Eleanor, the mother of the restomod wave
11/10/2019
It was in the year 2000 when the movie "Gone in 60 Seconds" drew all eyes to a Ford Mustang that had it all. Memphis Raines, played in the movie by Nicolas Cage, not only has to steal 50 cars in the shortest possible time, he is also being pursued by the police. To scramble the radio transmissions for outsiders, all the cars are given female names and the Mustang is called "Eleanor". Memphis experiences the hottest scenes with her, such as an infinitely long jump that would have meant the end for any normal car. Not so in the movie, Eleanor survives, albeit battered. The car drove its way into the hearts of movie fans and has since been copied many times over.
At the Mecum auction house in Kissimmee in 2020, however, one of the originals from the film will be auctioned off, namely the car that was called "The Dream Car" at the time because it was used for all the detail shots and many interior shots, among other things.
This car can also be seen as a trendsetter for today's very popular restomods, i.e. restorations with extensive improvements and modifications. The 1967 Mustang GT500, sprayed in the color "Pepper Gray Metallic" with black stripes, was modified for filming. The wheels are wide Halibrand-style rims, the engine is a HiPo 351 CI V8, the transmission is a Tremec 5-speed, disc brakes and power steering are also included. The NOS system, good for a power increase of 120 to 125 hp, was installed, as was a Hurst shifter with the "Go Baby Go" button.
Memphis Raines has a kind of love-hate relationship with this car in the movie because he has probably had trouble with a similar model in the past. In fact, the car won't start once and at the end of the theft tour it looks sad, as already mentioned.
However, the car on offer has been completely restored and should easily exceed the USD 200,000 threshold in January, although there is no official estimate (yet).
