It's one of the most iconic movie cars of all time, and probably the most iconic of the last 20 years. It's the Pepper Grey ghost that even Nicolas Cage couldn't quite get his hands on. It's a 1968 Ford Mustang GT500E. that's right. Eleanor. And it's our autoTRADER.ca Find of the Week.
In 2000, one of the greatest car chase movies of all time got a remake. 1974's Gone in 60 Seconds saw some of the greatest car chase - and car wreck - action ever put to film. All directed by one man who owned a junkyard and wanted to make a movie.
The star of that movie was a yellow and black 1973 Ford Mustang (actually a 1971 Sportsroof with an updated grille). The car was disguised to look a bit like a Mach 1. All of the 48 cars stolen for the movie got code names, and the Mustang got the name Eleanor. Eleanor was the main character's white whale. The car that he found multiple times but couldn't successfully steal. It's one of those thefts gone wrong that lead to the 40-minute chase that is the main attraction of the movie.
The 2000 remake added a big budget and big name actors. So a new Eleanor was needed. You can't put Nic Cage and Angelina Jolie in a Sportsroof 70s Mustang, after all. Like the original, the car used in the movie wasn't exactly a factory offering. Unlike the original, the 2000 car became an icon.
The new movie car was called a Shelby GT500, but it wasn't like any other factory GT500. Instead, it wore a custom body kit with a unique hood, special front bumper with massive driving lights, and big wheels. Instead of the original school bus yellow, it was Pepper Grey with a black stripe.
Of the handful of cars used in the film, three have been sold. the last one went for US $1,000,000. A car this rare, this famous, and this good-looking has spawned lots of copies. Like this one.
It started with a real 1968 Ford Mustang Fastback. Then a kit from Stang-Aholics was added to give it the Eleanor GT500E look. The side-exit exhaust, the rear window and fender scoops, and the right hood. It also has that chunky front bumper with room for the big lights and the right GT500 taillights.
Inside, there is an all-new dash bezel and updated gauge cluster for a much more modern look. The car has big modern bucket seats, an updated centre console, and a modern stereo. Of course, the details are what is most important, and the four-speed manual's shifter is sporting that Go Baby Go nitrous button.
Under the hood of this replica is a rebuilt Ford 390 V8, backed by that four-speed. Those 6.4L engines started at around 335 hp and 427 lb-ft when new.
This car was fully restored when the conversion work was completed, and it has just 163 miles on the new odometer.
It's the right movie car, and it comes with a presentation pack that has signatures from Cage and Jolie to go along with. It's for sale in Winnipeg, MB, and if could be yours. If it's not gone in 60 seconds from another buyer.
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