Eleanor (1973 Ford Mustang)
Encyclopedia
'Eleanor' is the trademark
ed name given to a 1973 Ford Mustang Mach 1
for its role in the 1974 film Gone in 60 Seconds
. "Eleanor" is the only Ford Mustang in history to receive Star title credit in a movie. However in the 2000 Gone in 60 Seconds movie, the new Eleanor is a 1967 Shelby GT500.
Three "Eleanors" were created for use in the movie: one was modified and driven, one was used in the "beauty shots", and one was used for fetching supplies from the local supermarket, including fish, chips, meat, cutlery and pork pies.
The modified car required 250 hours labor by businessman and film creator H. B. Halicki
before it was ready for the cameras. It was fitted with a NASCAR
roll cage, the transmission was chained in. An adjustable camera was mounted in the back seat to record from the “driver's point of view”. Other safety modifications included a heavy duty double strength Simpson shoulder harness and seat belt and deadbolt door locks.
by the crew, so that Ronald Halicki can try and steal her.
Eleanor was earlier "stolen" from 18504 Mariposa which was Vacek's address at the time.
Much of the crowd at the gas station where Harold Smith is pulled over after the night-time Torrance chase were part of a real biker gang, who verbally abused the police officers "arresting" the actor and demanding they leave him alone. Being an independent production, the film used real civilians who happened to be wherever they were filming. It was the police officers' bad luck that at the gas station there was a real biker gang filling up.
Eleanor was later placed in a warehouse of 48 exotic cars, all "stolen" in the movie.
When Pumpkin tells Maindrian that they have to give Eleanor back because the car is not insured, Maindrian reads the owner's address from a newspaper – 18511 Mariposa, Gardena. This was in fact director/star H.B. Halicki's own real home address at the time.
According to people on the set, Halicki missed a mark and caused "Eleanor" to hit a real telephone pole at 100 mph. The first thing that Halicki was quoted as saying when he regained consciousness was "Did we get coverage?"
Halicki compacted ten vertebrae performing the "big jump" in the Mustang at the end of the movie, which reached 30 feet high and cleared 128 feet. Fortunately the injury was not very serious, although according to director of photography Jack Vacek, Halicki never walked the same again.
in Beverly Hills and "Cars Are the Stars," among others.
"Eleanor" was also featured in The Junkman
and Deadline Auto Theft
; a modified Shelby Mustang 1967 GT500 also named "Eleanor" was used in the Gone in 60 Seconds remake.
Toy
s, models
, and die-cast
replicas of "Eleanor" have been produced, notably by Racing Champions ERTL & Playing Mantis Johnny Lightning
.
In 1995, Halicki Films entered into a contract with Disney and Jerry Bruckheimer
for the film Gone in 60 Seconds. Filming began in 1999, with Denice as Executive Producer. The movie premiered on June 5, 2000.
The popularity of the second film revived the popularity of "Eleanor." A number of car shops started to produce "Eleanor" tagged replicas (the car was now a 1967 Shelby GT500 "Eleanor"), and Denice again had to resort to legal action to protect the copyright. In 2008, Denice won a case against Carroll Shelby
, who had been selling replicas as “continuation models” of his original Shelby cars. The only official licensed "Eleanor" maker was Classic Recreations LLC in Yukon, Oklahoma
, USA.
As of October 2009, however, Classic Recreations has ceased manufacturing Eleanor Mustangs after entering into a licensing arrangement with Carroll Shelby to produce the GT500CR, a new continuation of his original Shelby cars. Because of this recent discontinuation, there is currently no known company that manufactures these cars. This has been a big upset to many Eleanor fans since.
The popularity of the car has seen a business in Melbourne, Australia start a wedding car service offering a clone of the famous "Eleanor" Mustang. Known as Eleanor Mustangs the business is currently the only one offering the Eleanor Mustang in Australia.
Trademark
A trademark, trade mark, or trade-mark is a distinctive sign or indicator used by an individual, business organization, or other legal entity to identify that the products or services to consumers with which the trademark appears originate from a unique source, and to distinguish its products or...
ed name given to a 1973 Ford Mustang Mach 1
Ford Mustang Mach 1
The Ford Mustang Mach 1 was a performance model of the Ford Mustang that Ford produced beginning in 1969. The original production run of the Mach 1 ended in 1979 because the Mustang II coupe was being phased out in favor of newer Mustangs on the Fox body platform.The Mach 1 returned in 2003 as a...
for its role in the 1974 film Gone in 60 Seconds
Gone in 60 Seconds (1974 film)
Gone in 60 Seconds is a 1974 American action film written, directed, produced by, and starring H.B. 'Toby' Halicki. It centers on a group of car thieves and the 48 cars they must steal in a matter of days. The film is famous for having wrecked and destroyed 93 cars in a 34-minute car chase scene....
. "Eleanor" is the only Ford Mustang in history to receive Star title credit in a movie. However in the 2000 Gone in 60 Seconds movie, the new Eleanor is a 1967 Shelby GT500.
Creation
California based automobile scrap-dealer H.B. "Toby" Halicki created, wrote and directed the film. As a businessman with interests in property, he also trademarked the terms "Gone in 60 Seconds" and "Eleanor".Three "Eleanors" were created for use in the movie: one was modified and driven, one was used in the "beauty shots", and one was used for fetching supplies from the local supermarket, including fish, chips, meat, cutlery and pork pies.
The modified car required 250 hours labor by businessman and film creator H. B. Halicki
H. B. Halicki
H.B. Halicki was an American stunt driver, actor, and filmmaker. He was also known as Toby to his friends and family, and to his fans as 'The Car Crash King'.-Biography:...
before it was ready for the cameras. It was fitted with a NASCAR
NASCAR
The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing is a family-owned and -operated business venture that sanctions and governs multiple auto racing sports events. It was founded by Bill France Sr. in 1947–48. As of 2009, the CEO for the company is Brian France, grandson of the late Bill France Sr...
roll cage, the transmission was chained in. An adjustable camera was mounted in the back seat to record from the “driver's point of view”. Other safety modifications included a heavy duty double strength Simpson shoulder harness and seat belt and deadbolt door locks.
Filming
The car survived despite two serious incidents during filming. The first occurred when another driver overshot his mark, clipped "Eleanor" in the rear and sent it careening into a steel light pole standard in excess of 100 mph, and caved the left front fender in. After two hours of repairs, filming resumed. The second occurred after an impressive 128-foot jump in which the car soars over 30 feet. “Eleanor” survived, despite the rough landing. Halicki was injured in both incidents.Eleanor's locations in the film
Eleanor was first placed at Los Angeles International AirportLos Angeles International Airport
Los Angeles International Airport is the primary airport serving the Greater Los Angeles Area, the second-most populated metropolitan area in the United States. It is most often referred to by its IATA airport code LAX, with the letters pronounced individually...
by the crew, so that Ronald Halicki can try and steal her.
Eleanor was earlier "stolen" from 18504 Mariposa which was Vacek's address at the time.
Much of the crowd at the gas station where Harold Smith is pulled over after the night-time Torrance chase were part of a real biker gang, who verbally abused the police officers "arresting" the actor and demanding they leave him alone. Being an independent production, the film used real civilians who happened to be wherever they were filming. It was the police officers' bad luck that at the gas station there was a real biker gang filling up.
Eleanor was later placed in a warehouse of 48 exotic cars, all "stolen" in the movie.
When Pumpkin tells Maindrian that they have to give Eleanor back because the car is not insured, Maindrian reads the owner's address from a newspaper – 18511 Mariposa, Gardena. This was in fact director/star H.B. Halicki's own real home address at the time.
According to people on the set, Halicki missed a mark and caused "Eleanor" to hit a real telephone pole at 100 mph. The first thing that Halicki was quoted as saying when he regained consciousness was "Did we get coverage?"
Halicki compacted ten vertebrae performing the "big jump" in the Mustang at the end of the movie, which reached 30 feet high and cleared 128 feet. Fortunately the injury was not very serious, although according to director of photography Jack Vacek, Halicki never walked the same again.
After filming
After the filming of the movie, "Eleanor" has been on display in theater lobbies, car shows, fairs, auto races, and shopping centers, and has been featured on television news shows across the country. The car was included in the "Greatest Cars of the Movies" event at the Petersen Automobile Museum, "California Classic Car Rally" on Rodeo DriveRodeo Drive
Rodeo Drive of Beverly Hills, California is a shopping district known for designer label and haute couture fashion. The name generally refers to a three-block long stretch of boutiques and shops but the street stretches further north and south....
in Beverly Hills and "Cars Are the Stars," among others.
"Eleanor" was also featured in The Junkman
The Junkman
The Junkman is a 1982 independent film which spent two years in production. To make the film, H. B. Halicki used his own personal collection of over 200 cars, toys, and guns - including Eleanor, the star of his 1974 cult classic Gone in 60 Seconds....
and Deadline Auto Theft
Deadline Auto Theft
Deadline Auto Theft is a 1983 independent film written and directed by H.B 'Toby' Halicki, made up of scenes from Gone in 60 Seconds and The Junkman, as well as new material featuring Hoyt Axton.- Plot :...
; a modified Shelby Mustang 1967 GT500 also named "Eleanor" was used in the Gone in 60 Seconds remake.
Toy
Toy
A toy is any object that can be used for play. Toys are associated commonly with children and pets. Playing with toys is often thought to be an enjoyable means of training the young for life in human society. Different materials are used to make toys enjoyable and cuddly to both young and old...
s, models
Model (physical)
A physical model is a smaller or larger physical copy of an object...
, and die-cast
Casting
In metalworking, casting involves pouring liquid metal into a mold, which contains a hollow cavity of the desired shape, and then allowing it to cool and solidify. The solidified part is also known as a casting, which is ejected or broken out of the mold to complete the process...
replicas of "Eleanor" have been produced, notably by Racing Champions ERTL & Playing Mantis Johnny Lightning
Johnny Lightning
Johnny Lightning is a brand of model cars originally produced by Topper Toys, similar to the hugely successful Mattel Hot Wheels die cast racing cars. They were not quite as successful, one major reason was that the styling, casting and finish was not as of high quality as Mattel's Hot Wheels...
.
2000 film revival
After his death producing Gone in 60 Seconds 2 in 1989, and recent marriage to Denice Halicki, there were a number of legal challenges to the Halicki estate. After seven trials, in 1994 the court released Halicki's films and the associated copyrights to Halicki Films, owned by Denice Halicki.In 1995, Halicki Films entered into a contract with Disney and Jerry Bruckheimer
Jerry Bruckheimer
Jerome Leon "Jerry" Bruckheimer is an American film and television producer. He has achieved great success in the genres of action, drama, and science fiction. His best known television series are CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, CSI: Miami, CSI: NY, Eleventh Hour, Without a Trace, Cold Case, The...
for the film Gone in 60 Seconds. Filming began in 1999, with Denice as Executive Producer. The movie premiered on June 5, 2000.
The popularity of the second film revived the popularity of "Eleanor." A number of car shops started to produce "Eleanor" tagged replicas (the car was now a 1967 Shelby GT500 "Eleanor"), and Denice again had to resort to legal action to protect the copyright. In 2008, Denice won a case against Carroll Shelby
Carroll Shelby
Carroll Hall Shelby is an American retired automotive designer and racing driver. He is most well known for making Mustangs for Ford Motor Company known as Mustang Cobras which he has done since 1965...
, who had been selling replicas as “continuation models” of his original Shelby cars. The only official licensed "Eleanor" maker was Classic Recreations LLC in Yukon, Oklahoma
Yukon, Oklahoma
Yukon is a city in Canadian County, Oklahoma, United States and is part of the Oklahoma City Metropolitan Area. The population was 22,709 at the 2010 census....
, USA.
As of October 2009, however, Classic Recreations has ceased manufacturing Eleanor Mustangs after entering into a licensing arrangement with Carroll Shelby to produce the GT500CR, a new continuation of his original Shelby cars. Because of this recent discontinuation, there is currently no known company that manufactures these cars. This has been a big upset to many Eleanor fans since.
The popularity of the car has seen a business in Melbourne, Australia start a wedding car service offering a clone of the famous "Eleanor" Mustang. Known as Eleanor Mustangs the business is currently the only one offering the Eleanor Mustang in Australia.
Measurements
Eleanor was powered by a 351 Cleveland engine, which was secretly modified by Halicki. Features included:- Four-barrel carburetorCarburetorA carburetor , carburettor, or carburetter is a device that blends air and fuel for an internal combustion engine. It is sometimes shortened to carb in North America and the United Kingdom....
- Cruisomatic transmissionTransmission (mechanics)A machine consists of a power source and a power transmission system, which provides controlled application of the power. Merriam-Webster defines transmission as: an assembly of parts including the speed-changing gears and the propeller shaft by which the power is transmitted from an engine to a...
- H-D-7 in wheels
- Goodyear rally GT tires
- Double white wall tires
- 24-volt electrical system
- Fire extinguisher
- First-aid kit
- Electrical kill switches
- Individual locking rear brakes
- Fish plating of the undercarriage 3” x 3/8” steel
- Removable bullet plating
California
- 869 FLA
- 613 HSO (which is supposed to be Eleanor's real plate number in the movie)
- 614 HSO
- 359 JRA
- 820 FUA
- LYN 274 (Eleanor's plate in the 2000 remake)