Despite Australia's rich muscle car culture, its beefy line-up of V8-equipped metal was given very little time in the international spotlight compared to the American-built counterparts throughout the years.
One anomaly was the iconic Ford Falcon XB dubbed the 'Interceptor' that took a starring role in the Mad Max movie franchise which starred Mel Gibson, and was set in the Falcon's homeland of Australia.
Based on a 1973 Falcon GT, a raft of modifications were installed to make it worthy of the 'Interceptor title. These included a fake supercharger protruding through the hood, side-exit exhaust pipes, and a pair of huge fuel tanks through the rear window.
Since it's time in the limelight, the Interceptor has lived a busy life, getting passed through different collections after being saved from a wrecking yard, and finally ending up at it's current spot in America.
Interestingly, the car has been shown in multiple museums throughout its life with the first being the National Motor Museum in Australia. In 1992, it was moved to the Cars of the Stars Motor Museum in the UK, and then moved to the Orlando Auto Museum in 2011.
Here it has sat among of automotive movie royalty such as the ECTO-1 ‘Ghostbusters’ Miller-Meteor ambo, the ‘BTTF’ DeLorean DMC-12 time machine, and Steve McQueen’s iconic ‘Bullitt’ Mustang.
It has now been put up for sale by the current owner in the US, who has reportedly turned down a previous offer of $3.1 million. If it does sell for more than this, it will beat the $2.5 million 1972 GTHO Falcon as the most expensive Australian-built car ever sold.
Unsurprisingly, one major Aussie motoring magazine is looking to bring the Interceptor back home, and is preparing to lobby the government for its cause. A major Australian museum is looking to do the same, with cost being the only issue.
No matter how much this last Interceptor sells for, it will sure be a far cry from the $8000 or so that it failed to sell for back in 1979. But we reckon that it should be brought back home — to Australia that is.
