The V8 Interceptor Pursuit Special

In order to understand what exactly we are aiming to do, one must know what The Last V8 actually is. I'm sure most movie fans already know what we're talking about here, as the V8 Interceptor is the main character of the Mad Max movies, and one of the most iconic movie cars of all time. 

The original V8 Interceptor Pursuit Special started off its career as an Australian Ford Falcon XB GT, before getting sold at an auction along with two XB sedans to be used for the low budget Mad Max movie. The XB GT was modified to be "The Last V8", a special police car used for high speed chases, while the sedans became known as MFP Interceptors, the standard issue police cars for the Main Force Patrol, the last remaining authority in Australia's collapsing civilisation. 

The Pursuit Special recieved 4 exhausts on each side, with only two of them being functional. It was fitted with a Concorde style front end, which gave it a more futuristic and unique look, and two sets of spoilers were installed. Perhaps the most eye-catching modification is the massive Weiand supercharger installed one foot above the V8 so that every inch can be exposed. Unfortunately, this was merely a prop, driven by a small 12V electric motor. Despite all the props added just to achieve the badass look, the car was by all means a functional stunt car, ready to be put to hard use.

After the filming was done, the car was given to Murray Smith, the film's mechanic as payment. It toured Australian malls as a promotion for the movie, and was even up for sale for $7500 for a while, but nobody wanted to buy it (can you believe that?).When Mad Max aired, it became an instant classic both overseas and in Australia, and the makers decided to buy the car back for a sequel... Which we will discuss in the next post, as this sums up the original Pursuit Special's history. Tune in for Part 2, where we'll take a look at a true wasteland survivor.