Return of the Road Warrior

THE PURSUIT SPECIAL STILL MAKING DUST… The replica of the car driven by Max Rockatansky (Mel Gibson) in the movie is now a photographic backdrop. Photos: Steve Hutcheson

Mad Max was an iconic Australian movie produced in 1981 and set some time into the future. The world had fallen in post-apocalyptic lawlessness and bands of marauding tribes roamed the country where the war between them is fought over oil.

The Pursuit Special, a suped up turbodriven V8 is driven in the movie by Max Rockatansky. It is based on a 1973 Ford Falcon XB GT coupe, which was modified to become a police interceptor by the Main Force Patrol.

While the one remaining original vehicle used in the movie was shifted to the United States where it is now on display, replicas were constructed to help in the promotion.

At one point, the replica was destined to also go overseas, Peter Robinson, a director of the Butcher Club in Shepparton purchased the easily identified vehicle to ensure it stayed in Australia.

While the vehicle is a construction, many of the additions and modifications are simply to convey a futuristic appearance. It now travels around Australia as a novelty display and perhaps provides an insight into a future where climate change and oil wars have altered the global landscape.