Justin Verlander Goes Full Gone in 60 Seconds with Eleanor
Some guys really know how to treat themselves when it's time for a reward for all of the hard work they do. Check out Justin's newest purchase that will have any car fan chomping at the bit to drive.
The stuff of dreams
The World Champion Houston Astros pitcher faced ire mixed with envy years ago when he began his romance with Sports Illustrated model Kate Upton and now Justin Verlander has caused even more misery by purchasing a silver screen icon. Verlander is not only one of the select group of folks who got to purchase a new Ford GT but he now has an Eleanor tribute Mustang. "She's finally here!! The wait was so worth it! Thanks @fusionmotorcompany for one badass ride," Verlander wrote on his Instagram post with the hashtag #Eleanor #gonin60seconds #mustang.
Fantasy cars aren't cheap
The beefed-up fastback comes courtesy of Fusion Motor Company and is an officially licensed replica of the infamous car from the 2000 remake of the film "Gone in 60 Seconds" starring Nicolas Cage as "Memphis" Raines, who must steal cars once again to save his brother's life. These cars are built to order and sell with a starting price of $189,000 with the shop taking 6 months to complete the project. The handcrafted replicas begin life as a 1967 or 1968 Fastback Mustang that then gets stripped down and has its new body bolted to the frame.
He coming from experience
The amount of care that goes into each car has a tie to Fusion's founder, Yoel Wazana. Wazana used to own an Eleanor clone built by someone else and while he looked at the car fondly he knew that he could do better. Fusion has gone through all of the headaches that one would run into trying to DIY it by perfecting the build. Fusion can even fabricate parts from scratch if need be to make everything plug and play as it should.
A healthy amount of power
As was previously mentioned, the build starts with a '67-68 body and then the suspension of the car gets a much-needed upgrade. The shock towers are deleted and in their place, coilovers and a full 4-link rear set-up is installed by Detroit Speed. Under the hood, the Super Snake gets some much-needed bite from a Roush Coyote V8 that can be had in a number of different configs with power going from 430hp up to 750hp. The engines are hooked up to a five or six-speed manual or six-speed automatic transmission.
No place for pick-ups
Just like in the movie, the Mustang gets a plentiful coat of Pepper Grey paint with black racing stripes and there a nitrous oxide tank in the trunk. What is different from the movie car is the use of modern LED lighting for the rear taillights which shine much brighter than the originals.We have no doubt that Justin is enjoying his new retro toy very much but upon seeing a view of the garage where Upton's truck was cut out prompted a good-natured rib at the pitcher: "@justinverlander @ford Why didn't you include my F-150???"
For more info on Fusion's Eleanor Tribute car including a full build sheet of every component in the car, just click here.
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