A Muscle Car Cinderella Story: 1968 Ford Mustang GT500E
Classic beauty Eleanor, the famous love affair of character Memphis Raines (master car thief), has now captured the heart of a Roseville, California classic car junkie Nick Tishchenko. Nick has a passion for taking disdained vehicles and transforming them into sleek recreations. Nick strips his cars of everything and begins his meticulous adjustments. His projects take months as he tears apart interiors, rebuilds engines, performs upgrades, and finishes off with a new paint job for each of his cars. His last masterpiece was shipped overseas to an enthusiast in Germany. His current project is an identical replica of Eleanor, driven by Nicolas Cage in the movie Gone in 60 Seconds.
Nick bought his mustang in horrible condition and neglect. Going through bad wire connections, poor suspension, and cleanup, the mustang had setbacks. In the middle of the project, Nick suffered a personal setback that landed him in the hospital for surgery. Stealing days from his project, Nick’s recovery was slow and Eleanor had to wait. Finally, weeks later, Nick got back to business. At project Day #94, Eleanor has undergone a complete transformation and outfitted with a custom drive shaft, PIAA racing lights, and the memorable bold black stripes.
To go from rags to riches sometimes takes a fairytale, or in this case a little luck and elbow grease. Currently selling for $105,000, Eleanor has been revived into a royal muscle car beauty and will soon be looking for its prince to drive it away. Nick’s work will be rewarding when a new owner takes pride in his recreation, even though it will be sad after days and days of demanding labor to see this gem gone in 60 seconds. Follow his Eleanor blog for progress.
About the Author: Alex Marinov
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