The exact iconic car that starred in Mad Max and Mad Max 2: Road Warrior can be yours.
Mad Max and Ford Falcon GT fans may find it interesting to know that the original Mad Max Pursuit Special "Interceptor" movie car is now for sale. The current owner of the actual black Falcon XB movie car driven by Max Rockatansky is Orlando Auto Musuem. The museum is in the midst of relocating three hours north to Orlando, and they have decided to throw the sinister XB on the market for one reason or another. This is fantastic news for any fan looking to snag this real deal, iconic Aussie movie car for themselves. What fan wouldn't want to get their hands on one of the most famous Australian cars of all time?
Once belonging to the Cars of the Stars museum overseas in the United Kingdom, the entire inventory was purchased by Michael Dezer back in 2011, somewhat privately. Dezer had the whole collection loaded onto a ship where they were transported across the Atlantic Ocean with the destination of Miami, Florida. Dezer, a real estate developer, then opened the Miami Auto Museum in 2012. The menacing Falcon sat alongside good company of other legendary cars including the DeLorean DMC-12 from Back to the Future, the Ferrari from Miami Vice, James Bond Aston Martin Vanquish, the original Batmobile and all kinds of other interesting and unique rides.
The decision to sell the Mad Max 'Interceptor' could possibly stem from the recent sale of Steve McQueen's 1968 Ford Mustang Bullitt that sold at Mecum auction last month for an insane $3.4 million. With its Highland Green paint dull of any shine, the Bullitt Mustang was left in its original condition after it left the movie set for good, and it still brought in the big bucks mainly due to its starring role in one of the most iconic car movies of all time, Bullitt. To this day, the epic car chase between the Bullitt Mustang and the Dodge Charger through the hilly streets of San Francisco, arguably, still has yet to be topped. Since this Falcon GT starred in both Mad Max films, it may bring in a pretty penny itself.
Back in 1977, this JG66 XB Falcon GT began its journey from just a used car to a mean machine. When they acquired the Falcon, this secondhand coupe was equipped with a 351cui V8 engine, Toploader transmission, 9-inch rear, disc brakes all around, and traction bars. Jon Dowding, Mad Max art director, sent the Falcon to Ray Beckerly from Graf-X International with a few notes of how he wanted the final product to turn out. Ray didn't take on the project alone as he subcontracted Ford designer Peter Arcadipane and Errol Platt of Purvis Eureka. Arcadipane fit one of his Concorde noses to the front end, and the roof and rear spoilers that came off of Bob Jane's Monaro were installed by Platt. Ray installed the Weiland blower atop the air cleaner, and he came up with the exterior colors incorporating both matte and glossy blacks. As you may already know, the blower was not functional, it only spun and tilted to appear that way. The wide fender flares were created by truck painter Rod Smyth and his brother.
Once filming ended, they had a hard time finding someone to pay $7,500 for the hacked up movie Falcon. Since the movie owed mechanic Murray Smith, they handed him the car to settle the debt. When Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior was in the works, Murray sold the car back to Kennedy and Miller to use for the sequel. Since the Weiand supercharger was lost after the first film, they replaced it but made it functional this time around using the engine's crankshaft pulley. The rear wheels were switched out, the side pipes were changed, and it was given two large fuel tanks out back. Also, the car was completely matte black and given a patina appearance. Also, the Concorde front was scrapped.
Ford Falcons weren't exactly popular vehicles in mint condition, so to find a buyer for a hacked up version seemed nearly impossible. After the sequel was complete, the Falcon ended up in a salvage yard awaiting a date with the crusher. The car sat under a canvas cover in the junkyard in Adelaide Hills in sight of hundreds of people passing by, but the car did grab the attention of a few people who took notice of the eight faux sidepipes protruding from under the cover. As the story has it, the owner kicked back a few beers on Christmas when he decided to get the famous movie car back in running shape.
Bob Fursenko was a huge fan of the Mad Max movies, and he played detective to gather information on the car's location. After some digging, he found out where the car was located, and purchased it for himself. It was a common misconception that the vehicle was demolished while shooting the Mad Max sequel, but Bob knew better than to believe the hype. Bob then sent the iconic movie car under the knife for a much-needed restoration by Franklin Side Crash. The entire restoration process was documented by Street Machine in the October/November issue in 1985. To bring the movie car back to former glory, the Concorde nose was replaced. Also, the car retained its dual tanks installed for the second film. Being the proud fan that he is, Bob created a slideshow of the Mad Max car and then showed it off with stops at different shopping centers and agricultural shows.
Touring would only last so long, and before it made its way to the United Kingdom, the car was sent to Birdwood and displayed at the National Motor Museum. The Orlando Auto Museum has not listed a price for the car. In the listing, the car is said to have a 302cui V8 engine, but the original 351cui engine is still stuffed inside the engine bay.
If a huge fan of the Mad Max films and the Falcon GT, you may want to contact Orlando Auto Museum and inquire about the price. How cool would it be to own the actual real deal Mad Max Falcon? The legendary movie car is guaranteed to be a conversation piece no matter where it goes.
Source: Which Car
