Muscle Car Power April 2010
Apr 01,2010

If this Mustang looks familiar, it should. It was one of the
“Eleanor” Mustangs used in the 2000 movie “Gone in 60
Seconds.” Unlike the original Eleanor, which was a 1971
Ford Fastback Mustang that actually played the role of a 1973
Mach 1 Ford Mustang in the 1974 version of the iconic movie
(directed by the late H.B. “Toby” Halicki), this movie star car is
a 1967 Mustang GT500. Makeup and special prosthetic effects
are common in “The Biz” to get a star more physically into
their role (think Lon Chaney Sr. and more recently Charlize
Theron in “Monster”). This updated Eleanor is no exception.
Of course, when it comes to a car, even when it’s the star
of the movie, a Hollywood production company is much more
worried about getting the shot and less about the long-term
effects to the car. That meant that by the time primary
shooting was done, the Mustang was beat up.
Being a movie, as well as a car guy, Steve Alderson jumped
at the chance to buy one of the original Eleanors. However, it
only took a few miles’ worth of driving his new prize around
before he knew the poor Mustang needed some TLC. In
keeping the cars running long enough for production to be
finished, a few corners were cut, and it only took a small
electrical fire to convince Alderson that Eleanor needed some
magic of her own. He contacted Imzz Industries in La Habra,
California, where a quick conference with Jim Iiams led them
to the conclusion that a full-blown resto was needed.
The crew at Imzz blew the car completely apart, inspected
every piece, and firm in the knowledge of how Eleanor was
going to look when finished, they set about returning the star
to her former glory.
Though the frame is stock, a Total Control X-member
increases its strength. The front end features Total Control 2-
inch drop front spindles along with tubular Total Control Aarms,
Total Control coil-over shocks and an anti-sway bar
that comes from, yes, Total Control. A billet power rack-andpinion
system controls the steering, while Baer four-piston
calipers and slotted discs slow the car down. Rolling
hardware for both the front and rear ends is American Racing
Shelby Cobra wheels (17 x 8-inch-front, 17 x 9.5-inch-rear),
which have been equipped with Goodyear Eagle rubber.
The back half of the car is a little more eccentric as a
cantilever suspension system, complete with Total Control
coil-over shocks, provides the travel for the narrowed (2
inches) 9-inch Imzz housing. Further enhancements are a
Detroit Locker Posi and Strange 3:55 gears. As with the front,
Baer four-piston disc brakes and a Total Control anti-sway bar
are also featured.
Though the original Eleanor got by with a 351 Cleveland,
this version goes all in with a Roush 427-ci plant. As one
would think, the internals are all Roush pieces, including a
proprietary Roush camshaft, forged 4340 steel crankshaft and
forged 4340 steel H-beam rods. Onto those rods went forged
Wiseco pistons and Plasma moly rings. Topping things off are
aluminum heads that have, in turn, been topped off with cool
Roush valve covers. The final compression ratio is a healthy
10.25:1. Moving the spent fuel out are coated Thorley headers,
which connect to the Magnaflow mufflers via an Imzz custombuilt
stainless steel exhaust system.
Looking great and working just as well is the Weber-style
velocity stack induction system. Equipped with an Accel DFI,
the eight velocity stacks, capped with K&N filters, gives the
engine a downright mean appearance. Adding some fire and
finery are the Accel ignition system and the Billet Specialties
Tru-Trac pulley system.
With 560 HP and 540 lb.-ft. of torque, a high-performing
transmission was needed, and few fit that bill like Tremec.
Built for racing, the Tremec six-speed manual transmission
uses a McCloud clutch and is cooled with a trans cooler built right into the aluminum Be Cool
radiator. The driveshaft connecting the
tranny to the rearend came from the
crew at Placentia, California-based OC
Driveline.
As trick and powerful as the running
gear is, what makes Eleanor is the
body. When Imzz got the car, it had
been ridden hard and put away dented.
There were cracks where the bodywork
had been affixed, and there was no
choice but to take it down to the bare
metal and begin again. As with the
original car, Maier Racing body panels
and hood were obtained and pre-fitted
to the car. Something to be noted about
the Maier products is that all of the air
and brake cooling vents are fully
functional. Once the Imzz crew was
satisfied, they blew the car apart and,
using a custom-mixed House Of Kolors
Medium Silver, painted it. Once the
black racing stripes were done, they
covered the entire car with Glasurit
clear by BASF.
With the look of the exterior, one
can almost forget that the car is still a
GT500, which means the interior is
pretty darn nice as it came. Using black
leather, the crew at 714 Motorsports in
Westminster, California, reworked the stock seats and door panels. In fact,
with the body having been stripped,
they pretty much rebuilt the interior
from the pan up. They kept the interior
Shelby, though, and only added a few
must-haves, such as the Grant steering
wheel, B&M floor shifter, Auto Meter
gauges and Vintage Air Gen 2 air
conditioning system. One item that ol’
Carroll may not have thought to include in his cars, but one that Alderson insisted upon, was the stereo
system. Based on a Kenwood head unit, Memphis Audio takes over
from there and the result is sweet sound pulsating through the
cabin. Providing the thump is the subwoofer in the custom speaker
box built by Imzz. It resides in the trunk and was wired, as was
the entire car, with a custom-built harness by Imzz Industries.
It took the Imzz team eight months to transform the cool but
beat movie car into the stunner seen here. This version of the
“Only Mustang to receive Star billing” reached for those stars, and
thanks to the hard work of Imzz Industries and the apparently
deep pockets of its owner, this car is not just a celluloid dream.