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"Eleanor" is a code name used in the 1974 film '' Gone in 60 Seconds'' to refer to a 1971
Ford Mustang The Ford Mustang is a series of American Car, automobiles manufactured by Ford Motor Company, Ford. In continuous production since 1964, the Mustang is currently the longest-produced Ford car nameplate. Currently in its Ford Mustang (seventh ...
featured in the film. The name is used again in the 2000 remake for a customized Shelby Mustang GT500.


Production

Though four instances of Eleanor are portrayed in the film as "Eleanor" targets, only two cars were used in filming, with license plates and tires alternated as necessary. Of these two, one car was modified for the stunt driving necessitated by the final chase and wrecked in the process, while the other was kept intact for all external "beauty shots". The latter car was also used for all but two interior shots.


Preparation of the vehicles

Both 1971 Mustang Sportsroofs used in the film (neither car has been proven to be a Mach 1, as often assumed) were bought in 1971, but—as it was three years before the film's director H. B. Halicki could raise sufficient funds to start filming—each car was modified with grilles taken from a 1973 model for the film (though each retain the original front bumpers, lower valances, and fenders). As with the liberties taken with the body modifications, Halicki's paint scheme featured a unique blackout treatment to the lower bodyside, taillight panel, and standard hood; similar, but not identical to Ford factory offerings on the Mach 1 (and Exterior Decor Group on Sportsroofs) at the time. All identifiable badging spelling the "Mustang" name was removed, though the grille badge and "Ford Motor Company" hubcaps are visible in the film. Despite claims that both cars were painted in Ford's Medium Yellow Gold, Halicki, in a 1974 interview, stated that the cars were painted "generic
school bus yellow School bus yellow is a color that was specifically formulated for use on school buses in North America in 1939. Originally officially named National School Bus Chrome, the color is now officially known in Canada and the U.S. as National School ...
" to save money.


Stunt car

The modified car required 250 hours of labor before it was ready for the film. All body panels were removed in order to install a roll cage throughout the Mustang's stock unibody. The transmission was also chained in for safety. An adjustable camera rig was mounted in the back seat to capture footage from the internal "driver's point of view". The wrecked Eleanor was equipped with a base interior and no instrumentation package, but utilized seats from the Mustang's deluxe interior package; sourced from the beauty car. Conversely, the beauty car had deluxe interior, with the standard seats from the stunt car swapped into it. Other safety modifications included: * Heavy-duty Simpson shoulder harness * Deadbolt door locks * Aftermarket hood pins * 24-volt electrical system * On-board first-aid kit * Electrical kill switches * Individual locking rear brakes * Fish plating of the undercarriage—3" × 3/8" steel The interior of the stunt car is seen only once in the film, when Halicki—as Maindrian Pace—places his hands against the windshield when cornered by the Long Beach police. The rollcage is clearly visible against the A-pillar. All other interior shots were executed with the "beauty" car, generally on alternate filming dates. The stunt car survives to this day, despite two serious incidents during filming. The first occurred during a stunt wherein "Eleanor" cuts across multiple lanes of freeway traffic. The stunt driver leading the "traffic" overshot his mark during the take, clipping the Mustang and causing it to careen into a nearby light pole. Halicki was rendered unconscious from the impact, but filming resumed the following week—utilizing this accident as part of the final film. Halicki's first words—upon regaining consciousness—were "Did we get coverage?" Following the incident with the light pole, Halicki compressed multiple vertebrae after performing the impressive 128-foot jump in the closing minutes of the film. The modified Mustang survived, despite the rough nose landing.


Beauty Eleanor

The second car was left with no modifications—as noted by cinematographer Jack Vacek in the film's DVD commentary—and was not modified extensively other than the obligatory matching paint job, grille change, and seat swap with the stunt car. Though this car was not damaged during filming, in 1974 Halicki claimed during the film's premiere that the car was crushed.


Eleanor (2000 film)

In 1995, Denice Halicki, H.B. Halicki's widow, licensed the rights of the 1974 film to
Disney The Walt Disney Company, commonly referred to as simply Disney, is an American multinational mass media and entertainment industry, entertainment conglomerate (company), conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios (Burbank), Walt Di ...
for a remake of the same name. The new 2000 '' Gone in 60 Seconds'' film, produced by
Jerry Bruckheimer Jerome Leonard Bruckheimer (born September 21, 1943) is an American film and television producer. He has been active in the genres of action, drama, comedy, fantasy, horror and science fiction. After working in advertising out of college, Bruck ...
, features
Nicolas Cage Nicolas Kim Coppola (born January 7, 1964), known professionally as Nicolas Cage, is an American actor and film producer. He is the recipient of List of awards and nominations received by Nicolas Cage, various accolades, including an Academy A ...
as master auto thief Randall "Memphis" Raines. Both films share plot similarities about a crew of thieves who steal a large order of cars (48 in the original, 50 in the 2000 film) and deliver them to the
Long Beach Long Beach is a coastal city in southeastern Los Angeles County, California, United States. It is the list of United States cities by population, 44th-most populous city in the United States, with a population of 451,307 as of 2022. A charter ci ...
docks. Once again, the "Eleanor" name is given to the film's featured car; now a Dupont Pepper Grey 1967 Ford Mustang fastback, depicted as a Shelby GT500, with a customized body kit designed by Steve Stanford and created by
Chip Foose Douglas Sam "Chip" Foose (born October 13, 1963) is an American automobile designer, artist, and star designer of the car-customization reality television series ''Overhaulin. Life and career Foose began working on automobiles at age seve ...
.


Screen-used vehicles

Depending on the source, either eleven or twelve cars were built by Cinema Vehicle Services for the film (not including CVS's creation of one additional Eleanor clone—with a Ford 428—for producer Bruckheimer). Nine were shells, and three were built as fully functional vehicles. Seven were reported to have "survived the filming ndmade it back to Cinema Vehicle Services" according to research by Mustangandfords.com. Of the surviving vehicles, three cars have been offered to the public with claims of originality and screen-use in the film, as follows: All three claim to be functional builds for the film. Whether the two wrecked cars were rebuilt—or whether surviving shells were built up into functional cars—remains unknown and unpublicized. A fourth car, VIN #7F02C229830, last offered for sale in Dubai, also claims originality to the film. This car has not been authenticated.


Reproductions

Between 2007 and 2009, Classic Recreations manufactured reproductions of the 2000 film's Eleanor Mustang under license by Halicki Films/Eleanor Licensing. After two years Classic Recreations terminated the licensing agreement. Classic Recreations produced two models of the Eleanor Mustang (535 model, 750 model). Fusion Motor Company of
Chatsworth, California Chatsworth is a suburban neighborhood in Los Angeles, California, in the San Fernando Valley. The area around the town was home to Native Americans, who left caves containing rock art. Chatsworth was explored and colonized by the Spanish beginn ...
holds a license for Halicki-approved Eleanor reproductions.


"Eleanor" copyright controversy

Over a number of years, Denice Halicki has claimed to own the copyrights to "Eleanor" as a "character", including its various body styles and likenesses. These lawsuits have sparked uncertainty among many in the car community, concerned that personal replicas or online media could be legally actionable.


2004: Halicki vs. Unique Performance

In 2004, Halicki brought a court case against specialty car builder Unique Performance. The company had entered into a licensing agreement with
Carroll Shelby Carroll Hall Shelby (January 11, 1923 – May 10, 2012) was an American automotive designer, racing driver, and entrepreneur. Shelby was involved with the AC Cobra and Ford Mustang, Mustang for Ford Motor Company. With driver Ken Miles, he dev ...
to create replica Shelby GT500 vehicles with features associated with the 2000 movie car. The case was thrown out when a judge ruled that only Disney, not Halicki, held the copyright to the sequel car. An agreement between Disney and Halicki was eventually arranged.


2008: Halicki vs. Shelby

A further "Eleanor" copyright suit was brought against
Carroll Shelby Carroll Hall Shelby (January 11, 1923 – May 10, 2012) was an American automotive designer, racing driver, and entrepreneur. Shelby was involved with the AC Cobra and Ford Mustang, Mustang for Ford Motor Company. With driver Ken Miles, he dev ...
, claiming Shelby and another specialty builder, Classic Recreations, were producing unlicensed "Eleanor" replicas (following Shelby's termination of business with prior builder Unique Performance). At the time, the
United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit The United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit (in case citations, 9th Cir.) is the U.S. federal court of appeals that has appellate jurisdiction over the U.S. district courts for the following federal judicial districts: * Distric ...
ruled in Halicki's favor.


2020: Halicki vs. B is for Build

In May 2020, Halicki filed a case against
YouTube YouTube is an American social media and online video sharing platform owned by Google. YouTube was founded on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim who were three former employees of PayPal. Headquartered in ...
video creator Chris Steinbacher, known on the platform as "B is for Build." Steinbacher had been creating a 1967 Shelby replica (built over a 2015 Mustang) on his channel, dubbed "Eleanor." The case was found in Halicki's favor at the time, resulting in Steinbacher being forced to relinquish the car as part of the suit's resolution.


2022: Carroll Shelby Licensing vs. Halicki

Following the 2008 ruling, Halicki brought further lawsuits against Classic Recreations, alleging that their licensed Shelby GT500 reproductions were violating the claimed "Eleanor" copyright. These actions also included legal letters addressed to "owners and an auction house" from Halicki, in an effort to prevent the resale of these cars. These actions eventually resulted in Carroll Shelby Licensing filing a case (collectively with Classic Recreations) against Halicki in 2022. As a result of this suit, the
United States District Court for the Central District of California The United States District Court for the Central District of California (in case citations, C.D. Cal.; commonly referred to as the CDCA or CACD) is a United States district court, federal trial court that serves over 19 million people in South ...
invalidated Halicki's copyright claims, ruling that the assertion that Eleanor—as a distinctive character—was "an invention of overzealous advocacy", and that the car was "not entitled to standalone copyright protection as a matter of law".


2023: Halicki Appeal to Ninth Circuit

In February 2023, Halicki appealed the previous ruling with the
Ninth Circuit The United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit (in case citations, 9th Cir.) is the U.S. federal court of appeals that has appellate jurisdiction over the U.S. district courts for the following federal judicial districts: * District ...
. Bench trial testimony was heard in March, with U.S. District Judge Mark Scarsi ultimately dismissing Halicki's copyright claims in June of the same year, making no ruling on the case.


2025: Ninth Circuit Ruling

In June 2025, the Ninth Circuit ruled that Eleanor is not eligible for copyright protection, as the car is a prop and not a character. The ruling mentioned that the car failed the three prongs of the Towle test: lacking anthropomorphic qualities, consistent traits, and specifically distinctive qualities.


References

{{reflist, 30em


External links


"When Mustangs Become Movie Stars: The Story of Eleanor"
Cars designed and produced for films Fictional cars Fictional elements introduced in 1974 Ford Mustang