'Gone In 60 Seconds' 'Eleanor' Mustang, 1967 Shelby GT 500, Sold For $1 million At Auction

The 1967 Shelby Mustang GT 500, affectionately called 'Eleanor,' that was used during the filming of the hit 2001 film, 'Gone in 60 Seconds,' with Nicholas Cage, was sold at an auction on Saturday, May 18 for $1 million.

The mustang was sold during the 26th Dana Mecum Original Spring Classic Collection in Indianapolis, according to Fox News.  This car began a modern day Eleanor resto-mod craze and was offered directly from the builder at the original, best and largest muscle car auction, The Mustang Newsreports.

Eleven of the fictional Eleanor cars were created for the movie and two of them were not working cars and were destroyed during the film, according to Fox News.  This $1 million dollar beauty, however, was Nicholas Cage's primary vehicle used for close-ups, posters and promotions.

Eleanor is a modified version of the 1967 Ford Mustang and it was designed by Chip Foose and built by Cinema Vehicle services, according to Potins News.  Despite it's allure, however, this car is not actually an original car that was built by Shelby in the late 1960s.

The body pieces of the GT500 were mocked up on a Mustang using clay and wood and then molds were then made to produce a new fiberglass front end filled with high-powered PIAA driving lights, new fender flares, side skirts and scoops, hood and trunk lid.  It also had a 400 horsepower 351 Ford crate engine and a manual transmission, according to The Mustang News.

Some internal features of the mustang included an Autometer Sport Comp Monster tach, fire extinguisher, iconic Go-Baby-Go shift knob button for Line Lock and a switch for activating a nitrous injection system, according to The Mustang News.

A certificate of authenticity and a special plaque that includes a VIN were included in the sale from the company responsible for building it, Potins News reports.  This is the second time that this particular kind of Eleanor mustang has come up for sale in the last five years and it is possible for such a car to be recreated using a 1967 restoration shell.

"Eleanor has become one of the most widely recognized movie star muscle cars in the world, so when the decision was made to offer the 'Gone in 60 Seconds' Hero car for sale, Mecum's Spring Classic auction in Indianapolis seemed like the perfect venue," Ray Claridge, owner of Cinema Vehicle Services told The Mustang News.

Clones of this care tend to only get sold for about $150-200,000 at auction, however, 'Eleanor' fetched a lot more due to her more genuine and original nature, The Mustang News reports.  No information about the new owner is currently known, World Car Fans reports.

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