Dude, here’s my car | MOVE Maxed out with memorabilia

By Bree Harding

Feb 3, 2025

It’s not the original Ford Falcon XB GT Pursuit Special famously used as Mel Gibson’s character Maxwell Rockatansky’s police car in the Mad Max film franchise, but it’s one of the closest replicas in Australia, according to MOVE’s Andrew Church.

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The V8 Interceptor sits on the floor at the museum looking both in and out of place there.

Of course, its custom features fit right in among the array of unique show cars on display.

The post-apocalyptic car looks best dirtied up. Photo by Bree Harding

But unlike the others, meticulously detailed and sparkling, this one looks its most authentic when coated in dust, dog footprints and sliding finger marks at all its edges as though people straight out of the dystopian film setting have desperately tried to grasp the coupe with their grubby hands.

A shrunken head ornament hangs upside down, while a boomerang signed by one of the movie’s stars sits on the dash. Photo by Bree Harding

It’s got empty shotgun cartridges scattered on its dash, chains hanging from a cage-like parcel shelf in the rear and a sticker warning the driver to use overdrive during a high-speed pursuit.

A shrunken head ornament hangs upside down from the glove box while a boomerang signed by the child star of Mad Max 2, the Feral Kid, Emil Minty, sits among discarded cutlery above it.

The film’s fans will be familiar with Max’s loyal dog, Dog.

Just like Max’s loyal dog, Dog, this plush blue heeler stays with his master’s car. Photo by Bree Harding

In tribute, a plush blue heeler wearing a red paisley bandanna lounges on a platform attached to the passenger-side door.

Also fixed to its doors are archaic-looking replica tools and weaponry, rusted and sheathed in leather.

The lidless boot is filled with two massive fuel tanks that eliminate half the view out the back window.

The lidless boot has two fuel tanks inside. Photo by Bree Harding

Just like Max, who went rogue after bikers killed his wife and son in the first movie, this iconic vehicle could be described using the same word.

For those wondering what became of the actual car used in the 1979 film and its later sequels, it was first given to the mechanic who worked on the car during the film as payment for his efforts.

The blower and side pipes were removed to make it roadworthy.

The original movie reached unprecedented worldwide success, prompting a second Mad Max instalment, The Road Warrior.

Warner Bros bought the Interceptor back from the mechanic for an undisclosed sum.

Once filming was complete, the intact vehicle was sold to a wrecking yard in Broken Hill, along with other wrecks from the film.

It was onsold to another wrecker in South Australia before a man named Bob Fursenko rescued, restored and showed it widely around Australia.

Eventually, he sold it to a car museum in England, where it stayed until the museum closed permanently in 2011.

Andrew Church wears a prop leather jacket while behind the wheel of the Interceptor. Photo by Bree Harding

From there it went to the Dezer Car Museum in Miami, where it sits among automotive memorabilia from other film franchises of the James Bond and Batman varieties, to name a couple.

So unless you’re planning a trip to Florida, the post-apocalyptic replica car at MOVE might be the closest you’ll get to seeing the real thing.

The vehicle is owned by the Superheroes Foundation, which also owned the Batmobile displayed at MOVE throughout the school holidays.

The foundation supports families impacted by brain cancer.