To start with, let’s get one thing out the way immediately - I hate shopping centres. Going "shopping" is a painful experience that I prefer to never indulge in. If I need something, I find out exactly where it is, go inside, buy it, and leave as quickly as possible.
However, this afternoon I found myself heading towards one of the 50 largest malls in the world - Gateway Theatre Of Shopping. And even more unusually, I was excited for what was potentially inside.
Being a member in close to 20 car-related Whatsapp groups, I’m lucky to be pretty informed about anything automotive that happens in our humble city. Around 10am this morning, a photo popped up on my screen of a very rare 1967 Ford Mustang Fastback, fondly known as "Eleanor" from Gone In 60 Seconds fame. There was one of these? In my city? I have to go see it.
All the information I could muster up was that the car is “somewhere in Gateway”. For the uninformed, Gateway has a total retail area of 166,636 m2 - yeah, it’s quite large. Finding one car in all that floor space will be like finding a needle in a haystack…
You may think I'm a bit crazy for going through all this effort to just see one car, but let me explain a bit. I've always loved the Eleanor Mustang after watching the rebooted Gone In 60 Seconds (the one with Mr Cage himself). It just looks so...good. And yes, I know all of them are technically kit cars and not genuine, but they still command an impressive presence.
Remarkably, this isn't my first encounter with an Eleanor, as a few years ago, I was treated to a very brief passenger ride in a similar clone. However, it was pouring with rain, so the driver barely went over 3000rpm, and the trip lasted maybe all of 5 minutes. Also, I couldn't help but shake off the feeling that it was a bit too much of a kit car. In other words, it felt fake.
I wanted to see one that was closer to the real thing.
A photo from the aforementioned first encounter, all the way back in 2014
After walking for close to a kilometre from my parking spot, I descended a staircase and was greeted by a piece of artwork on 4 wheels - the mythical Eleanor. Upon first inspection, I could tell that this clone was very close to the real thing, with the only notable difference being the seats. Impressively, this Eleanor was still fitted as a left-hand drive vehicle, which is very rare in South Africa (as importations of LHD drive cars are banned). How the owner managed to pull that off - I have no idea.
Coupled with all the fine touches, I'm pretty sure this car was no kit car, and was actually created from an existing Mustang.
It even had a bottle of NOS displayed on the rear parcel shelf. Whether or not it really works is another guess.
As I didn't have my proper camera on me, my cellphone had to step up to the challenge here, which is why these photos are of a slightly less quality than usual. To no surprise, I wasn't alone in my photographic endeavors of Eleanor, as nearly every passerby stopped to snap a photo. Such is the appeal of one of these cars...
Fun fact: The numberplate is registered with the 1967 number - same year as the car.
Can you spot the modern touch? Those are front parking sensors in the bumper. Certainly not an option from 1967...
I spent nearly half an hour walking around and admiring this amazing piece of machinery, which was no doubt the longest amount of time I've spent in a shopping mall all year. Eventually, the two promo ladies standing guard over the car were looking pretty sick and tired of my ogling, so I took a few final pictures, and made my exit. Maybe one day I'll be lucky enough to have my proper camera, doing a photoshoot of one of these out in the wild.
Or perhaps even own one? I can dream...
