Starring Mel Gibson, the 1979 dystopian action thriller film is set in future Australia where society has collapsed. Where murder and revenge were served on the platter on the daily basis, this policeman, “Mad” Max Rockatanksy or simply Mad Max, fights his way around violent fights between him and a savage motorcycle gang.
Apart from the awesome casting of these movies, we also get a glimpse of how possible cars can be decked out beyond our wildest imagination. Though the movie got mixed reviews in this April 1979 premier, it gained a lot of cult following, mostly because of what car does Mad Max drive in the movie. This cult following allowed the movie to gain critical acclaim and a chance to be revived not once but three times – Mad Max 2 in 1981, Beyond the Thunderdome in 1985, and Fury Road in 2015. Another installment, titled Furiosa, is also in the works for 2020.
The Original Mad Max Car and Everything You Need to Know
Cars have become staples in dystopian thriller series. They become the magnification of the personalities of each character that runs through the films. Got a bad-ass character to play, you need a bad-ass car to drive. Simple as that. And to no exception, the 1974 Ford Falcon XB GT was what car does Mad Max drive and one bad-ass car to boot. Would you agree?
The original Mad Max car had a black body color and was nicknamed as the Interceptor. It was a limited edition hardtop muscle car that featured a supercharge. Based on the film, it was initially owned by an escaped cop killer, Nightrider, who later dies in an accident that wrecked the car. After reassembling and modifying it, Mad Max was then offered it as an incentive to stay in the police force but initially declined the offer. Later in the movie, he then comes back and decides to steal it to exact revenge on the outlawed motorcycle gang who has killed his son and wife. He was going on a vengeful conquest but could you blame him?
1974 Ford Falcon XB GT – How it became the Interceptor
This muscle car, though 45 years old, can still pack a punch. As what car does Mad Max drive in the movie, this has been outfitted with a 351 cubic-inch V8 engine that churns out 380 lb-ft of torque and 300hp in power. The car was, first, a standard white 5.8 L (351 cu) Australian hardtop back in 1976; which is when the preproduction of the movie began.
The Interceptor has indeed become an iconic element of car movies to date. Imagining Mad Max without it is almost impossible. It was, after all, an amalgamation of the creative minds who built it from a 1973 Ford Falcon XB GT Coupe. And though the series made it so cool to drive a Falcon XB, getting your hands on one was quite hard. Back in the 70’s access to one was as simple as a walk in the park. By the time the ’80s hit, the car model somehow faded away and became harder to find. The one used in the movies had to be salvaged from a junkyard. And when Fury Road was starting to film, finding one was almost impossible.
This meant the producers and the crew had to build one from scratch due to its rarity.
They then modified it by using a black paint scheme; then, added boot and roof spoilers, flaring wheel arches, and an air-dam and front nose cone designed by Arcadipane. Eight individual exhaust side pipes were also added; two being functional one while the rest act up using the vibrations from the two. As mentioned earlier, the supercharge was the most prominent feature of the car. The car looked very impressive aside from the fact that it was not functional. It can also go from zero to 60 mp/h in 8.1 seconds and zero to 100 mp/h in 8.4. It has a top speed of 118 mp/h (190 km/h).
After all that work was done, it then went to be destroyed in the 2015 Mad Max: Fury Road. Now, who didn’t shed a tear for that scene?
Any Ford Falcon XB GT for sale?
Now, we know that you’re already online looking for a Ford Falcon XB GT for sale; but, let us spare you the pain and just tell you that there are harder to find than a needle on a haystack. Most specifically about what car does Mad Max drive in the movies.
Since Ford Falcon halted production in Australia in the 1980s, it has become a lot harder for people to get and even try to build one for themselves. The original Interceptor was already heading its way to the junkyard; that is, before it was saved for the sequel Mad Max 2. The original model was almost gone before a collector, Harry Warholsky Sr., bought and restored it for a Miami-based museum.
However, if you want to get your hands on one, we suggest looking into online auctions. Around late February this year, the original Mad Max Pursuit special went up for grabs.
Conclusion
In recent films, cars have become iconic partners to the characters these stars portray. They are, by any means, more than just heaps of iron and rubber used to drive around, moving from one to another. These mechanical beasts are more than that and even more at times. They have names imprinted unto them. They have become extensions of their personas; it would be a hard battle putting them together with other ones aside from how they appeared on the silver screen.
And as what car does Mad Max drive, imagining him driving a different car would be next to impossible. This is because it has made an indelible print into our memories as the black, powerful muscle car that went on a rampage in the name of revenge. And even if you close your eyes, that all you will ever see. It’s the perfect partner for such a not so perfect character.
