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2025 Nissan Sentra ReviewThe Cars of Gone in 60 Seconds
Vintage Nic Cage, a lot of vintage cars, and one very special Mustang make Gone in 60 Seconds one of the best car movies of all time.
Stealing a Date with Eleanor
The 2000 remake of Gone in 60 Seconds may be plagued with corny dialogue and weighed down by an improbable plot, but it also contains some of the best automotive cameos in cinematic history and, of course, a vintage performance from Nic Cage, who leads an all-star cast including Robert Duvall, Angelina Jolie, and Giovanni Rabisi. Cool cars, big stars, and wild stunts elevate Gone in 60 Seconds from ordinary to one of the most fun car movies of all time. Below we run through some of the movie’s best car cameos, from the Eleanor Mustang to Porsches, Lambos, and a hold load of Ferraris.
The “Eleanor” Mustang Controversy Explained
The original Gone in 60 Seconds was a low-budget thriller produced, directed, and starring H.B. “Toby” Halicki and released in 1974. In that movie, insurance man/car thief Maindrain Pace is tasked with stealing 48 high-end and rare automobiles including a Mustang codenamed Eleanor. Now, if you’ve seen the Nic Cage remake, the Eleanor Mustang that pops into your head is a ‘67 Shelby GT500, but in the original movie Eleanor was a 1973 Mach 1 (or rather a ’71 modified to look like a ’73). Note that both cars are thence considered “Eleanor Mustangs.”
The copyright battles over the Eleanor Mustang, whether Shelby GT500 or Mach 1, are nearly as famous in the car community as the movie car itself. Mrs. Denice Halicki, H.B. Halicki’s widow, held that the Eleanor Mustang, in Mach 1 or Shelby GT500 form, constituted a character under copyright and entered into numerous lawsuits to protect that claim. This meant recreations of the Eleanor Mustang, including those licensed by Carroll Shelby, were in violation. That is until a 2022 ruling in Carroll Shelby Licensing vs Halicki (and subsequent 2023 appeal) that held Halicki’s copyright claims were “overzealous.”
“Eleanor” Mustang Shelby GT500
Legal imbroglios aside, the Eleanor Mustang of Gone in 60 Seconds (2000) is known as “the unicorn” by Memphis Raines and his crew of car thieves. It is the one car that has long eluded Raines’ attempts to steal it. When Raines finally does steal Eleanor, it kicks off the movie’s biggest and most frenetic chase scene which culminates in a jump using a tow-truck ramp, launching the car airborne and improbably vaulting a half dozen vehicles including an ambulance. While Raines does get the Mustang delivered (late) to the film’s main baddie Raymond Calitri, who promptly has the damaged car crushed for…reasons. Reigns and Eleanor get a second chance as the film closes with his crew gifting him a different, much rustier Shelby GT500 to call his own.
The Many, Many Cars of Gone in 60 Seconds
Among car movies, Gone in 60 Seconds is second to none when it comes to high-end car cameos. Between the Eleanor Mustang and the 49 other cars on Calitri’s must steal list are a who’s-who of luxury and performance legends. Not all 50 cars get screentime, and some cars not on the “must steal” list are still note-worthy, so we’ve chosen the below cars based on both screentime and overall coolness.
Nic Cage Automotive Co-Stars
1999 Porsche 911 (996)
The movie opens with Memphis Raines little brother Kipp stealing a 996-generation Porsche 911 right out of a dealership showroom. The brazen theory brings down the heat and kicks off the movie’s central conflict.
1997 BMW 540i
No crime movie would be complete without a couple of well-meaning but largely ineffectual cops on the beat. Played by Delroy Lindo and Timothy Olyphant, the pair of LA detectives drive a 1997 BMW 540i, which we’d like to imagine is a standard issue vehicle.
1959 Chevrolet Impala
We’ll spare you the details on the “dog ate the keys” scene, excepting the remarkable, though poorly lit appearance of a 1959 Chevy Impala convertible.
1983 Cadillac Eldorado
One of Kipp Raines’ crew of misfit “boosters” swipes a snazzy burgundy-colored 1983 Eldo. One problem? It is a drug dealer’s car with a trunk full of heroin. And the other problem? Det. Castlebeck (Lindo) wants to rev the engine.
“The List” Cars from Gone in 60 Seconds
Now we come to “the list” of cars Calitri has on order for Raines and his crew. Not every car on the list gets screentime and even those that do, it’s often fleeting. He’s a quick rundown of those that got the most screentime or were otherwise super cool. (Am I the only one here who interrupts movies like Gone in 60 Seconds to exclaim, “Honey, that’s a ’59 Caddy, note the fins!” to which our spouse replies, “….”?)
The Eleanor Mustang isn’t the only muscle car on the list, both a 1971 Plymouth Hemi ‘Cuda, and a 1969 Plymouth Roadrunner make appearances. Another pair of quick ‘60s cars are briefly on-screen, a 1966 AC/Shelby Cobra 289 and a 1967 Chevrolet Corvette Sting Ray.
Classics of the fins and chrome era are represented as well with both a 1950 Mercury lead sled, 1959 Cadillac Series 62, and a 1957 Ford Thunderbird are boosted. The H1 Hummer, two-door pickup form, has a python and matching “SNAKE” license plate.
There’s also a grab bag of exotics and European sports cars new and old, including a 1955-58 Porsche 356 Speedster, ‘71 DeTomaso Pantera, ‘94 Jaguar XJ220, and a ‘94 Lamborghini Diablo. A few straight luxury cars also make the list, like the ‘99 Bently Azure and the ‘97 Mercedes-Benz S-Class Coupe.
The Ferraris of Gone in 60 Seconds
Whoever commissioned Calitri’s wish list of cars was a big Ferrari fan as no other marque gets the attention that Ferrari does. The company must have liked the shine, as Ferrari is known for fiercely protecting their IP. While the Ferraris featured run the gamut from old to new, for some reason the Ferrari F40 we see in the background isn’t on “the list.”
Among the older Ferraris we catch sight of a ‘57 Ferrari 259 GT, ‘68 Ferrari 365 GT, ‘76 Ferrari 512 BB, and a ‘77 Ferrari 308 GTB. Newer Ferrari (in the year 2000) include a 1980 Ferrari Mondial 8, ‘87 Ferrari Testarossa, a ‘95 Ferrari F355 Spider, and a ‘99 Ferrari 550 Maranello. If that wasn’t enough, the obsession with Ferrari furnishes us a scene with Nic Cage at his Nic Cage-iest wherein we learn there’s a big difference between driving a ‘94 Ferrari F355 Berlinetta and a ‘67 Ferrari 275 GTB four cam.
