Mad Max V8 Interceptor replica for sale: Time to rule the wasteland?

"She sucks nitro … with Phase 4 heads, 600 horsepower through the wheels!"

When George Miller's 1979 dystopian thriller Mad Max hit cinemas, an icon was born.

The MFP Pursuit Special, a 1973 Ford Falcon GT hardtop, with a custom 'Concorde' nose, arch flares, boot and roof spoilers and a huge Weiand 6-71 supercharger and injection hat poking through the bonnet, instantly became a hero of the silver screen and a champion of the wasteland.

Given the film's modest $400,000 budget (about $2.3 million today, when accounting for inflation), only one 'shoot' car was created for the film, which – when production ended – was given to the head mechanic as payment for his services.

The 'black-on-black' Interceptor featured again in the 1981 sequel, Mad Max 2, and was even reimagined for the 2015 production of Mad Max Fury Road.

And while any official film cars are in the hands of collectors or museums, that hasn't stopped fans creating their own version of the Ford Falcon XB Pursuit Special. We should know, as our very own James Ward once built one.

If you like the idea of the destination more than the journey though, you can have your own Pursuit Special with a car currently advertised for sale in Melbourne.

Advertised as a 1977 Ford Falcon (making it an XC rather than an XB), the two-door hardtop features the full 'Arcadipane' body kit, Weiand blower, side exit exhausts with zoomies, Sunraysia wheels and even the movie-correct combination of gloss and matte paint.

Inside, the car features a four-speed manual transmission with red blower 'clutch' drive, albeit with what looks like BA-series Falcon XR seats as Max apparently needs comfort in the modern wasteland.

Unlike the film car, where the blower was 'cinematically' activated by a washing machine motor attached to a pulley, this machine actually features a blown 5.0-litre 'Cleveland' V8.

With 92,000km on the clock, this Ford Falcon XC feels young for its age, but with an asking price of $198,888, cruising the wasteland is a rather considered and expensive pastime.

Interestingly too, there's a genuine 1973 Ford Falcon GT hardtop advertised for sale for $335,000, highlighting once again that the best way to protect a classic car's value is to keep it standard.

Check out the advertisement for the Mad Max Interceptor replica here, and the genuine XB GT Hardtop here.