In somewhat of a surprising development, the 1967 Ford Mustang Eleanor that went up for auction at the Mecum Auction in Austin, Texas did not find a new owner. Wait, nobody wants to buy the only drivable Eleanor Mustang? Is the price too steep that nobody’s willing to pull the trigger on such an iconic Hollywood car? We’re not quite sure what the reason is, but as of 4:31 am EST today, the Eleanor Mustang from Gone in 60 Seconds still has that “Bid Goes On…” stamp on its page, which suggests that nobody was willing to pay for the chance to take home one of the most iconic movie cars in the past 30 years.
It’s now unlikely that the car will pass through this auction block after successfully getting sold for $1 million at the Dana Mecum 26th Original Spring Classic Auction in May 2013. We wouldn’t want to call it an embarrassing episode for the Eleanor Mustang, but it certainly didn’t get the love it deserved.
This, after all, is the “real” Eleanor Mustang, the same one Nicholas Cage used in all of the glamor shots in the movie. Of the 11 vehicles that were built in the development of Gone in 60 Seconds, this is only one of three models that were actual working cars and not the cheapened lots that were created simply for display purposes. And of the three actual Mustangs->ke428, this model is the only that survived the shoot, making it that much more desirable to collectors.
Unfortunately, it doesn’t look like bidders at the Mecum Auction in Austin fully understood the real value of the only surviving Eleanor Mustang. That, or the asking price was obscenely high. Whatever the case may be, the Eleanor Mustang didn’t change owners at the Mecum Auction, leaving it in the hands of the current owner.
Oh well. Onto the next one, we suppose.
Click past the jump to read more about the Ford Mustang Eleanor.
Why it matters
Everybody has their list of the top-10 movie cars of all time and while most of them will vary depending on their preferred genre, the Eleanor Mustang from Gone in 60 Seconds likely makes it on a lot of those lists. Heck, it’s probably the most famous Hollywood Mustang, on par, at least, with the 1968 Mustang GT 390 from Bullitt. That’s why it’s a little perplexing that the Eleanor Mustang didn’t find a new buyer at the Mecum Auction in Austin, Texas.
But I'm not worried about the car’s selling power. My best guess is that the Eleanor Mustang was priced out of the reach of the bidders at the auction. The current owner already paid $1 million for it in May 2013 so it should fetch at least that amount in a future auction.
Maybe even a lot more depending on the kind of audience attending said future auction. Heck, if I had that kind of disposable income, I’d probably make a run at the Eleanor Mustang just for the chance to own it and drive it around town to show it off.