Synopsis

Retired car thief Randall "Memphis" Raines returns to Los Angeles when his younger brother's botched deal puts him in danger. To save him, Randall must assemble his old crew and steal 50 luxury cars in a single night for a ruthless crime boss. The impossible assignment culminates in a high-speed pursuit centered on a legendary 1967 Mustang known as Eleanor.

Factoids & Trivia

• The film is a loose remake of H.B. Halicki's 1974 action film of the same name. The remake keeps the car-theft premise and the name Eleanor, but uses new characters and a substantially different story.

• Eleanor is depicted as a 1967 Ford Mustang fastback styled to resemble a Shelby GT500. Its customized appearance was designed by Steve Stanford and built by hot-rod designer Chip Foose.

• Multiple Eleanor cars were constructed for production. Some were complete working vehicles, while others were shells used for shots that did not require a functioning car. Several were destroyed during stunt work.

• The crew gives each target vehicle a woman's name, such as Eleanor and Mary. Within the story, these names serve as a quick code for identifying the cars during the coordinated theft.

• Filming began on May 24, 1999. The project was initially associated with Disney's Hollywood Pictures label before being transferred to Touchstone Pictures during production.

• The theatrical trailer was narrated by Melissa Disney. The choice attracted attention because major movie trailers were still overwhelmingly voiced by men at the time.

• The film was a commercial success despite receiving generally unfavorable reviews. It earned more than $237 million worldwide against a reported production budget in the range of $90 million to $103 million.

• Eleanor became the film's most enduring pop-culture legacy, helping turn the customized Mustang design into a highly recognizable movie car and inspiring numerous replicas.