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Most Insane Mad Max Cars

Get behind the wheel of the most insane Mad Max cars.

By Stephen HamiltonPublished 9 years ago 7 min read
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Thankful for its imminent return to the screen in 2015, Geeks has been furiously devouring all things Mad Max. Thanks to director George Miller maintaining the directorial reigns, Fury Road aptly captures the essence of the original trilogy. They all appear to follow a similar formula as well. Patchwork cars rev up similarly, actors' lines cue in at the same time, and the movie's action culminates in a crescendo of violence. Whether this was done purposely or guided by subconscious nostalgia is unknown, but we’re excited to see the road warrior return to the fury of the post-apocalyptic wasteland again. In honor of the return of a successful franchise, we compiled the most insane, action-packed, death-driving vehicles from the perilous universe of Mad Max.

The Gigahorse

Did I forget to mention that they all have very cool names as well? Well, the Gigahorse is the first of many unique vehicles in the Mad Max universe. Driven by the villain in Mad Max: Fury Road, Immortan Joe, The Gigahorse is made up of two 1959 Cadillac Coupe de Villes sitting on top of each other. Yep, that’s right, two of them. Not to mention the custom body, holding two gigantic back wheels on the back. The bottom shell is widened and equipped with a custom windshield. The upper Cadillac is stock width but has been fabricated to function as a turret with a harpoon gun and a flamethrower in the back. To signify Immortan Joe's power and wealth, both those guns have wooden finish. The front end is standard 1959 Cadillac equipped with a custom heavy duty plow. Reaching high up and flying the flags of Immortan Joe’s clan, this is truly a car that is not to be messed with. One of the craziest things about this car is that it actually worked in real life! Joining two engines together with custom gearbox was quite an engineering feat, and was proven to have issues with cooling. But they still, despite the challenges, got the monstrosity to run. That’s dedication to the aesthetic.

The Peacemaker

This one has a very prominent role in Mad Max: Fury Road and belongs to the head of the Bullet Farmers. The vehicle is a modified Howe and Howe Ripsaw EV1 "Extreme Vehicle 1" with a Valiant Charger body, fitted with tank tracks where it’s wheels should be, giving the impression of a vehicle that is so Mad Max in its style. The Ripsaw's body is of a mid-70's Chrysler Valiant Charger stretched and modified to fit over the tank chassis. Leftover Cessna sections are bolted up front, the grille is filled with bullet 'teeth'. There is a hole in the roof which allows for The Bullet Farmer to sit atop and operate the searchlight (which the Bullet Farmer uses to great effect in the film. There is also space for his two henchmen in the back.

The Plymouth Rock

In the film, there is a group of raiders that even Immortan Joe doesn’t want to tangle with: The Buzzards. The Plymouth Rock is their signature car, and with its distinctive spikes it's not hard to see why they are taken so seriously. The vehicle is composed of a 1937 Plymouth sedan covered in metal spikes and retrofitted with buzz saws. The Buzzards are considered to be the coyotes or hyenas of the Mad Max universe, and drive what can be seen as the lowest common denominator. However, unlike the other tribes in this post apocalyptic hell, The Buzzards don’t care for the rebirth of humanity. They only want to destroy it and consume what was left behind. They make for fearsome enemies, and for some reason they speak Russian. No, I have no idea why, but for some reason it makes them so much cooler already.

Big Foot

So, you’re going to name a car after one of the most elusive mysteries of all time, a being that is over 7' tall and looks like a bipedal bear? What kind of car could possibly live up to that? I know! What about a monster truck? Yep! What appears to be a 1939 or 1940 truck shoved into sheet metal, The Big Foot is certainly a sight to behold. Riding on 66-inch-tall Goodyear tires and featuring four feet of suspension travel, this beast, according to the official materials, is powered by a supercharged V-8 turning a Turbo 400 automatic transmission. The behemoth is driven in the film by Immortan Joe’s terrifying son, and he puts the turret mounted on the back into good use during one of the films many chase scenes.

Aunty Entity’s Car

Now, Mad Max: Beyond the Thunderdome is not the best film in the franchise. In fact, lets be honest here, it’s probably the worst. However, credit where credit is due, Aunt Entity's car is, to put it simply, badass. The original concept art by Ed Verreaux reveals that the vehicle was to have twin supercharged engines and twin turbine engines. The design was downsized and modified for the movie. Only one turbine engine was ultimately in the vehicle and one functional combustion engine. That’s not to say it’s any less cool though, and throughout the movie the vehicle still keeps a terrifying presence.

The Gyrocopter

Aha! You thought that Mad Max only dealt with land vehicles? Well, Mad Max 2: Road Warrior taught us to never trust our expectations. Piloted by a man who is only addressed as the Gyrocopter Pilot, this airborne assault vehicle is perhaps the most memorable from that film! The Gyrocopter in Mad Max 2 is a single-seat Auto-Rotating ultralight/experimental design aircraft. They are a highly-maneuverable, medium-speed (~100mph/160km/hr) and often home-built recreational flying machine. It also seems to be a one of a kind vehicles, so at the end of the movie when it gets wrecked, that may be the last we ever see of the nimble little vehicle. The fact that the pilot isn’t closed in when flying and can see directly below makes the Gyrocopter a fantastic aerial bomber kind of vehicle. A facet that is put to good use in the final chase.

War Rig

Well, if you thought The Big Foot was a behemoth, wait until you see this monstrosity. As the main vehicle that much of the action centers on throughout Mad Max: Fury Road, The War Rig is driven by Imperator Furiosa smuggling Immortan Joe’s brides far away from his abusive hand. The War Rig has a long and storied history in the Mad Max universe. It is literally too long to go into right now, but lets just say that it has a hell of a history. The plough at the front can kick up the sand of the endless desert to put off any attackers, and the very top of the gear stick can actually be detached, revealing a knife beneath it, in case you happen to get in close quarters combat. Amusingly, during the production of The War Rig, director George Miller could not decide on the length of the front end of The War Rig which made the mechanics come up with a catch phrase in the workshop: "WELD IT ON! CUT IT OFF! WELD IT ON! CUT IT OFF! WELD IT ON! CUT IT OFF!... RAWHIDE!" If nothing else, Mad Max: Fury Road must have been a hell of a lot of fun to work on.

Nux's Car

If you are a Mad Max fan, I can almost hear your complaints as I type this. I know, it’s small and relatively insignificant, but this is one of my personal favorites from Mad Max: Fury Road. I just love the aesthetic of a highly modified 1934 Chevrolet 5 Window Coupe with the massive exhausts that crawl up its sides. Max also spends a fair chunk of the movie strapped to the front of the classic car. Maybe it’s the fact that there is so much character interaction with this car, but I think the mixture of an antique old world stylistic choice and how it manages itself in the new, utterly ravaged world makes me absolutely adore every single design choice.

The Doof Wagon

Oh you knew it was coming. The Doof Wagon is the 'morale machine' of Immortan Joe’s militia party, intended to rally the troops and keep them pumped up for battle. It is also a form of psychological warfare, allowing Joe's reputation to literally precede him into battle. And of course, it holds perhaps one of the most popular characters in the entirety of the film franchise, The Doof Warrior, strapped in with lots of bungee cords, blindfolded and wielded a flame spitting guitar, this vehicle embodies everything about the word, awesome. It has a supercharged V8 engine with a mobile stage, a wall of speakers and sub-woofers, and air conditioning ducts out of a building meant to drive home the beat of the accompanying Taiko drummers. It’s absolutely insane.

The V8 Interceptor

If the Doof Wagon embodied the word awesome, the V8 Interceptor embodies the word cool. This is Max’s main vehicle of choice, sometimes called the "Black on Black." It is an absolutely delightful machine to watch in action. The engine roars as it screams across the desert wasteland, and the supercharger V8 engine protruding out of the bonnet is just the icing on the cake. The V8 Interceptor has become iconic in modern pop culture for good reason. Hell, the front passenger seat was even taken out in the second film to make a custom seat for Max’s dog! How cool is that? Answer? Very very cool.

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About the Creator

Stephen Hamilton

Definitive movie buff. Quickly realized that it was more financially prudent to write about film than trying to beg for millions of dollars to make his own.

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