What you see here could be the most authentic Mad Max Interceptor clone anywhere on this pre-apocalyptic Earth. Strangely enough, it's not even in Australia; it's in Chicago.
Before we drool on about its authenticity, we must first ask: what is a '74 XB Falcon?
The XB Falcon was the first of the primarily home-grown Ford Falcon designs; previous iterations were based almost entirely on their American Falcon namesakes, with only differences for local customs (right-hand drive, kilometer speedos etc). Ford was finally shifting units, gaining on GM's dominant Holden brand, so when news filtered out of Dearborn that the Falcon was going away, Ford Australia wasn't pleased. They asked to continue developing the existing Falcon chassis, and so it was permitted. The XB debuted as a '73 model and ran four model years. The Falcon name still lives on today in Australia as a bona fide performance legend.
There is no mistaking this Falcon as anything but a Ford: while you can pick out elements of early '70s Torino (primarily the rear quarters and roofline) and Mustang (the aggressive stance and hood on some models), it shares body and chassis components with neither model and is indeed a unique all-Oz creation.
The mechanicals, however, read out of the American musclecar playbook: a strong, 300hp (at 5,400rpm) 351 Cleveland V-8 unencumbered by smog equipment, a Toploader 4-speed trans with hydraulic clutch (or optional FMX automatic), buggy-spring 9-inch rear with open 3.0 gearing (and standard four-wheel disc brakes!). Unlike American musclecars, however, this stuff was available on Falcon models clear through to 1976. And even the visuals on a stock Falcon have a parallel-universe musclecar feel about them: bright colors, cold-air hoods, matte black trim, bold striping, trunk spoilers, thin body-enhancing bumpers. The year is wrong, the shapes are familiar but not correct, and it's half a dozen years out of date ... but there is no mistaking the pedigree. Rarity is part of the package as well: in four years of XB Falcons, less than 1000 total GTs were built.
A heavily modified version of the XB was pressed into service in the legendary low-budget post-apocalyptic thriller Mad Max. The blunt factory nose was fitted with a wind-cheating "Monza" snoot, fender flares, molded-in spoilers and zoomie exhaust pipes were added, and a Weiand supercharger poked through the hood. And it was, you know, a police car. Ahem. Last of the V-8 Interceptors, they called it. Mad Max might have launched the career of Mel Gibson, but it also inspired a million "what kind of car is that?" conversations. It carries with it the baggage of a car-movie legend on the order of Bullitt and the original The Italian Job.
A great irony is, in Australia, cars with severe modifications are not allowed to be driven on public roads--you practically need a presidential pardon to drive something with left-hand drive, much less something with a blower sticking up clear through the hood...national legend or not. Such vehicles exist, clearly, but they need to be trailered to and from shows--they're not allowed on public roads. And what the hell fun is that?
Jim Martino of Glendale Heights, Illinois would have no such problems. He coveted an XB Falcon since he first saw Mad Max, as countless other kids did. However, Jim is not one of your casual car guys. He doesn't merely border on the obsessive; he's invaded it, had its way with it, eaten its food, and left its presidential palace in smouldering ruins. He collects original Mad Max and Road Warrior movie posters in any language he can find. He has original Mad Max and Road Warrior props that he's purchased on eBay, which are displayed along with his Falcon at shows nationwide. He may be obsessive and compulsive, but there is nothing disorderly going on here. (He gets this way about Speed Racer too. PHR is grateful that Jim didn't adopt a Paul Hoganesque accent at any point during our photo shoot, despite posing for a shot similar to a publicity photo featuring Mel and Interceptor.)
Jim purchased his XBGT in January of 2002, and took delivery in May. It was straight and rot-free, but utterly stock. Because he owns his own restoration shop (Best in Show, in Naperville, Illinois) he was able to fast-track the complete cosmetic refurbishment and have it in the shape you see it here in just 30 days. "It took three guys ten hours a day for 30 days to get it ready," he says. "And I drive it everywhere. I drove it to work this morning, in fact!" Being obsessive is key to the results you see here. Close-to-movie-spec wouldn't be good enough for Jim. Nosiree. The police equipment inside, from the radio on the roof to the blue light mounted to the dash, are genuine mid-'70s police-spec Australian stuff. The tires are the same type and size of correct white-letter BFGoodrich tires, the black steel spoked wheels the same brand as the actual cars. All of this is available through Gordon Hayes, Australia's leading Mad Max-car-component maker. And, just like in the movie, the Weiand blower poking through the hood, while able to turn its belt at the flick of a switch, isn't actually functional. Blended spoilers, zoomies, correct-as-per-the-film markings all about the car, inside and out, it's all there. A hidden MSD ignition and a lumpy Comp Cams bumpstick, plus headers that fit the Oz-exclusive heads (none of which is shown in the movie but all of which aid drivability and power), are part of the package as well.
In fact, Jim forbade us from opening the hood for engine shots, claiming the fake blower would ruin the illusion. Though the camera will not confirm, we can tell you that a non-operational '60s vintage Scott fuel injection system lives under the hood, while an Edelbrock 650 lives in the hollowed-out Weiand blower housing. "The problem trying to make that blower work is that the distributor is in the front and the intake is set too far back. The correct Weiand blower has a short snout, and you can't get the blower pulley to line up with the crank. It's impossible. I could have thrown a regular 6-71 on there but it wouldn't be correct to the movie." Imagine: a "government issue" police car that isn't just good enough for government work, simply because it's a perfect specimen of a quasi-fake? The mind reels as the concept folds in on itself like a moebius strip.
Reactions to seeing it on the street were amazing and diverse. "Nice Mustang!" "Is that a Torino?" "Bitchin' Mopar!" "Where's Mel Gibson?" No Jersey salutes, thankfully. Nearly everyone wondered why the steering wheel was on the wrong side; tell them it's Australian and they just stagger away, stymied, unable to speak. Jim kindly and eagerly answered each of their queries. One gent at a fuel stop offered his opinion on why Australian cars were right-hand drive: because most English knights were right-handed, they would use that hand to either greet their comrades or grasp their lance to joust, and the tradition carried over to horse-and-buggy days and into the automotive era. And, as Australia was still an English colony during the early popularization of the automobile, the Aussies followed suit.
Maybe. Who cares?
Jim now brings his Falcon to car shows nationwide, everywhere from World of Wheels events to the Hot Rod Power Tour and beyond, somehow never tiring of answering all of the same questions--and trust me, they are all the same questions, over and over again. Some of that attention comes from being listed on www.madmaxmovies.com, which generates half a dozen queries a day. "I get lots of people telling me how cool it is, and lots of people asking me how much it would cost to build one. When I tell them, I don't usually hear back from them again."
Jim's latest project, completed after these photos were taken, was a yellow XB Falcon sedan identical to the one Mel drove in the opening scenes of the movie. And, down to the wheels, paint and lights, it is in fact identical in every meaningful way.
"Of all the cars I've ever owned in my life, this is the most fun! I don't worry about a chip, or something breaking, I just drive it. I get more reaction from it than from any other car I've ever owned."