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The Ford Mustang from Steve McQueen’s “Bullitt” may have stolen the headlines over the weekend with its record $3.74 million auction price, but another movie Mustang made a big score, too.
(Mecum)
It’s one of the custom 1967 Mustang Shelby GT500 clones known as Eleanor that were used in the production of the 2000 blockbuster “Gone in 60 Seconds.”
The Nicholas Cage-led action heist has become a cult classic among car enthusiasts over the years, and Eleanor is one of the most popular Mustangs ever.
(Touchstone Pictures)
Eleven identical cars were built for the production of the film by Cinema Vehicle Services from a collaborative design by hot rod legends Steve Stanford and Chip Foose. Of those, just three authentic cars are known to still exist, while countless replicas have been created over the years.
(Mecum)
Based on a 1967 Mustang fastback, this Eleanor was recently restored by Cinema Vehicle Services and features a 351 V8 with an Edelbrock intake, nitrous oxide injection, 5-speed manual transmission with Hurst shifter, a LaCarra wood steering wheel and many other features unique to the Eleanor template.
(Mecum)
When it rolled onto the auction block at the Mecum event in Kissimmee, Fla., it had an estimated value of $500,000 to $600,000, but ended up going to an anonymous buyer for $852,500. And that’s not even the most one of these has sold for.
(Mecum)
One of the other cars that was primarily driven by Cage for his close-up shots sold at a Mecum auction in 2013 for $1 million. And there’s an odd connection to the “Bullitt” Mustang beyond their high values.
Along with the Kissimmee car – which was McQueen’s close-up car in the film – a second stunt car used on “Bullitt” was discovered rotting away in a junkyard in Mexico in 2017 by a custom car builder who was looking for a Mustang to turn into … an Eleanor replica.
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That one is currently undergoing a full restoration and will be heading to an auction somewhere later this year.