A "new" Eleanor Mustang is being produced by the original team that built the movie cars 25 years ago

Olga Trehub IG @OLIPHOTOPRO

Stepping through the warehouse doors of Cinema Muscle Recreations I immediately spot a ghost from Hollywood’s past. The mythical 1967 Shelby GT500 Mustang Fastback – or “Eleanor” as she’s better known – that stole the hearts of car enthusiasts across the globe in Gone in 60 Seconds. From its flawless Pepper Grey metallic paint to those iconic black stripes to its unique scoops along the sloping roofline, this Eleanor Mustang immediately recalls the famous chase sequence from the Jerry Bruckheimer 2000 film. Best of all, this isn’t just another slapdash tribute car, of which there are too many that can’t hold up under even modest scrutiny. This version is an officially sanctioned 25th-anniversary recreation, built by the same team that engineered and assembled the 12 original movie cars (about half of which survived the filming process).

Only 25 Eleanor Mustangs Will Be Built

Production of this new series of Eleanor Mustangs is limited to just twenty-five units, meaning it’s going to be a rare treat to own and drive one of these 25^th anniversary cars. As someone who has experienced this car first hand, that’s a bit of a shame, because the unseen upgrades to these 25 cars make them far and away the best performing Eleanors yet, similar to what Revology Cars has been doing to improve vintage Mustang performance. Cinema Muscle Recreations didn’t just drape a fiberglass 1967 GT500 body kit over a vintage chassis. They started with an original 1967 Mustang fastback, but because original Mustangs (even GT500s) were never meant to handle 800-plus horsepower, comprehensive upgrades are included in the build.

Creating the Best Eleanor Mustang Yet

To prevent the car from twisting itself into a pretzel under heavy acceleration, the original Eleanor team added extensive structural support, transforming a vintage chassis into a platform offering modern rigidity. Attached to this fortified chassis is a Total Control double-adjustable independent suspension system with tubular A-arms and coil-over shocks. The setup allows drivers to dial in the compression, rebound, and even ride height. Whether carving canyons or hitting the drag strip, the suspension can be easily tuned for the driving task at hand.

Beneath the unique power-bulge hood – cast from the original movie molds to stay absolutely faithful to Steve Stanford’s legendary design sketch – resides the heart of the beast. While three engine options are available, the owner of this particular Eleanor build chose the ultimate powertrain upgrade: a supercharged Gen 2 5.0-liter Ford Coyote V8 pushing out a helicopter-beating 830 horsepower. A six-speed Tremec manual transmission, offering a positive, tactile engagement with every shift, sends all that power to the ground through a massive Ford rear end with 3.70 gears. Upgraded Strange half-shaft splines stand ready to handle the engine’s 800 foot-pounds of torque.

And because a car with 830 horsepower needs braking power to match its acceleration potential, four-wheel-disc Wilwood brakes reside behind the classic 17-inch wheels. The system starts with 14-inch rotors clamped by six-piston calipers up front, and 12.8-inch rotors with four-piston calipers in the rear. Even without ABS, the 3,500-pound beast scrubs off speed with eye-flattening immediacy.

Eleanor’s meticulous attention to detail is obvious, even under close inspection. Unlike the Gone in 60 Seconds movie cars – which were built to look good from ten feet away for a few seconds of screen time – this Eleanor is a concourse-level showpiece overseen by Hollywood car building legends Ray Claridge and Randy Wolf. The panel gaps are tight and consistent. The heavy vintage doors, notorious for sagging over time, are reinforced with upgraded hinges to close perfectly on the first try. Underneath the floorboards is a fully custom three-inch Magnaflow exhaust system, intricately routed to exit just ahead of the rear wheels to pay proper homage to the movie car and enhance the V8’s deep exhaust note when the (power-operated) side windows are down.

Keeping this Eleanor Mustang True to the Movie Car

Steve Stanford's original sketch hangs on the wall of Cinema Muscle Recreations, serving as a perpetual reference point Eleanor’s team of builders. From the recessed gas cap in the C-pillar to the original PIAA lights, every detail is period-and-movie correct. Out back, beneath sequential LED taillights, hides a massive 28-gallon fuel cell for long cruises, accompanied by a clever battery tender plug hidden inside the wheel well to protect the pristine paint.

And under the trunk lid? A nitrous bottle you can show off to the inevitable crowds circling Eleanor at the local Cars and Coffee. Trust me, the 830-horsepower Coyote needs no extra boost, but what’s an Eleanor without nitrous? Buyers can opt for a nitrous appearance package with CO2 plumbed through the intake ports, allowing drivers to purge white clouds for excited crowds. However, unless you’re on a wide, flat surface with a lot of room to run (say…the Los Angeles flood control system?) you’re going to want to leave that “Go Baby Go” button alone.

The interior of the original Gone in 60 Seconds movie car was a cool blend of analog nostalgia with modern touches. The 25^th anniversary Eleanor maintains this approach. Dynamat sound insulation, hidden beneath the vintage carpet, isolates the cabin from unwanted road noise, while a Vintage Air climate control system provides cool air. Yet the dashboard and climate control system remain true to the silver screen, including the prominent aftermarket tach mounted to the steering column. Buyers can opt for a modern audio head unit, complete with a touchscreen display, if they are more interested in modern convenience that 100 percent movie adherence.

Firing up the Coyote V8 awakens those custom three-inch side pipes with a thunderous, guttural roar you feel as much as hear. Pulling onto the streets of Los Angeles there’s a sudden sense of the weight of cinema history you’re operating, mixed in with all the high horsepower cacophony. Driving this car is the closest most people will ever get to being a movie star, as evidenced when pulling up to a crosswalk with frequent hoots, hollers, and double takes from motorists and pedestrians.

Driving Your Heros: Eleanor Doesn’t Disappoint

But the true excitement hits when you apply anything over half throttle and the tach swings past 3,000 RPM. Eleanor transforms from a (relatively) docile conveyance into a rapidly-accelerating cruise missile emitting a combination of supercharger whine and side-pipe bellow. With no traction control or stability management it demands a prudent right foot that knows when to say when. But pick your location, ensure you have plenty of space ahead, and Eleanor delivers savage acceleration that will pin you to the “Gone Again 25^th Anniversary” embroidered seatbacks.

There’s a famous cliché that says: never meet your heroes. The inference being they’ll likely fall short of your elevated expectation. But this 25^th Anniversary Eleanor Mustang is a glorious exception. As you grab each gear and feel the relentless surge of 830 horsepower, you find your expectations utterly obliterated. While each “new” Eleanor will start at a hefty half million dollars, if you want to experience a powerful and refined 1967 GT500 that looks and feels capable of evading an army of police cars, and even the occasional helicopter, one of these 25 cars is your best and only option.