Autoblog

Indian tuner turns Chevy Optra into Mustang 'Eleanor' replica

George Kennedy — Fri, 03 Aug 2012 08:28:00 EST

Filed under: Coupe, Chevrolet, Ford, India, Humor, Daewoo

If you are a big fan of automotive oddities, this may come as a little treat. If you are a Shelby or Mustang diehard, prepare to have your sensibilities violated.

The master fabricators at BigDaddyCustoms are the minds behind what you see above. At first, it appears to be a slightly misshapen custom Mustang, modeled after "Eleanor" from Gone In 60 Seconds, but upon further examination, something appears to be amiss. In fact, the custom shop, based in India, has created an Eleanor replica grafted upon a lowly Chevrolet Optra. While it may take a second for the Optra to ring a bell, you should recognize its badge-engineered sibling, the Daewoo Lacetti, used on Top Gear.

We don't know what star would opt for the Reasonably Priced Car in Shelby's clothing, but it's clearly someone more concerned with the aesthetic than the performance credentials of this automotive mash-up.

This is not BigDaddyCustoms' first foray into aping a well-known automobile. The shop recently gained notoriety for constructing a Range Rover Evoque based on a Tata Safari. It's called the Moon Rover, and we're sure has the same all-looks/no-go formula as the "Eleanor" project.

Indian tuner turns Chevy Optra into Mustang 'Eleanor' replica originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 03 Aug 2012 08:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Report: Classic Recreations under investigation for VIN swapping *UPDATE

Zach Bowman — Fri, 09 Jul 2010 13:28:00 EST

Filed under: Aftermarket, Classics, Coupe, Performance, Government/Legal, Ford, Specialty

Classic Recreations Ford Mustang GT500CR - Click above for high-res image gallery

The crew from Classic Recreations, LLC is in hot water. The shop has been cranking out amazingly clean reproductions of the Gone in 60 Seconds "Eleanor" Ford Mustang and other sharp ponies for years now, but according to the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation, the company may also be guilty of VIN fraud. According to the city's KOCO TV station, officials are charging that the shop has been pulling VIN numbers from older cars and then attaching them to new chassis. That process is illegal to begin with, but investigators claim that Classic Recreations then presented the new cars as the original articles - something that amounts to fraud.

The owner of the shop denies all wrong doing. Either way, the OSBI has begun towing certain vehicles from the shop in order to discern which ones are shady. No one has been arrested just yet, but we're guessing it won't be too long before charges, civil or otherwise, are filed against the company.

Classic Recreations has been turning plain fastback Mustangs into updated versions of their most high-strung iterations for a good while and charging heady figures for the work - up to $200,000 in some instances.

UPDATE: Classic Recreations has issued a press release concerning the allegations. Owner Jason Engel said,

"The quote attributed to Jason Engel in a single local Oklahoma news report is second hand information that was misquoted by the local media outlet. Classic Recreations denies any and all wrongdoing. Like thousands of other restoration shops and hobbyists across the country, Classic Recreations builds vintage cars with original and aftermarket parts - the restoration marketplace should pay attention to what is happening here. The shop has built a reputation for building the highest quality vehicles and delivering unrivaled customer satisfaction and will continue to do so in the future."

Click past the jump to see the full text.

Gallery: Classic Recreations Shelby G.T.500CR

[Source: KOCO]

Continue reading Report: Classic Recreations under investigation for VIN swapping *UPDATE

Report: Classic Recreations under investigation for VIN swapping *UPDATE originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 09 Jul 2010 13:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Toyota Supra comes to TAS dressed in 1967 Mustang duds

Jonny Lieberman — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 15:00:00 EST

Filed under: Aftermarket, Coupe, Performance, Japan, Ford, Toyota, Tokyo Auto Salon

Here's one that's sure to set "teh internets" on fire. A group of students from Saitama University in Japan showed up to the Tokyo Auto Salon with a 2JZ-GE powered MkIV Toyota Supra dressed up like Nick Cage's Eleanor from the very bad to watch Gone in 60 Seconds remake. Not familiar with Eleanor? Aside from being far and away the best part of the film, Eleanor is a 1967 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 that's been gone over with an epic-tooth comb.

But let's not get to far afield. This car is not a Ford, nor is it a Mustang. It's a Toyota with a mighty straight-six (no word if the 2JZ-GE is in fact the brawny turbo-fied version, the 2JZ-GTE) cut to look like a classic Shelby 'Stang. Before you unload to harshly in the comments, just remember students built the dang thing, students... Also, are we nuts or is anyone else seeing a whole lot of Mustang II in this particular angle?

[Source: Carscoop]

Toyota Supra comes to TAS dressed in 1967 Mustang duds originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 18 Jan 2010 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Review: 1967 Classic Recreations Eleanor Mustang is the real movie deal

Jonathon Ramsey — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 11:56:00 EST

Filed under: Classics, Coupe, Performance, Ford, Celebrities, New Car Reviews

1967 "Eleanor" Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 - Click above for high-res image gallery

H. B. Halicki was a used car salesman who wanted to make a movie. With a little money, one big idea, and a 1971 Mustang Mach 1, he made Gone in 60 Seconds. And in that particular way that movies, especially '70s movies, can be, it wasn't all that good, but it was awesome. Fast forward to Michael Bay's remake in 2000, and the Mach 1 was replaced by a 1967 Shelby GT500. When we got a call offering us the actual car from that movie for the weekend, we felt obliged to say yes... and then drive it like we stole it. The verdict: Eleanor is the hottest piece of car we've spent a weekend with in quite some time.

Gallery: Review: 1967 Classic Recreations Eleanor Mustang

Continue reading Review: 1967 Classic Recreations Eleanor Mustang is the real movie deal

Review: 1967 Classic Recreations Eleanor Mustang is the real movie deal originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 19 Oct 2009 11:56:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Shelby okays production of "continuation" cars for former Unique Performance customers

Jeremy Korzeniewski — Wed, 11 Mar 2009 17:58:00 EST

Filed under: Classics, Performance, Government/Legal, Ford, Shelby, Specialty

Remember Unique Performance? Of course, how could we forget the sordid tale of a company building licensed replicas of the Shelby GT500 Eleanor featured in Gone in 60 Seconds, only to be shut down by the police after its shady business practices were uncovered before most cars were delivered. More than a few ex-customers that lost out on their prized vehicles surely haven't forgotten about the deposits they put down on the cars, and last year, a group sued Carroll Shelby in an attempt to recoup their investments.

To help smooth things over, Carroll Shelby Licensing Inc. has agreed to a new licensing agreement with two auto shops in Texas so that the series of continuation GT500SE and GT350SR cars can be completed. Each finished vehicle will get an official serial number from Shelby along with inclusion into the Shelby Worldwide Registry. While the offer is being made royalty free, customers will still be required to pay for the completion of the cars.

[Source: Carroll Shelby Licensing]

Continue reading Shelby okays production of "continuation" cars for former Unique Performance customers

Shelby okays production of "continuation" cars for former Unique Performance customers originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 11 Mar 2009 17:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Build your own mid-engine Ford Mustang (donor Toyota MR2 not included)

Jeremy Korzeniewski — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 14:57:00 EST

Filed under: Aftermarket, Classics, Performance, Ford, Toyota, UK, Specialty

Click above for a gallery of the Ride Cars GTR350

We've seen some crazy automotive rebody attempts in our time, but the GTR350 from Ride Cars in the UK has got to take the cake as the oddest. If you wanted a "Gone in 60 Seconds" Eleanor replica, why would you go to the trouble of (poorly) recreating the Mustang shape when there are literally thousands of the original pony cars still available and in good shape? It's true that the GTR features a mid-engine design, but it's based on a Toyota MR2, - a fine car in its own right, but hardly the pinnacle of supercar performance.

In any case, here we are with a kit that consists of a new front and rear body section, new door sills and skins, various lights and hinges, plus a supremely awesome set of rear window louvers. Get yours now in either a ready-to-assemble package for £3,995 (about $5,800) or partially assembled for £7,995 (nearly $12K).

Gallery: Ride Cars GTR350

[Source: Ride Cars]

Build your own mid-engine Ford Mustang (donor Toyota MR2 not included) originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 23 Feb 2009 14:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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'Eleanor' Mustang licenced to Classic Recreations

Noah Joseph — Mon, 18 Feb 2008 08:31:00 EST

Filed under: Aftermarket, Trends, Tuners, Ford, Celebrities

Click to view in our 32-image gallery

Honestly, who among us hasn't talked to his car and pretended, just for a moment, that he was Nicholas Cage taking to Eleanor in the 2000 remake of Gone in 60 Seconds? Well, you can stop talking to your Camry, because now you can order your very own licensed Eleanor Mustang... if you've got the six figures to drop on it, that is.

Although the lawsuit presented over two years ago by the film's producer Denice Halicki against Unique Motorcars was ultimately rejected by the courts, Halicki's studio has licensed Classic Recreations to build these special-edition Eleanor Mustangs. Buyers can choose the fuel-injected version with 535hp for $139,900, or the bonkers 770hp supercharged and fuel-injected (SFI) version for $189,900. Built on a "classic muscle-car frame" - which includes available Ford-authorized '67 Mustang underpinnings, but not a Smart ForTwo - Eleanor gets a 410-cubic-inch Keith Craft Racing engine with sequential fuel injection, riding on a coil-over suspension with slotted and cross-drilled Baer brakes and a Tremec TKO manual or (perish the thought) automatic gearbox. Classic Recreations also throws keyless entry, in-dash DVD, Simpson five-point racing harnesses and custom leather interior into the mix, complete with special badging and even a go-baby-go button on the shifter. Delivery takes four months (considerably longer than the advertised sixty seconds) during which time the deposit is put into escrow. Buyers can try to outrun the cops, but will only get away with it if Angelina Jolie is riding shotgun. No exceptions.

Check out the press release after the jump, and the 32 images in the gallery below.

Gallery: Classic Recreations Eleanor Mustang

[Source: Classic Recreations]

Continue reading 'Eleanor' Mustang licenced to Classic Recreations

'Eleanor' Mustang licenced to Classic Recreations originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 18 Feb 2008 08:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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