Gone in 60 Seconds is a 1974 American action film written, directed, produced by, and starring H.B. “Toby” Halicki. It centers on a group of car thieves and the 48 cars they must steal in a matter of days. The film is known for having wrecked and destroyed 93 cars in a 40-minute car chase scene. A total of 127 cars were either destroyed or damaged throughout the entirety of the film. It is the basis for the 2000 remake starring Nicolas Cage and Angelina Jolie.
“Toby” Halicki is Maindrian Pace, a respectable insurance investigator who runs an automobile chop shop in Long Beach, California. He is also the leader of a professional car theft ring, who steals and re-sells stolen cars; using the vehicle identification number (VIN), engines, parts, and details (such as parking decals and bumper stickers) sourced from legitimately-purchased wrecks. As an insurance industry insider, Pace does have one small idiosyncrasy: All vehicles stolen must be insured.
Pace is approached by a South American drug lord who offers $400,000 in exchange for the theft of 48 specific vehicles, to be delivered to the Long Beach docks within five days. The list includes limousines, semi-trailer trucks, vintage cars, and exotics; rendering the order difficult to fill within the time limit. Nevertheless, Pace is confident that the order can be filled by the March 2, 1974 deadline.
Mapping out a basic strategy, the thieves scout out their vehicular targets; all of which have been given female code names. The plan goes smoothly – with even some of the more eclectic vehicles acquired with relative ease – but obstacles mount. Chief of these difficulties is a yellow, 1973 Ford Mustang, code named “Eleanor.” The first “Eleanor” they come across is occupied; they locate this car again but stealing it results in a chase as its drunken owner pursues Pace. A second “Eleanor” is acquired seemingly without issue.
Further tension enters into the picture when a white Cadillac – stolen as part of the order – is found to contain several kilos of heroin stashed in its trunk. Pace’s brother-in-law, Eugene, sees the heroin as a profitable side business; Pace disagrees, viewing the heroin as a threat to the security of the operation. Against Eugene’s vehement protests, Pace does not relinquish the heroin, and has the Cadillac and its contents burned at a remote location – unbeknownst to Eugene.
The theft of all 48 vehicles is soon completed, but the second “Eleanor” is discovered to be uninsured within hours of delivery to the docks. After pleas from fiancée Pumpkin Chase, Pace agrees to return it – only because he is aware of a third match for “Eleanor” at the International Towers in Long Beach. At the same time, Eugene learns of the Cadillac’s fate and attempts to start a brawl; ultimately leaving the office in a rage.
1971 (as 1973) Ford Mustang Sportsroof from the 1974 film Gone in Sixty Seconds
Pace prepares to steal the third “Eleanor”, unaware that Eugene has anonymously tipped off the police. As a result of the tip-off, two detectives (Butch Stockton and Phil Woods) in an unmarked Mercury corner the disguised Pace as he exits the International Towers. A 40-minute car chase (in which 93 vehicles are destroyed) ensues, covering six California cities from Long Beach to Carson. Eluding the police with speed and driving skill, Pace keeps from being caught by police – but not without causing irreparable damage to the car.
Pace is now desperate; police blockades and surveillance surround the areas. Pace spots another “Eleanor” Mustang pulling into a car wash. Realizing an opportunity, Pace drives the abused Mustang up to the wash entrance, leaves it with the staff, and then dupes the owner of the fourth Mustang (under the guise of being the manager of the car wash). After a quick license plate swap and removal of his disguise, he subsequently leaves the car wash with the intact Mustang.
Meanwhile, the duped owner is inquiring with the manager of the car wash as to the whereabouts of her Mustang – and faints at the sight of the wrecked car as it exits the wash bay. The police, spotting the wrecked Mustang, quickly descend upon the scene to arrest the manager of the car wash, who matches the description of Pace.
The film ends as Pace clears a police roadblock, driving the fourth “Eleanor”.
The pursuit is the longest car chase (40 minutes) in movie history and takes Pace through five cities as he attempts to lose police. Nearly every civilian vehicle seen in close proximity to the main chase (especially in downtown Long Beach) was owned by Halicki. This resulted in several cars appearing multiple times in the 40-minute sequence. The intact “Eleanor” used for beauty shots and the white Ford used by Pace and Stanley can be seen parked in a few Long Beach sequences.
Real accidents
In one scene at the construction area, a patrol car roars up a hill in pursuit and overturns. This was not planned; the driver inside was nearly crushed when the siren “can” on the roof caved the roof in. The scene was left in the finished film.
J.C. Agajanian Jr., who plays a detective in the roadblock sequence at Torrance Mazda Agency, was almost killed when Halicki missed his mark, hitting one of the unmarked Plymouth Belvedere[3] patrol cars, sending it careening towards Agajanian, who missed it by quick reflexes and luck. The near collision was left in the film and is very apparent.
The scene where “Eleanor” is rear-ended by a Cadillac Eldorado on the northbound Interstate 110 at the Carson Street exit, and spins into a light pole at 100 mph was a real accident. Halicki was badly hurt and filming was stopped while he recovered. According to people on the set, the first thing Halicki said when he regained consciousness was, “Did we get coverage?” Likewise, the film’s opening scene captures the aftermath of a real-life train derailment that was not part of the original shooting script; when Halicki heard about this, he wanted to incorporate it into the film. From the part in the scene when “Eleanor” comes to a stop after hitting the light pole, the cut-scene edit when the detective in chase sticks his head out of the passenger window and says, “He just hit a damned light pole”, the scene immediately following was 3 weeks later. Halicki finished the rest of the film in a full leg cast and several broken ribs.
