‘GansMobile’ owned by late Las Vegas showman is up for auction

The late comic-impressionist Danny Gans’ customized 1967 Ford Mustang “Eleanor” replica is that car. The silver-and-black hardtop is up for bid at the Barrett-Jackson Las Vegas Auction running through Saturday at Las Vegas Convention Center’s West Hall.

Gans’ car is on the block Saturday. The car is listed as “no reserve,” Lot No. 676 (go to Barrett-Jackson.com for intel on the Gans car and the entire auction lineup).

Gans was a top Vegas headliner in the 1990s and 2000s, first at the Stratosphere (The Strat, today), Rio, The Mirage and Wynn Las Vegas. He died in May 2009 at age 52, from what coroners ruled was a combination of prescribed opiates and a pre-existing heart condition.

The “Eleanor” legacy originated in the 1974 film “Gone in 60 Seconds,” which featured a ‘71 Mustang. A ‘67 was employed in the 2000 remake, starring Nicolas Cage. Each vehicle in the film was given a female name. The last to be stolen, the ‘67, was “Eleanor.”

Gans was known not just for his on-stage impressions of such figures as Jeff Foxworthy, George Burns and Dean Martin The showman had assembled a choice vintage-auto collection during his days as a Vegas headliner.

A little more than a year after his death, Barrett-Jackson worked with Gans’ family to auction his 1932 Ford 3-window coupe, 1934 Ford 3-window coupe, 1955 Chevrolet Cameo pickup and 1955 Chevrolet 210 2-door sedan.

Gans was considered a serious collector. “Eleanor” is built from an original 1967 Mustang fastback factory 289 V8 car. The rebuild was finished in 2002. Over the next seven years, Gans put 4,000 miles on car, which is still in Grade-A condition.

John Katsilometes’ column runs daily in the A section. His “PodKats!” podcast can be found at reviewjournal.com/podcasts. Contact him at jkatsilometes@reviewjournal.com. Follow @johnnykats on Twitter, @JohnnyKats1 on Instagram.