1967 Ford Mustang GT500 "Eleanor"

Eleanor, a classic among the greats.

It is crazy to think how much controversy one car can create, and over my time researching about “Eleanor” clearly, this is one that has created a lot of it.

"Eleanor"

So, where did Eleanor come from? The original car was created for the film Gone in Sixty Seconds but not the one you’re thinking of. It was actually made for the original film that debut in 1974, in which the Mustang was actually a 1971 but received a facelift to look like the 1972/73 Ford Mustang. However, the one you’re thinking of, the “classic” 1967 Dupont Pepper Grey Ford Mustang GT500 “Eleanor”, was built for the 2000s movie (also) Gone In 60 Seconds and frankly is the classic Mustang that I know and love. 

1973 Ford Mustang

For the filming of the movie an estimated 11 or 12 of the Mustangs were built by Cinema Vehicle Service and one additional one was built for the producer of the film Jerry Bruckheimer. Also, seven of the Mustangs were claimed to have been saved from the filming and returned to Cinema Vehicle Service. (according to the people at Mustangandfords.com) Since then, two of the Mustangs have been sold at auction and one was supposed to be sold, but never met the reserve price. 

Still owned by one Denice Halicki are the licensing rights to “Eleanor” which means, if you ever wanted to build your own custom 1967 Ford Mustang "Eleanor", you’re not allowed to actually call it that. Crazy I know, and that causes a lot of controversy in the car community. Recently, a YouTuber known as B Is For Build was in process of turning a 2015 Ford Mustang into a Eleanor lookalike, unfortunately however because the copy rights are still under licensing of Halicki and Gone In 60 Seconds, he was asked to handover the mustang and remove all videos containing content of the build. 

Now, let’s talk about the car itself. The 1967 Ford Mustang GT500! Under the hood, the ’67 Mustang GT500 had a burly 428cu-in pushrod V8 pumping out 355hp and 420ft-lb of Torque. Doesn’t seem like much today I'll give you that, but in 1967, it was definitely a sufficient amount. The power and torque pushed the Mustang from 0-60mph in six and half seconds and had a quarter mile time of 15 seconds at 153kph. So, what did it cost to buy the work of Shelby in 1967? Well, brand new the GT500 was sold for $5043.60! Shocking I know, but at that time $5000 was a decent amount of money.

1967 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 Fastback

In the end, I love the “Eleanor” the Mustang. There are only a handful of movie cars that make into my favorites list, but this one is certainly near the top. The movie is a classic to someone like me who grew up in the 90’s and will forever live in my heart as a car I can only one day aspire to drive. That being said, just don’t try to build one on your own…