Iconic ‘Eleanor’ Mustang From Gone in 60 Seconds Fetches $852,500 at Auction
While the famed Ford Mustang from Steve McQueen’s Bullitt grabbed headlines with its $3.74 million price tag, another legendary Mustang from Hollywood’s car chase history quietly made its mark at the same auction weekend.
The spotlight this time was on a customized 1967 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500, affectionately known as Eleanor. This particular model was featured in the 2000 action film Gone in 60 Seconds, starring Nicolas Cage. Over the years, the movie has gained cult status among car aficionados, with Eleanor standing out as one of the most beloved Mustangs ever showcased on screen.
During the filming of the movie, a total of eleven Eleanor Mustangs were built by Cinema Vehicle Services, using a design developed by hot rod icons Steve Stanford and Chip Foose. Out of those eleven, only three original cars are confirmed to still exist today. The rest have either disappeared or inspired countless replicas around the world.
This specific Eleanor was recently restored by Cinema Vehicle Services to closely match its cinematic glory. Built on the frame of a 1967 Mustang fastback, the car boasts a powerful 351-cubic inch V8 engine, an Edelbrock intake system, and a nitrous oxide injection setup. It also features a 5-speed manual gearbox with a Hurst shifter, a LaCarra wooden steering wheel, and several other unique modifications faithful to the Eleanor build.
Presented at the Mecum auction held in Kissimmee, Florida, the car was initially valued between $500,000 and $600,000. However, bidding quickly escalated, and the Mustang was ultimately sold to an undisclosed buyer for a whopping $852,500.
Interestingly, this isn’t the first Eleanor to command a high price. Another version, known to be the primary vehicle driven by Nicolas Cage in close-up scenes, was auctioned off by Mecum in 2013 for a staggering $1 million.
Adding to the fascinating connection between famous Mustangs in film, there’s a curious link to Bullitt. The Mustang that McQueen used for his close-ups in Bullitt was auctioned alongside Eleanor in Kissimmee. Meanwhile, another Bullitt stunt car was discovered abandoned in a Mexican junkyard in 2017. The man who found it, a custom car builder, was originally hunting for a Mustang to convert into—what else?—an Eleanor replica.
