OK there is no secret about my passion for the Mad Max movies. My 2011 blog: Mad Max…time to hit the fury road! is one I constantly update with new information on the upcoming Mad Max: Fury Road (2015) starring Tom Hardy and of course stories, photos and my own experiences with the original Mel Gibson movies: Mad Max (1979), Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior (1981) and Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome (1985). Classic characters (good, evil and in between), action, drama, humour, iconic cars and motorbikes. What’s not to like?
The car chases and car duels really set these movies apart from the rest. I can only begin to describe my excitement at recently seeing the original 1973 Ford XB GT Coupe “Pursuit Special” MFP Interceptor that was used by Max in both Mad Max and Mad Max 2! This car had a 300bhp 351ci V8 engine fitted as standard and thus the movie tag of “the last of the V8’s” was born. This is probably the most iconic car to come out of Australia!
“She sucks nitro… with Phase 4 heads! 600 horsepower through the wheels! She’s meanness set to music and the bitch is born to run!”
– Barry the MFP mechanic describing the “Pursuit Special” V8 Interceptor to Max and Goose.
The “Pursuit Special” is today on display in the Miami Auto Museum at the Dezer Collection in North Miami, Florida. It is just one of many Hollywood cars on display including an amazing James Bond Collection. I am very happy to say I recently visited the museum and got to see this car.
This incarnation of the V8 is somewhere between the two movies. Externally it has been restored to look more or less like the MFP Interceptor did at the end of Mad Max (no MFP decals though) but it also has the long-range fuel tanks that were added for Mad Max 2 (at the start of that movie it was nowhere near as clean as this!). The interior is much as it appeared in the sequel.
The main variance from the original movie is that the restored paint scheme of the car is all black gloss rather than the original two-tone black on black scheme (black gloss on the top half, satin black on the bottom half and a satin pinstripe that followed the cars curves). In Mad Max 2 it was actually painted all matt black with red dust and muddy special effects added.
The other variance to the version of the “Pursuit Special” seen in Mad Max is that the blower (supercharger) and pipes are different (the supercharger didn’t actually work in the movie, that was all faked for visual effect). After that movie they had to be removed so that the car could be classed as roadworthy to drive on Australian roads (it appeared around the country at car shows and events). They were either lost or stolen between movies as new ones had to be fitted for Mad Max 2 and this is what you see on the car today.
After Mad Max, movie makers George Miller and Byron Kennedy had spent all their money and needed to pay creditors so the car was sold to Murray Smith (who had worked on it for the movie). Due to the box office success of the original movie though, a sequel was assured so they bought it back from him! It is a stroke of luck the car still exists today though. After Mad Max 2 was completed it was meant to be scrapped (insanity!) but luckily the wishes of the movie makers were not adhered to and a scrap dealer in South Australia kept the car instead! In late 1983 the car was “rediscovered” by Bob Fursenko in that same scrapyard and purchased by him.
Apart from some damage to the front end during the filming of scenes in Mad Max 2 the car was in pretty good condition considering it had been sitting out in the open for a few years. Restoration work was soon begun. $25,000 and a few months later the V8 was back! Now the new owner had to make some money back on his investment and the Mad Max V8 went on a highly successful road show around Australia.
Following the tour the car was loaned to the National Motor Museum of Australia (Birdwood, South Australia) where it naturally became a very popular exhibit. By the early 1990’s the car ended up being sold again and found its way to the Cars of the Stars Museum in the UK. There it remained until 2011 when it was purchased by the Dezer Collection. This famous car has had quite a journey over the years but I still hope someday it ends up permanently back in Australia.
To restore a classic movie car that appeared in two movies yet was very different looking in both must have been a difficult task. They had to make some compromises to make it look familiar yet not completely lose its original look. Some people prefer the dirty look of Mad Max 2 and others the cleaner MFP Interceptor stage. The restoration paint scheme is not the classic one but a decision was made that it didn’t need to be exact and it is what it is, a movie icon. For me I am just glad that it still exists and after so many journeys to filming sites and events I finally got to see the last of the V8’s!
Deano In America 
If I were Mel Gibson, I would make a bid for the car!
He sure does have the cash for it!
It was this car, more than any other, that began my love affair with dystopian future / post apocalyptic vehicles! Nearly two decades later, I was able to witness my son’s reaction when he first laid eyes on the same car.
He has all three of the Mad Max movies, his favorite being The Road Warrior, and he is anticipating the release of the fourth installment. I do not normally condone bringing a 7 year old to an R rated movie, but seeing as it premieres a week after his birthday, he will be 8 when we see it, and I will make this exception.
Given I got snuck into the first one, then rated R in Australia at about the same age, back in 1979 I think he will be OK. These movies had the same impact on me in regards to the dystopian backdrop. Thanks for touching base. Bring on 2015 and the Fury Road!
great report/i got a chance to ride in a ford falcon 351 when i visited darwin,australia.i met a guy who was in the australian army who had one. he gave me a ride,brought back alot of memories of mad max(watching movie right now)
Thanks. Aussie muscle cars of the 70’s were something that’s for sure. Very different in styling from the US ones – Holden Monaro was a classic too
I was lucky enough to see these car in the flesh when it resided at ‘The cars of the Stars’ museum in Keswick, Cumbria in the Northwest of England……..Wish I’d sneaked into the driver’s seat now!!
It is an amazing collection Andy. I am with you there. I would have loved to have gotten behind the wheel of the last of the V8’s! I have had to settle with sitting in replicas so far
I was lucky enough to have sat in the interceptor a handful of times at keswick, we were friends with the Nelsons who owned the musieum…mad max being my fav movie and that car has been my fav since i was 8! It was a dream come true.
I am heading up to the region where Mad Max 2 was filmed again soon (Silverton, NSW)
A great dream to fulfill too!
Readind this, has given me a lot more info on the car/film…(and i thought I knew a fair bit…) thanks
Thanks Graham. Cannot wait for the new Mad Max
Nice article, never new they wanted to scrap it!
Thanks Robert. It was a close call!
Love the Max movies. Owned an ’04 GTO, Monaro with Corvette drive train. I loved that car! Oddly though I am a Ford man and always wanted a 351 powered Mustang or Pantera. After seeing the first Max movie I wanted one of those “Aussie Ford’s”! Being American kinda squashes that idea. Maybe I’ll head for Miami, steal the car and take it for a spin. lol
Great cars one and all! Actually out of interest a number of people have Ford XB and similar vehicles in the US that they imported. Many of them are expat Aussie owners. I would love to drive the “last of the V8’s”!
As I understand it, a second Interceptor was made for Mad Max 2, the 2 cars were used in the film, one of them for the stunt work including the scene in which the Interceptor is wrecked and blown up. Also, I hear that one of them had a 4 speed top loader trans and the other was an automatic trans. Does anyone know if that’s right or have any more info on the transmissions in the cars?
Hi Gary, yes 2 cars were used in Mad Max 2 with 1 destroyed. Not sure on the auto transmission but yes the standard was a manual type top loader 4 speed
Does anyone know of any Interceptor replicas in the NY/NJ area.
heres the skinny: the matte black parts are the normal GT stripes on the XB falcon 351 GT coupe also when you see mel rev the car up its from where the original carby is normally a supercharged car the carbies are under the scoop. the body kit was designed by bob arcapane (since defuct) and it did a tour of australia around movie time (less supercharger) to promote the film. the original film cost $10k total. if they had of used a mustang (private import) it would have blown out the films budget so they used local production cars
https://deanoinamerica.files.wordpress.com/2014/06/mad-max-2-mel-interceptor-interior.jpg this is the original car Mel is sitting in.Note four speed manual and thick Max Rob steering wheel.Peter Arcadiapane designed built and help fit the front nose…..and nothing else was his.The original film cost $300,000.00 dollars to make.They didn’t owe creditors money for the film they owed Murray Smith money so the car was payment.The double car for M2 was a stock 302 Clevland,Automatic and a borgwarner diff with drum brakes……hence the awesome lock up on the hill.
I met Murray about 10 years ago. Cool guy
Back in 1980 my NSW country town had a few XBs, and I had a drive of a couple, and then in 1982 a relative had one of these Mad Max XBs which was a hoot to drive. He got it because I loved the Pursuit Special interceptor. The black-on-black is still my favourite film car ever.
The 4-door one I drove most was a nice berry colour with silver trim and tan interior, and the 2-door was emerald green with a goldish trim and a cream interior.
Great cars, lots of power, simple and fun to drive.
Classic lines – great cars!