
During one of the scenes Sphinx steals a Hummer H1 truck with the word SNAKE on the vanity license plate. He's with fellow car thief Mirror Man (T. J. Cross) who won’t shut up compared to Sphinx who barely talks. As they make their getaway down from the top floor of a parking garage two police detectives arrive to see if the Hummer is still there.
The two cars meet and Sphinx rams the detectives' Oldsmobile Cutlass forcing it back down the ramp of the parking garage. Vinnie Jones was actually driving the H1 and a stunt driver was inside the Cutlass being pushed. The scene called that the H1 would push the Cutlass out of the way so it can escape out of the garage. However, Vinnie got too excited. In the movie you see the H1 pushing the Cutlass clear over the ramp and into the entrance lane a good five feet lower to the ground, which is an accident that was kept in the film.
15 The Stolen Cadillac is the Only Scene That Mirrors the Original 1974 Film
There are only 4 main things that both movies have in common. The title, the list of cars to steal with female codenames, the Mustang named Eleanor, and the Cadillac full of illegal drugs.
Both movies feature a scene where a member of the crew steals a Cadillac Eldorado that proves to be more trouble than its worth. The Caddy belongs to a drug dealer and the trunk is filled with product. While arguing on what to do with the car, a struggle ensues that breaks open one of the wrapped packages spilling white powder on to the floor behind the Cadillac.
As soon as that happens, there is a knock at the garage door. It’s a police detective. The crew scrambles to hide the evidence of their operation but the powder remains on the floor. So they hang around the back standing over it with hopes to cover it.
In both scenes, the detective admires the Eldorado enough to jump inside the driver seat asking what's wrong with the car. The crew persuades the detective to start the car. In the original they use it as an excuse to back the car over the powder on the floor. In the 2000 remake, they ask the detective to rev the engine in order to prove that its got power and in the process, the exhaust blows the powder away.
14 The Film is Not Considered a Reboot Even Though it Shares the Same Title
Technically, the Gone in 60 Seconds is a franchise with four movies and licensed merchandise. You have the original from 1974 which was written, produced, directed, and starred by H.B. Halicki; who also did all his own stunt driving in the film. That one was considered a massive success and followed a somewhat-sequel in 1981 called The Junkman. That film starred Halicki as a fictional version of himself in the success that followed Gone in 60 Seconds which revolved around people trying to kill him.
Deathline Auto Thief was released in 1983, a film that continued in the Halicki style. If Michael Bay is known for explosions than Halicki was known as The Car Crash King.
Tragically, Halicki died on set during the filming of Gone in 60 Seconds 2 in 1989 when a telephone pole fell on him during a freak accident after a stunt went wrong.
His wife, Denice Shakarian Halicki, was left with the rights to the films and Eleanor. For years Ms. Halicki wanted to finish what her late husband started. She was approached by Jerry Bruckheimer to make another Gone in 60 Seconds film based on the original film. They share the same name but it was never officially called a reboot. It was more of a tribute-remake.
13 Angelia Jolie Loves Cars and Rode a Very Rare Motorcycle in the Film
Angelia Jolie’s character in the film is called Sway. She is also the love interest for Memphis Raines. Sway's part was written specifically for Angelia Jolie.
Whether you’re a fan of hers or not, you might find it interesting that Angelia Jolie loves cars. In an old interview with the Daily Mail, Jolie expressed her feelings for automobiles. Expressing how cars 'excite' her. “When you’re one with the steering wheel and the gear stick and you’re racing around curbs, that’s very sexy. Or to be driven by someone, and they accelerate… that’s sexy too.” Pretty sure hearing that statement in her voice could make any car enthusiast blush.
During one of her first scenes in the movie, she shows up riding a 1999 MV Agusta Serie ORO (Gold Series). That motorcycle was actually a rare beast on two wheels. One of only 300 ever produced worldwide. The Agusta Serie ORO has a 750cc, in-line four-cylinder engine, which produces 125 horsepower. Capable of hitting a top speed of over 175 mph! (Or 281 kph).
12 A Demand for Eleanor Mustangs After the Film Caused Lawsuits
After the film was released worldwide, there was a huge demand for Eleanor Shelby GT500 Mustangs. People were waving blank checks looking for someone or someplace to buy one identical to the one in the movie. Since Eleanor, in the film, was a Shelby GT500, who better to build it than Shelby himself?
In 2004, Denice Halicki filed a lawsuit with Carroll Shelby International Inc. over copyright and trademark infringement.
Ms. Halicki owns the rights to Gone in 60 Seconds and the characters created by her late husband. Those characters include Eleanor.
So when Shelby started building Eleanor Mustangs and marketed them as “featured in Gone in 60 Seconds” with six-figure price tags - that was a big no-no.
Ms. Halicki took it as an insult that Shelby was profiting off her husband’s legacy without her permission. The lawsuit dragged on until 2008 and Ms. Halicki won her case. As of 2014, the only licensed place where you can buy an Eleanor is with Classic Recreations in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
11 Actor Delroy Lindo Accidently Crashed the BMW 5 Series He Drives in the Film
Delroy Lindo (This is Us) plays Detective Roland Castlebeck, the man who has been trying to catch Memphis Raines (Nicolas Cage) since the beginning but has never succeeded. During the production, Lindo kept his gun and badge on at all times in order to help him stay in character.
Lindo also took stunt driving lessons to prepare for some of the driving he was going to do in the final chase scene. Castlebeck drives a green BMW 540i in the film, but the first time we see him he is driving a Toyota Land Cruiser.
During the chase, Memphis drives through a shipyard with a herd of LAPD, with Castlebeck on his tail. In one scene Eleanor drives through a construction zone where a wrecking ball is about to demolish a wall. Eleanor speeds through and misses the wrecking ball but the Jeep Cherokee police car directly behind isn’t so lucky. The Jeep crashes through the wall right in front of Castlebeck who slams on the brakes. You see the BMW crash into the back of the totaled Jeep which wasn’t supposed to happen.
10 Why the Character Sphinx was Originally Called Sphinx
In the first drafts of the script, the character Vinnie Jones plays was intended to have no nose, hence the nickname Sphinx. His character would wear a pair of glasses with a fake nose as part of his disguise. Memphis Raines was intended to wear a wig that would make him look older when he went to go steal Eleanor.
But while rewriting the script both those ideas were tossed aside. Sphinx was now a quiet, suspected mute character that doesn’t talk until the last five minutes of the film. The way Sphinx talks is in Vinnie Jones' British accent. Much to the surprise of the crew who act like this is the first time they have ever heard him speak prompts Memphis to question, “Hey man, I thought you were from Long Beach?”
9 The Testbed Terror, Eleanor’s Older Sister
In the 1990’s the car that caught the eyes of Cinema Vehicle Service owner Ray Clardig was a 1965 Ford Mustang Fastback that was born with a 289 V8 and 4-speed. The Mustang had modified suspension specialized for track driving.
The car was purchased and used as a test mule for teaching Nicolas Cage how to hoon a Mustang around like a stunt driver.
The car was transported to Bob Bondurant School of High Performance Driving in Arizona. Mike McGovern was the instructor who taught Cage how to drive the Mustang according to the stunts needed for the film.
In 2000, the car appeared on the cover of Mustang Illustrated under the nickname “Testbed Terror”. Since then, the car has been upgraded with a 5-speed transmission and a 302 V8 with aluminum heads. The Black paint with GT350 stripes only adds to the intimidating allure of its history. It may not be as famous as its younger sister, but without this ’65 Fastback the ’67 Eleanor may not have been as awesome as we know it today.
In 2014, the Testbed Terror had an estimated value of $175,000-$225,000 by Mecum when it rolled across the auction block.
8 Twelve Eleanor Mustangs Were Built For the Film, Just 7 Survived
Cinema Service Vehicles (CVS) was the company tasked with building the Eleanor stunt cars for Gone in 60 Seconds. A total of 12 fastback Mustangs were built and dressed in Eleanor outfits, but each one was designed for different stunts. Some were meant to survive jumps, others were strictly for high-speed maneuvers, and one had higher gearing for the triple-digit blast on the L.A. River.
Of those 12 only 7 survived the torture of being stunt cars. CVS owner Ray Clardig shared his thought about working on this film in one sentence, “In all my time in this business, this was the toughest go show.” Finding the 1967 Ford Mustangs for the film was a challenge because you don’t want to use one that is too nice. However, you can’t use a Mustang that’s been eaten away by rust because doing bodywork requires a lot of time.
This is a far cry from the original 1974 film. That one had a 40-minute long car chase and they only used ONE Eleanor Mustang for the entire filming. Halicki spent over 150 man hours reinforcing the 1971, dressed to look like a 1973 Mustang into an almost indestructible car. The original Eleanor is still running and driving to this day.
7 Director J.J Adams Helped Re-write the Script
During production, the director Dominic Sena (who also directed the film Swordfish) had a falling out with the scriptwriter. It was so bad, that writer Scott Rosenberg left the project entirely. Rosenberg wrote another Nicholas Cage film, Con Air. Most recently, he wrote the screenplay for the latest Jumanji movie in 2017.
Writer Jonathan Hensleigh and J.J Abrams had to step in give the script a rewrite but were not mentioned in the ending credits. Hensleigh is a professional film writer. The movie most of you may know is Die Hard with a Vengeance which was arguably the best Die Hard movie.
J.J. Abrams is the man currently responsible for producing reboots for the number two biggest sci-fi movie franchises Star Trek and Star Wars. Fascinating to think that less than 20 years ago he was once co-writing a script about cars for no credit on Gone in 60 Seconds. I guess there is a lesson in there about never giving up on your dreams or maybe the lesson is to pay your dues and keep grinding away because you’ll get there one day.
6 A Jaguar XJ220 Replaced the McLaren F1 in the Film
Gone in 60 Seconds features a lot of amazing cars. Many of these cars easily fall into the dream category for us car people. Muscle cars like the 1971 Hemi Cuda and the 1969 Plymouth Superbird. Iconic classic cars like the 1959 Cadillac Eldorado the fire-breathing 1950 Mercury coupe Kustom.
Then you get into the exotic cars where the drool really starts to drip. The Lamborghini Diablo, the Ferrari 550 Maranello, and the Dodge Viper GTS to name a few of the “ladies” on the list of 50 cars in the movie.
There’s even a 2000 Volvo Turbo Wagon R on the list, but nobody wasted time showing it on screen.
One of the cars that the production team really wanted for the film was the holy grail of hyper cars. The McLaren F1 which is an ultra-rare, ultra-fast, and uber expensive car. Only 106 were ever made from 1993-1998, and was once the fastest production vehicle on the planet. It can still hold itself off the line next to a late model Bugatti Veyron.
Since they couldn’t find anyone willing to loan them a McLaren F1 they went for their close second pick, a Jaguar XJ220.
5 The Nicest Mustang in the Film is the Junker at the End
The last Mustang in the movie is a junker Shelby GT500 that Memphis’ younger brother Kip gives to him as a thank you gift. The car is beaten, covered in patina, and dirty, but it sort of runs. The final scene in the film is him driving off with Sway into the sunset before it stalls off camera.
That car was actually the best stunt car of the dozen Eleanors built for the movie.
It had a brand new 351 V8 Ford crate motor, rack-and-pinion steering, and a performance rear-end. It was the most powerful Mustang of the dirty dozen.
They removed body panels and replaced them with damaged ones to give it that junker look. Painted over the silver paint with primer. The interior was made to look ratty with dirt and a derelict bench seat.
Through the magic of Hollywood, a very cherry Fastback Mustang was made to look like a barn find fantasy. Gotta love the tricks these movie car builders can do to fool the eye of car people. We usually have the hawk eyes when it comes to spotting details on cars.
4 The Only Real Shelby Mustang Wasn’t Used in the Film
Producer Jerry Bruckheimer was given a very special gift after the film was finished. The only real 1967 Shelby GT500 in the entire ordeal. Cinema Vehicle Service built a 13th Eleanor for Bruckheimer, and it was never used in the movie.
This is the closest thing to a real Eleanor. It is powered by a 428 big block with dual quads (because nobody cares about MPG’s in a vintage muscle car). The car originally came with an automatic but CVS converted it into a 4-speed manual to match Eleanor in the movie. The side pipes are functional and it is equipped with rack-and-pinion steering with an engine bay brace.
The only thing that remained stock was the suspension and ride height. Since the exhaust comes out through the sides it hangs low and proved to be impractical, but it sounded like the God of Thunder after stepping on a Lego. CVS claims that everything that was done to the car can be reversed back into an original Shelby. I imagine they might have gotten some threatening letters from die-hard Shelby enthusiasts.
Rumor has it that Bruckheimer is scared to drive it.
3 What Happened to the Remaining Eleanor Stunt Cars?
Actors go on to fame and fortune after the movie premiere. Film crews move on to the next project on the studio line up. Directors read the next script they are interested in to see if it stirs their creative vision. But what about the metal co-stars?
It happens all the time. Stunt cars that were built for a purpose are often scrapped, or parked in the back and eventually shipped to a junkyard. It seems unfair through the eyes of someone with a passion for cars. To see vehicles that made us jump from our seats, or thrilled our imagination with dreams of owning one, being cast away like a half-eaten sandwich.
According to Motor Authority, of all the Eleanor cars built only 3 were fully road legal cars. Eleanor #7 was the beauty stunt car of the bunch. The car Nicolas Cage drove in the movie and was used for promotional work afterwards.
It packed a 351 V8 with a reported 400 horsepower and a 4-speed transmission. In 2013, that Eleanor was sold at auction and it fetched a whopping $1,000,000 hammer drop. The other two on-screen used Eleanors were also sold. One in 2009 at Barrett-Jackson for $216,700. The third in at COYS Autosport International in 2012 for $95,000.
2 Nicolas Cage is One of Us!
Off camera, Nicolas Cage is a car-guy who has taken advantage of his Hollywood income to collect motorcycles and automobiles (As most of us would). According to Cool Rides Online, some of the cars in his collection include: a 1971 Lamborghini Miura SVJ, a 1959 Ferrari 250 GT LWD California Spyder, and a rare 1963 Jaguar E-Type Semi-lightweight competition (Only 12 of these were ever built).
He even owned a Ferrari Enzo before financial trouble forced him to sell it for less than $700,000. A bargain for whomever got it.
Regardless of how you feel about his acting Nicolas Cage is one of us. He likes cars and has an appreciation for driving them. Nick Cage is a car-guy who likes speed, as stated in an interview where the subject came up:
“I have always been one of those people who respond well to a triple espresso or driving a car at an extraordinarily high speed. I discovered that back when I was racing cars pretty regularly. Surprisingly, that is perhaps when I find myself the most calm.”
1 Four Eleanor Mustangs Were Used to Film the Finale Jump Scene, Two Were Totaled
The final jump at the Vincent Thomas Bridge took an entire day. An accident was staged that blocked both lanes. Police cars, ambulances, and extras were all set up. The stunt was done in parts. In the film you see Eleanor speeding towards the jump and then it cuts through several scenes. The car launching off the ramp, brief shot of a terrible CGI Mustang flying through the air, coming down and brushing the top of an ambulance then finally crashing back down to the Earth.
The first Mustang was jumped off a ramp and was destroyed on impact. The second car was launched off a larger ramp but survived, just, by landing on a pile of cardboard boxes to cushion the blow. It was damaged but not destroyed. A third car was hoisted off the ground to position it for the flying through the air scene. The fourth car was the landing stunt and it too was destroyed when they jumped it and let it slam into the concrete on the bridge.
In the 1974 film, the original Eleanor survived her 30 foot jump and kept on rolling. Same couldn’t be said for driver H.B. Halicki who compressed his vertebrate and never walked quite the same afterwards.
Sources: Mensjournal.com, Hotrod.com, Dailymail.co.uk, Mustangandfords.com, Motorauthority.com, Coolridesonline.net