One of the 11 screen-used Eleanor Mustangs from the 2000 film Gone in 60 Seconds specifically the main Dream Car is scheduled to cross the auction block early January, and will likely clear US$1 million.The car was built for the movie by none other than Chip Foose, and it has just about every now-typical resto-mod touch on it, but its this car that has the distinction of being the inspiration for many of those tweak ubiquitous in hot rods now.Being the hero car or Dream Car of the 11, theres nothing fake about this Shelby-inspired 1967 Ford Mustang every component on it works, even the NOS system. This isnt some shell of a car used to model some CGI around, its a real, driveable hot rod.The Dream Car was used for exterior and interior shots, as well as chase scenes through the shipyard, city and along the Los Angeles River. Its the vehicle that likely would have been on-screen the longest. Not all of the 10 or 11 other vehicles used in filming had such cushy roles, or made it out in one piece.The last time this Mustang sold was at Mecum Auctions in Indianapolis, for US$1,000,000 coincidentally the budget of the original 1974 version of the film.The winner of this upcoming auction, held by Mecum in Kissimmee, Florida at the beginning of January 2020, can pretend to be Nicolas Cage, like all the other guys whove resto-modded their vehicles to look just like this one! Except now at car shows, youll have to explain this is one of the originals actually used by Disney to ruin H. B. Halickis legacy.(Okay, yes, were fans of the 74 film, you caught us.)Dont forget the real Eleanor from the old movie is a 1971 Mustang with a 1973 Mustang grille, painted with school-bus-yellow
Origin: Original ‘Eleanor’ Mustang from newer ‘Gone in 60 Seconds’ for sale
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News Roundup: A sidewalk scooter scandal, BMW’s Halloween Tweet gone wrong and the Bronco R
Welcome to our weekly round-up of the biggest breaking stories on Driving.ca from this past week. Get caught up and ready to get on with the weekend, because it’s hard keeping pace in a digital traffic jam.Here’s what you missed while you were away.Alberta gov’t spokesperson gets hell for Tweet of grandfather using enclosed scooter on sidewalkSamantha Peck, Press Secretary to Alberta’s Associate Minister of Natural Gas, figured she was sharing a message the public could get behind when she Twitter-posted a video of her grandfather, who’d lost his license following a car accident two years ago, driving an enclosed scooter on a snowy sidewalk. But it turns out Twitterers were less happy about one man’s reclaimed freedom of mobility and much more concerned about the fact i) someone deemed unfit to drive a car on the roads was now basically driving one on the sidewalks; and ii) the video looked like it was shot by someone driving in a car. The Tweet has since been removed, but the question stands: do scooters that look like small cars belong on sidewalks? Take our poll here. BMW’s Halloween prank Tweet to Mercedes kinda backfiredNice one, @BMWUSA. That’s a really scary costume! Especially that radiator grille Daimler AG (@Daimler) October 31, 2019Feeling frisky on Halloween, BMW USA Tweeted out an image of a Mercedes-Benz wearing a ‘costume’ to make it look like a BMW, captioning the post “Now every car can dress up as its favourite superhero.” But M-B parent Daimler clapped back quickly, quipping “That’s a really scary costume! Especially that radiator grille…” Now, we say the Tweet only “kinda” backfired, because it only kinda fired to begin with. Partially because this is a heavy dad joke cloaked in some fancy Photoshop, and also because Pepsi did basically the exact same thing back in 2013. Dum-dum drivers close down Toronto highway to display sloppy drifting skills View this post on Instagram This is not only dangerous and illegal, it is disapointing when a mob mentality of hijacking a highway to make a scene like this is conducted. We are better than thisaren’t we? A post shared by Sgt Kerry Schmidt (@sgtkerryschmidt) on Nov 3, 2019 at 6:24pm PSTToronto police have shared a video of a group of young – let’s call it like it is, shall we? – idiots blocking a major highway in order to perform a bunch of sloppy donuts. The video shows a lineup of vehicles stopped by a crowd and waiting on Highway 409 as a few cars spin around on the road. The video’s caption reads “You car meetup mans are savages for closing down the highway like this…” The police re-captioned it: “We’re better than this…aren’t we?” The Bronco R prototype gives us a taste of truck to comeFord has revealed a Baja racing prototype of its upcoming Bronco SUV, providing the most in-depth look at what (might) be so far. The Bronco R is heading off to the Baja Peninsula to test its mettle and metals on the demanding off-road terrain. The prototype features a lightweight composite body with a clamshell hood and roof and body panels that throw back to the first-gen off-roader. Will the old-school design elements make it through to production? We’ll find out when the Bronco arrives next spring. Canada to get VW Mk. 8 Golf and ID.4 in 2021When the latest Golf debuted last month, it was unclear whether Canada and the U.S. would receive any trims other than the high-end GTI and R spec. But Volkswagen Canada recently confirmed that Canada will definitely be getting the base model Mk.8 Golf as well as the fully electric ID.4. Delivery of these products to the U.S. market on the other hand, is still TBD. The cars are expected to arrive in Canadian dealerships in 2021 as 2022
Origin: News Roundup: A sidewalk scooter scandal, BMW’s Halloween Tweet gone wrong and the Bronco R
Hennessey’s gone ahead and built a 1,000-hp Jeep Gladiator
We now live in a world where gearheads can buy a Jeep pickup truck packing 1,000 horsepower. And as a proponent of everything that is over-the-top-iary, your author is totally fine with this development. This psychotic level of Jeep-mania is brought to us by the folks at Hennessey, who’ve stuffed a 6.2-litre supercharged Hellcat V8 under its flat-brim hood and cranked the wick to eleven. They’re calling it the Maximus 1000. “We wanted to create the ultimate Jeep Gladiator,” said company founder and chief horsepower evangelist John Hennessey, in what is surely the greatest understatement since astronaut Jim Lovell radioed Houston about a “problem.” Starring in a supporting role to the thousand horsepower are 933 lb.-ft. of torque. The Hennessey team didn’t just plug in a Hellcat engine and call it a day. A model-specific set of natty bumpers are fitted, along with a stainless steel exhaust and a set of BFGs on 20-inch wheels. It also stands taller than a stock Gladiator thanks to a 6-inch lift and upgraded suspension system. Details are scanty but one can easily see snazzy twin cylinders out back, incorporated into the rear suspenders. Jeep spox have gone on record as saying the Hellcat engine will certainly fit between the fenders of a Gladiator, that but the automaker has little desire to pursue that option thanks to prohibitive crash test requirements. Given that it would be a niche trim at best, that’s probably a good decision, especially since the aftermarket will provide plenty of opportunity for horsepower-crazed Jeep fans to get their fix. Production is very exclusive and limited to just 24 units. The complete cost for the Maximus 1000 is a cool US$200,000, which generously includes the base Jeep Gladiator truck. I’d at least ask ‘em to toss in a set of floor mats. Production will begin in July and build time for each example will be approximately four months, roughly equating the expected lifespan of a set of tires on this thing. The company plans to finish two units per
Origin: Hennessey’s gone ahead and built a 1,000-hp Jeep Gladiator
Even Ferrari has gone electric
Even Ferrari has gone electric The Ferrari SF90 Stradale is the first PHEV from Maranello The Italian manufacturer has launched the Ferrari SF90 Stradale, its new series-production supercar, which features a 7.9 kWh battery and three electric motors – two on the front axle and one on the rear for all-wheel drive. Combined this electric powertrain produces 162 kW (220hp), and gives the SF90 Stradale an electric driving range of a little over 15 miles on a single charge. Formula 1 technology is used for the rear motor, and the car can be set into eDrive mode to ensure electric-only running. To extend range, Ferrari has added a somewhat less green 4.0 litre turbo-charged V8, giving the SF90 Stradale PHEV an overall power output of 1,000hp, a 0-62mph time of just 2.5 seconds, and the ability to lap Ferrari’s Fiorano test track faster than any other road car the company has produced in history. Emissions and fuel economy figures are yet to be homologated, so we are yet to see how green the Ferrari SF90 Stradale is in terms of NGC Rating. We’re presuming the scores won’t be challenging the best PHEVs on the market, but it is at least good to see that names such as Ferrari, which until recently would never have been associated with a plug-in vehicle, are getting on-board with electrification.
Origin: Even Ferrari has gone electric
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