Iconic scenes of Mad Max’s black Interceptor have inspired a Dubbo man’s enduring love for his prized 1973 XA Ford Falcon.
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Dean Cole “could write a book on the stuff” he’s done with the car he bought for a bargain two decades ago.
On Saturday he’ll have the chapter he’s wanted to add for a while when he takes the glossy machine to the Dubbo Westview Drive-In to see Mad Max.
The screening is part of an all-Australian weekend of movies to celebrate Australia Day.
Four decades after the film was shot on a budget of A$400,000 and went on to gross US$100 million at the box office, it continues to enthrall one of its earliest fans.
Actor Mel Gibson shot to fame in the film, but to Mr Cole the muscle cars star.
“It was a movie that meant a lot to me, everything to me as a child,” Mr Cole said.
“It’s an R-rated movie, my parents should never have let me watch it but I was four when I first watched it and I’ve seen it over a hundred times.
“Hence the car, it’s all about the cars, they’re the stars of the show… Mel Gibson was OK, but that black interceptor was what I went to see, and wanted to see over and over again.
“You could never get sick of it.”
The Mad Max fan bought the 1973 Ford Falcon with its “tough six cylinders” and “a fat set of 12 slotters” for “900 bucks” from a mate in the mid-1990s.
The car has had a colourful history, and was even the only thing salvageable from a shed fire in 2014, with 18 months needed to get it to its “latest reincarnation”.
The Westview Drive-In closed in the 1980s before Mr Cole was of driving age, and he’s keen to take his beloved car to see his favourite movie on the big screen.
“This year marks the 40th anniversary of the original film, it would be fantastic to see the drive-in full of like-minded fans on Saturday night,” he said.
Tickets are available to the drive-in’s all-Australian weekend of movies, which starts with Finding Nemo on Friday night.
Mad Max will show on Saturday night and a vibe is likely when classic The Castle features on Sunday night.
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Faye Wheeler
I have been a journalist for more than a decade and in that time I have been keeping Daily Liberal readers up to date about issues affecting them and what's happening in their community. Throughout my career I have covered a range of rounds and most recently I have been focusing on the business round.
I have been a journalist for more than a decade and in that time I have been keeping Daily Liberal readers up to date about issues affecting them and what's happening in their community. Throughout my career I have covered a range of rounds and most recently I have been focusing on the business round.
