Barrett Jackson’s annual Scottsdale auction is just a couple of days from starting, bringing more than 1,700 vehicles for sale. Out of all the high-quality collector cars you can find in the event, there are a few gems which get us excited.
One such car is a 1967 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 – Eleanor. The star of the 2000 remake of Gone In 60 Seconds starring Nicholas Cage and Angelina Jolie and produced by Jerry Bruckheimer.
Update 23 January 2019: During the main event at Scottsdale – Saturday night, January 19th – the genuine the 1967 Shelby GT500 Eleanor was sold for $385,000. The previous evening, two Eleanor Tribute Edition vehicles were sold for $161,500 each.
The car was built by Cinema Vehicle Services with a custom kit designed by Steve Stanford. It’s unclear exactly how many were produced, but sources suggest 9 body shells and 3 fully functioning vehicles were crafted.
The Shelby Eleanor up for sale at Scottsdale is an original car used in the street scenes of Gone in 60 Seconds. It comes with a certificate of authenticity from Cinema Vehicle Services, signed by the company’s president.
Eleanor is powered by a 351 Ford Motorsport crate V8 engine. It has 7 liters of displacement, matching the 428 Cobra-Jet V8 engine used in production 1967 Shelby GT500s. That said, the 351 engine produces 450 hp and 520 lb/ft of torque versus 360 hp and 420 lb/ft of torque from the 428 Cobra-Jet. This clearly puts Eleanor in a different league.
The setup is complete with a 3-speed automatic and Total Control suspension.
Eleanor is also the name of the 1971 Ford Mustang Sportsroof starring in the original 1974 Gone In 60 Seconds by the legendary H.B. “Toby” Halicki. Eleanor is the only Mustang to receive movie title credits. In fact, it was the only star announced in the opening credits.
This particular 1967 Shelby GT500 Eleanor comes full circle at Barrett Jackson’s Scottsdale auction. Exactly 10 years ago, the same vehicle was sold at the same auction for $216,700.
In 2012, another Eleanor was sold in the UK for $121,010.
In 2013, the supposed “main car” of the movie, received a whopping $1,000,000 bid at Mecums’ Indianapolis auction. At that time, Eleanor became the second (now third) most expensive Mustang in the world.
How much will this car sell for? You’ll just have to be at Scottsdale next Saturday (January 19th) to find out. The car will be sold along 4 licensed Eleanor Tribute edition cars, which will go for considerably less.
We’ll leave you with a detailed presentation of a 1967 Ford Mustang Fastback Eleanor clone. Skip to the 6-minute mark to see the car in action.