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1967 Shelby GT350
GT350 PicturesGT350 Information1967 Shelby GT500
GT500 PicturesGT500 InformationShelby
The 1967 Shelby StoryCarroll Shelby BiographyCarroll Shelby TimelineGone in 60 Seconds
Movie PicturesMovie Information1967 Ford Mustang Fastback
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 The story goes something like this. Cage's character, Randall "Memphis" Raines, was the number one car thief in his home town. But his mother didn't think he was a good role-model for his younger brother and asked him to quit his occupation and leave town. No role model is better than a bad one. Well, his brother choose to steal cars anyway. He got involved with a bad guy that was doing business with a South American "business guy" that had need for 50 specific cars from Ferraris to a Hummer to a Cadillac and a Porsche. (List below) Lots of unique cars. A deadline was imposed as to when the cars had to be at the docks to be shipped. Well the younger brother's operation is raided by the police. An old friend of Cage's contacts him to give the message that if Memphis doesn't accept the job of acquiring the cars and deliver them by the designated time, the brother will be killed. Devil and the deep blue sea story. So what's a brother to do? He agrees to deliver the cars. One of the cars, the one Memphis/Cage leaves for last, is a highly modified 1967 GT 500. Apparently Cage has more than respect for this particular model of car. Eleanor is the one car he was not able to steal when he was in the business. He and this team locate the one GT 500 in the area, check it out and make the necessary preparations to steal it and the other cars. The local police, who know Memphis/Cage well and are on to the deal, locate the list of cars to be stolen, including the 1967 GT 500. And there is only one in the area. Memphis/Cage calls this car Eleanor. The cops get there just as he drives off in the GT 500. The chase is on. Cage, who did all but the most dangerous stunt driving, races through the streets with the police hot on his tail. "Bullet" this is not, but there are some great scenes. He flips on the nitrous to outrun a police helicopter. Flies down streets and alleys. The top stunt is on a bridge, with the police just behind him. An accident has stopped traffic. The bridge is two way, so the opposing lane is empty. Memphis/Cage sees that there is no way to get around the traffic. He also sees a truck getting ready to pick up one of the disabled cars. And it just so happens the bed of the truck is down, like a ramp. The cops know they have him, he backs the GT 500 up towards the cops, to get some running room, hits the accelerator. The Shelby hits that truck ramp at speed, flies over a number of cars, remember this is Hollywood, and lands on the other side in a clear area. Then he drives off in the car. (Yeah, right. I bet the car used for the landing folded like an accordion. I doubt if Cage was driving that car. In the original movie the Mach 1 used did survive the landing and actually did drive off. The driver, H.B. "Toby" Halicki, was injured with a compressed spine.) If you want to know what else happened and how it ended, see the movie. If you are a car buff or Nicholas Cage fan, this movie is worth seeing. Check out the Shelby GT 500, it comes at the end. If you have any requests, questions, or comments, feel free to e-mail them to me. Questions and Anwsers: Q: Was the car a real Shelby Mustang GT 500? A: Yes and No, an original 1967 GT 500 was used for the motor sound effects, but not as a model for the movie car. The actual cars used were just 67 Mustangs, all customized to look like Eleanor in this movie. Most of the cars were 289 Mustangs with automatic transmissions. Originally the production designer, Jeff Mann who is also a professed car fanatic, proposed this car be a GT 40 then when that didn't fly he suggested a Shelby Series I Cobra. Eventually they settled on a 67 GT 500. According to SAAC, the 11 Mustangs were each chosen for specific duty. Some had highly modified suspensions for the high speed slides. Some were cosmetic models used for close ups and PR shots. Others, the ones crashed and crushed didn't even have engines. In Shelby American issue #70, the latest copy, the article explains that the car used for the close-ups of Cage actually had two steering wheels. Someone else was driving the car allowing Cage to focus "acting" rather than driving. The car used to record the sound affects is a 500 horsepower 428 1967 GT 500 with a great lumpy cam sound. The car is Brittany blue with white LeMans stripes. Corvette side exhaust pipes were temporarily added for taping the sounds of the car. The movie car had side pipes and side pipes produce a different sound than rear exhaust. George Watters, a long time SAAC member and top sound editor for Hollywood, obtained the GT 500 and took it to Willow Springs. He and his sound people spent six hours doing different things with the car, recording the sound of it for the movie soundtrack. So the only original GT 500 used in the movie produced the sounds you hear. To make the "67 GT 500" more unique, modifications were made from the original, stock 67 GT500. Among the modifications: custom "Corvette" side pipes were added, a front air dam similar to the one on the 1965 GT 350R replaced the front end, the gas cap was located behind the top scoop instead of the rear of the car, the hood was replaced with one that has a definitely non-stock hood scoop, and nitrous was featured. Oh and least I forget to mention those huge mag rims and sports tires. I understand the producer took one of cars home after the movie, and that he is afraid to drive it. Those were not options in 1967. So what is a Shelby Mustang? The web site this page is part of has a lot of information on the Shelby Cars. Simply put, Ford asked Carroll Shelby, whose firm Shelby American, had been having some great success with the Cobra roadster, to campaign the Mustang and give it a performance image. In 1965 Shelby American offered a very limited production, highly modified Mustang GT he called a GT 350. The 350 had little meaning except it sounded like a larger number than the competition offered. To race that car, the rules said the street car, and there had to be 100 of them, either had to have the same suspension or the same engine. Shelby opted for selling the GT 350's with the racing suspension and the hot stock Ford 289 Hi-Po. Things legends are made of. Shelby American offered Shelby Mustangs into 1970. The cars changed as Ford and the buyers dictated what they wanted. By 1968, the hi-po engine was gone, power steering was standard, air was an option. The cars were more cruisers than race cars. 1965 was the only year, except with some left over 65's that became 1966 GT 350's, that the Shelby Mustangs were all out sports cars. But all the Shelby Mustangs were and are very unique and rare. Less than 15,000 Shelby Mustangs were built in total. Compare that to the fact that Ford built over 3,000,000 Mustangs. Yes, very rare. By 1970 Ford was offering its own competition to the Shelby Mustang GT's, Boss Mustangs & the Mach 1's. Plus other car manufacturers were also trying to get a piece of the market. The 1970 Shelby Mustangs were left over 1969's. On this site is a large amount of information on the Ford powered cars of Carroll Shelby. Each year has its own section and stories. The Carroll Shelby story is more than just interesting. And his Shelby Mustangs and Cobras changed the way we think of sports cars in this country. Q: Was that a real Shelby at the end of the movie, the own given as a gift to Cage? A: Sure looked like it except it had a bench seat. No Shelby Mustangs had bench seats. In fact very few Mustangs had bench seats. However, a bench seat will fit a Mustang. Q: What would a 1967 GT 500 cost me? A: You can find them for sale with some effort. The prices I see range from $30,000 to $60,000. In the movie Cage says that car is worth $80,000. Willing buyer and seller. Just because a car is modified doesn't necessarily hurt the value. A 1970 Mach 1 set an auction record recently. It was more than modified. The prior owner updated the car with rack and pinion steering, new engine, etc. The new owner wanted an up to date driver. A purist Mustang enthusiast wouldn't have even considered the car. Beauty in the eye of the beholder. Personally, I would prefer an updated model. I want to drive my cars, not leave them in the garage only to see a car show once in awhile. Q: Where can I find one in non-restored shape that I can restore myself and it is cheap? A: Good luck, Remember people have been looking for these cars for many years. They have been collectable and highly sought after cars since the sixties. It is possible to find an un-restored Shelby Mustang but not likely. Shelby Mustangs are collectable cars to a lot of people. Especially after this movie. With the baby boomers expected to have more spendable income, the demand for these cars is going to increase and so will the prices. Big block Shelby Mustangs bring more than small block ones. Q: What was the list of cars to be stolen? And their code names? A: Calitri’s List of 50 Cars: 1 1999 Aston Martin DB7 - Mary 2 1962 Aston Martin DB1 - Barbara 3 1999 Bentley Arnage - Lindsey 4 1999 Bentley Azure - Laura 5 1964 Bentley Continental - Alma 6 1959 Cadillac El Dorado - Madeline 7 1958 Cadillac El Dorado Brougham - Patricia 8 1999 Cadillac Escalade - Carol 9 2000 Cadillac El Dorado STS - Daniela 10 1957 Chevrolet Bel Air Convertible - Stefanie 11 1969 Chevrolet Camaro Z28 - Erin 12 1953 Chevrolet Corvette - Pamela 13 1967 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray Big Block - Stacey 14 2000 Ford F350 4x4 modified pick-up - Anne 15 1971 DeTomaso Pantera - Kate 16 1969 Dodge Daytona - Vanessa 17 1998 Dodge Viper Coupe GTS - Denise 18 1995 Ferrari 355 B - Diane 19 1997 Ferrari 355 F1 - Iris 20 1967 Ferrari 265 GTB4 - Nadine 21 1999 Ferrari 550 Maranello - Angelina 22 1987 Ferrari Testarosa - Rose 23 1956 Ford T-Bird - Susan 24 2000 GMC Yukon - Megan 25 1999 HumVee 2-Door Pickup - Tracy 26 1999 Infiniti Q45 - Rachel 27 1994 Jaguar XJ 220 - Bernadene 28 1999 Jaguar XK8 Coupe - Deborah 29 1990 Lamborghini LM SUV - Gina 30 1999 Lexus LS 400 - Hillary 31 1999 Lincoln Navigator - Kimberley 32 1957 Mercedes Benz 300 SL/Gullwing - Dorothy 33 1999 Mercedes Benz CL 500 - Donna 34 1999 Mercedes Benz S 600 - Samantha 35 1998 Mercedes Benz SL 600 - Ellen 36 1950 Mercury Custom - Gabriela 37 1971 Plymouth Hemi Cuda - Shannon 38 1969 Plymouth Roadrunner - Jessica 39 1965 Pontiac GTO - Sharon 40 1999 Porsche 996 - Tina 41 2000 Porsche Boxster - Marsha 42 1961 Porsche Speedster - Natalie 43 1988 Porsche 959 - Virginia 44 1997 Porsche 911 Twin Turbo - Tanya 45 2000 Rolls Royce Stretch Limousine - Grace 46 1966 Shelby AC Cobra- Ashley 47 1967 Shelby Mustang GT 500 - Eleanor 48 2000 Toyota Landcruiser - Cathy 49 1998 Toyota Supra Turbo - Lynn 50 2000 Volvo Turbo Wagon R - Lisa The cars were given ladies names as code names to protect what they were doing to what cars. Q: What was the Mustang used in the original version of the film, "Gone in 60 seconds"? A: For this "Eleanor" ...the 1973 Mach 1 Ford Mustang, a true lady both beautiful and tough, who was the star of original "Gone in sixty seconds." The Mach 1's measurements are: Stock Ford 351 cubic inch Windsor, 4-barrel carburetor with Cruisomatic transmission, Heavy Duty 7 in wheels, Goodyear rally GT tires, 24-volt electrical system, Fire extinguisher and first-aid kit, Electrical kill switches, Individual locking rear brakes, 3" x 3/8" steel removable bullet plating. Q: Did all 1967 GT 500 Shelby Mustangs come with 4 speeds? A: No, Ford offered an automatic transmission. The GT 500 could be purchased with a Ford C-6 automatic transmission. |
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