“Ford Mustang-Eleanor”: description, specifications, reviews. 1967 Ford Shelby Mustang GT500 Eleanor

The Ford Mustang Eleanor is an iconic vehicle representing the Pony Car class, it was driven by Nicolas Cage, who starred in the famous movie Gone in 60 Seconds. This is a beautiful, powerful and stellar vintage car. And it is about him and his characteristics that we will now talk.

A bit of history

This legendary car would not have been born if it were not for the collaboration of Carroll Shelby, the winner of Le Mans in 1959, with the eminent American company Ford Motors. In fact, it was he who became the founder of a new era in the production of Mustangs.

The ancestor of the Eleanor model is the Ford AC 260 Roadster. The novelty, which is also known as the Ford Mustang Shelby GT350, was born in 1965. One point needs to be clarified to avoid confusion.

The fact is that the model was further refined, and that is why it finally became known as the Ford Shelby Mustang GT500 Eleanor 1967. It was then that it was presented to the public. Therefore, the beginning of the era dates back to this year.

Then it was very difficult to get a new one. The excitement was incredible, people literally stood in line all night. The sophistication and power of design won thousands of hearts.

And in our time it is even more rare car. It is of great interest to both connoisseurs of the brand and collectors. For such a valuable copy, many are willing to pay 350-400 thousand dollars.

It is a pity that it is impossible to find this retro car in the CIS. In fact, you can buy it through one of the international trading services or find it yourself in the USA, but the cost of registering a car recently will increase its cost by about 7-15%.

Design

Everyone can evaluate how good the Ford Mustang Eleanor is by looking at the photos presented in the article. In words, the characteristics of the original appearance of this 2-seater coupe can be assessed as follows:

• Dynamic front with aggressive characteristics.
• Like a "humped" hood is successfully combined with colorful wings and wide air intakes.
• Exhaust pipes on the sides.
• Original front air intake.
• Rear air exchangers.
• Two round fog lamps are located in the center of the bumper.

In general, the aerodynamic characteristics of the body of the Ford Mustang-Eleanor, despite its unusual and complex forms, are impressive.

Interior

Inside, this dynamic coupe looks like a luxury from 1967. The interior is almost entirely upholstered in rich leather, but special attention is paid to woodgrain trim on the steering wheel and panels, as well as bright aluminum trim.

It should be noted that the motif of two wide stripes also finds its continuation inside the cabin. The complex cut of leather covers gives a special charm to the interior. And the perfectly round shape of the optics placed on the hood is repeated in the circle of instruments and other glassed devices.

Back in the 60’s

We must remember the time when the Shelby Mustang was released. Yes, the 1965 car won everyone over with its appearance, but its performance quickly faded compared to competing cars produced by other companies.

Take, for example, the Chevrolet Camaro SS 396. A spectacular body, air conditioning and audio system included, powerful braking system, power steering .. the car really turned out to be worthy. And, in order not to lose in the competition, Ford released a coupe in 1967, which was magnificent both externally and from a technical point of view.

It was also decided to develop the lineup in the direction of reducing power. Therefore, they were completed with simple 6-cylinder engines acceptable for urban conditions. Only later did Cobra Jet units begin to appear, after the struggle for superiority on high-speed tracks. By the way, at the same time, 3-point seat belts began to appear.

Specifications

You must also tell them. The performance of the 1967 Ford Mustang Eleanor is truly impressive. The model was equipped with two engines:

• cobra jet 428 7 liters.
• 6.9 liter Cobra Jet 427 engine.

They have the same power – 355 "horses". These engines provided acceleration to 100 km / h in just 6 seconds and a top speed of 225 km / h. At the same time, Mustangs with 4.8-liter 289 Windsor V8 units produced only 271 hp. With.

Modern replicas of the Shelby GT500 model are also equipped with 7-liter engines, but more highly charged than those used in the late 1960s. There are versions of the Ford Mustang-Shelby-Eleanor with 700-horsepower 427-horsepower CI engine units, for example. They are offered with a 5-speed Tremec "mechanics". A car with such a powerful "stuffing" accelerates to 100 km / h in about 4 seconds.

Behavior on the road

Having studied numerous test drives, as well as reviews of the Ford Mustang-Eleanor from foreign owners, we can draw certain conclusions about how this coupe behaves.

Perhaps one of the interesting reviews was made at the Las Vegas test site. This test drive was supervised by Jos Capito, one of the main specialists of the team that creates rally cars (talking about the Special Vehicles Team).

And the first thing everyone pays attention to is the wildest roar of all the “horses" under the hood. Secondly, the tendency of the car to skid. But with such power, this moment is quite understandable. Although in a long turn, the rear axle enters, even if the engine speed does not exceed 2500 rpm. It’s nice that there is a stabilization system that slows down the car when skidding.

When driving this car, you should keep it in low gears, setting high speeds if you expect many short straights and frequent turns around the track. But another tester noted that in third gear at no more than 4000 rpm, the car shifts smoother and more evenly, but at the same time consistently fast.

Shooting in the film

The technical characteristics of the Ford Mustang Eleanor, as well as its other characteristics, were discussed above. It is worth paying attention to the theme of filming this car in the cult film Gone in 60 Seconds.

It was in the film that this car was given the code name "Eleanor". As a result, the criminals had to steal 50 cars in 24 hours, and they agreed to call each of them some female name so that the policemen who heard them would not guess what they were talking about. The last car was the Shelby GT500. Her captors decided to name Eleanor.

Up to this point (that is, until 2000) it was just the Shelby GT500. No one called the coupe "Eleanor" for 33 years. Also, Ford’s original appearance is different from how he appears in the films.

Interestingly, before the release of the film, the model cost up to $100,000. Since then, the price has doubled or tripled. And the only Shelby GT500 Super Snake was put up for sale for three million dollars. Its peculiarity lies not only in appearance, but also in technical characteristics.

Under the hood of this model is a 520-horsepower engine, and this is as much as 120 "horses" more than other coupes of those years. So the price set for this Ford Mustang is quite justified.

Continued production

The Shelby name went down in history in 2007. The concern released the fifth generation of Mustangs, represented by high-performance cars, in connection with which they decided to revive the name.

Two versions were produced: GT350 and GT500. The first model on the list exists both with a compressor engine and with an atmospheric one. There is also a limited edition GT350R.

Model Super Snake

About this version of the Ford Mustang, the price of which is really impressive (about 2 million conventional units at the time of 2010), it is worth telling a little more.

The Super Snake is a performance package for the GT500 created by Shelby in collaboration with Ford Racing. Its installation was aimed at increasing engine power to 800 hp. With.

In addition to the improved engine, this model has a unique appearance. The coupe has a fiberglass hood with a large air intake, a modified front bumper with a splitter, an original trunk roof spoiler, a diffuser on the rear bumper and unusual oval exhaust pipes.

And another feature of this model is the Eibach adjustable suspension, which has a rear axle lock and adjustable anti-roll bars. It was also decided to replace the stock brakes with reinforced Baer arrangements, the highlight of which are 6-piston calipers.

Other interesting facts

Continuing with the Ford Mustang Eleanor, the cars in the movie weren’t stock Shelby GT500s. They were created specifically at the Cinema Transport Service plant. The usual "Mustangs" were taken as a basis, but also 1967 release.

Why was it decided to change the appearance? Because against the backdrop of luxurious Lamborghini and Ferrari, an ordinary Ford would be lost. Therefore, the coupe was redesigned according to the sketches of the famous illustrator Steve Stanford.

The project was led by Californian designer Chip Foose. It was he who prototyped the skin, hood, overhangs, side skirts and other elements using fiberglass.

There are 13 such machines involved in the film. Only one was a real Shelby GT500, Jerry Bruckheimer’s personal car. An interesting point, by the way, is the Ford Mustang-Eleanor checkpoint. In the cinema you can see two types of backstage of the same model. This nuance will be noticed by all motorists.

The most powerful model was in the last scene. Under its hood was a 5.8-liter engine. And for everyone else – 4.8 liters, as in standard Mustangs.

Interestingly, one of the surviving cars was sold in 2009 for $216,700 at a Barrett-Jackson auction. It’s also worth knowing that the Eleanor grille was made from parts that were originally intended for Chevy Astro trucks. And the fuel tank caps and side exhaust pipes were made completely non-functional.

And the last fact: all the cars participating in the filming had exactly the same wheels as the Ford GT40.