Over the years, you must have seen some wicked replicas of the iconic Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 Eleanor from the 2000 remake of Gone in 60 Seconds. But this one that Shawn Davis from AutotopiaLA is checking out in a recent video on his YouTube channel is the real deal. It is one of the three hero cars from the Nicolas Cage starer flick and is currently in possession of Kai Nieklauson from Chrome Cars, Germany.
A total of eleven GT500 Eleanors were built for the movie. And out of these, eight were empty shells used to film various stunt scenes. The remaining three were hero cars. These were used to capture all the beauty shots in the movie. However, what makes this particular Eleanor so unique is the fact that it was used to take a lot of close-up driving shots of Nicolas Cage in the 2000 remake.
One of the other hero GT500 Eleanors was recently sold at an auction for a whopping $1.3 million. And, as Davis points out in the video, this one is also likely to be floating around the $2 million mark.
The Shelby GT500 Eleanor Is A Million-Dollar Masterpiece
As Chris from Chrome Cars points out in the video, all the hero GT500 Eleanors from Gone in 60 Seconds carry different engines under their hoods. This one uses a 351 cu-in Windsor small block V8 motor from Ford's crate line-up. There is no fancy after-market tinkering in the driveline; hence, this engine likely produces close to 400 horsepower. This power is quite enough for a show car from the 60s.
Though there are no serious performance upgrades under the hood, this GT500 does get all the fancy custom products from the 90s. For example, it rides on Total Control suspension, while the stopping power comes from Wilwood brakes. It also uses an old-school rack and pinion steering setup. There is also a 9-inch rear axle from Ford and a Borla exhaust system.
Keen-eyed gearheads among you might pick up on the fact that the tips of these side-mounted exhausts on this Mustang Eleanor do not look the same as they did in the movie. And there is an excellent reason for that: they weren't functional. When the filming for Gone in 60 Seconds was over, all the hero cars had to be sold to the public, and the team retrofitted them with what was available. And this particular Eleanor ended up getting the Borla exhaust.
This example of Eleanor has all the interesting details you saw in the movie, such as the "Go Baby Go" button on the gear stick and the gigantic bottle of Nitrous in the trunk. But as Chris mentions, the NOS system was functional on this Mustang earlier on, but as of now, the bottle isn't hooked up to anything and is sitting there just for show. This makes sense, as it is unlikely that anyone at Chrome Cars would use this million-dollar 1967 GT500 for high-speed runs on the autobahn.
The Controversy Behind The Iconic GT500 Eleanor
The 2000 remake of Gone in 60 Seconds was one of the most iconic movies of its time and is still today. It had an excellent cast and an amazing plot. But there is no denying that one of the reasons that made this movie really cool, at least for gearheads, was the Shelby GT500 Eleanor. However, as big as the legacy of this car is the controversy behind it.
There have been several imitations of the Eleanor Mustang over the years, and a bunch of them have landed in legal trouble with Halicki, the creator and director of the original 1974 Gone in 60 Seconds. The copyright law allows anyone to replicate the Eleanor as long as they do not use the car for commercial purposes. So if they want to make a profit from their build, they have to pay a license fee of $25,000 to Halicki. Unfortunately, a few replica makers haven't done that in the past, leading to lengthy legal battles.
The Shelby GT500 Eleanor Is A True Automotive Icon
Controversy aside, the Eleanor is easily one of the most badass versions of the 1967 Mustang GT500 ever built. For those who do not know, its initial sketches were done by the artist Steve Stanford while Chip Foose also played a significant part in its design. Sadly, Davis does not show intricate details of the car in the video, such as its engine bay and the underside. That's because Kai Nieklauson from Chrome Cars has requested not to since he doesn't want people to replicate some of its unique bits.
Since this Eleanor is not registered, Davis doesn't drive it as extensively as the rest of the restomods he features on his YouTube channel. However, he is thoroughly impressed by how this Mustang goes in the short run around the block. He mentions that driving a car with so much pedigree is a privilege and a fantastic experience, and you'd surely agree.
Source: AutotopiaLA YouTube