"My Charger used to sound like that," Randy Martinson from Tucson told us. He and his friend Rick were in town for a tile and carpet convention. That they had chosen our site-or should we say sound-was a testament to the magnetism of a Shelby. Fire up this baby and windows rattle, the ground shakes, babies cry, people run for their lives.
We were in for more laughs in front of the Bellagio. There, George Pappas, the valet parking supervisor, welcomed us with open arms. A 20-something, he told us he had rebuilt '65 and '66 Mustangs for his own use. He recognized Mustang Monthly-he was one of us.
The Las Vegas strip is a humongous traffic jam, and we had to get off the strip to find a place to park. As people ambled by, they recognized the car. One married couple, not into cars, stopped and delivered playful banter.
"It's a Dodge," the husband said."No, it's a Mustang," she rolled her eyes.
"Oh yeah, wait. The movie, with Nicolas Cage, where he stole all those cars."
Most people identified Eleanor with the movie, not with Shelby, and they didn't realize Eleanor was based on a GT500. Also, we're willing to bet they didn't know the latest movie was a remake-hotter and faster than the original but using the same formula. Several people questioned, "Fast and Furious?"
The funniest comments came from four men from Mexico City who oohed and awed over the silver fastback with black stripes and a bulging hood.
"It's a GTO!" said the first."No, a Shelby Cobra," a second man said with certainty.
"Yes, I remember, Gone In 60 Seconds," a third announced.
We got their names-Fernando Quaintania, Yosu Aranguena, Eugenio Aranguena, and Fernando Bosada-as they posed for a picture with the "E."
"What do you think?" we asked.Bosada was serious: "It is a car that all the men, we want to have."
Yosu cautioned, "Oh, it's a beautiful car. But you couldn't have this car in Mexico City because, uh, too dangerous. You can't drive this on the street. You're going to be having lots of criminals behind you."
Quaintania kept it simple: "I want it." Next, Sherman Davis from Boston admitted he drove a Porsche Boxster, but he liked the "nice lines" of Eleanor and thought the car "could be European." When he said, "I wish it was European," his friend Justin Grosfelt joked, "I wish it was mine."
Apparently, Eleanor is back-ordered at this writing. The success is phenomenal. Our friend Owen Kelly spoke with Bobby Mikus while we talked with the people passing by on the strip. He learned Kobe Bryant of the Los Angeles Lakers has ordered a car, as have two members of the Denver Avalanche.
The Eleanor GT500E is marketed by Sanderson Sales. For more information, contact them at: 400 Chisholm Place, Suite 114, Plano, Texas 75075; 972/234-2882; www.sandersonsales.com.