Be it Steve McQueen in Bullitt or Keanu Reeves in John Wick, some of Hollywood’s hottest action stars have made their mark on the Ford Mustang. However, in the world of iconic movie cars, there are few vehicles that are as instantly recognizable as the 1967 GT500 from the 2000 remake of Gone in 60 Seconds.
With Nicolas Cage at the wheel as car thief Memphis Raines, the infamous Eleanor Mustang cut quite the figure. Painted in a muted shade of Dupont Pepper Gray, it boasted eye-catching mods like fender flares, side-exit exhaust and, of course, nitrous injection.
As is the case with most vehicles that have enjoyed time on the silver screen, the aftermarket abounds with replicas. However, for many years, the legality of such tributes was questionable at best. Thanks to a recent court verdict, you can now snag an Eleanor without remorse.
Eleanor uncertainty
Just a little over a month ago, the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit released a 21-page ruling that opened the floodgates for the creation of Eleanor Mustang replicas.
As the widow of the creator of the 1973 Gone in 60 Seconds film, Denice Halicki had initially sued Carroll Shelby Licensing, Inc. in 2008 for alleged copyright infringement due to the creation of some conspicuously Eleanor-like GT500s.
