FAQ
About Each Car
- Each car has its own FAQ, so be sure to check those out.
General Questions
- Are any of these for sale?
In general, no. More specifically, no. I'll update this if things ever change. - Are these muscle cars?
This is a debatable definition and I can only offer my opinion here.
When you're discussing raw details in the United States, I would say they aren't. In the United States, the term "muscle car" was often given to modified, two-door versions of what were nominally everyday family cars at the base level. Cars in the United States generally were not called muscle cars unless they had big block engines and upgraded drivetrain and suspension components. Not all Ford Mustangs or Chevrolet Chevelles are classified as muscle cars--only the top-of-the-line models were. Also, the term muscle car in America is generally reserved for two-door cars. In Australia, no factory big blocks were available during this era (in the vast majority of cases) and most of the high-end versions of these cars simply did not have the variety of options that muscle cars in the United States had available to them. Indeed all of the John Goss Special XBs and a large chunk of the XC Cobras were equipped with the rather weak, naturally aspirated 302 Cleveland engine. There were a few exceptions, such as the XY GTHO, but this still ran a 351 Cleveland engine, not a Ford big block.
When discussing Muscle Cars as an artifact of culture, I would say that they are. In the United States, muscle cars were often associated with vehicles that brought people together through a shared interest in the personae demonstrated by both cars and their owners. Mustangs, Chevelles, Chargers, etc. are muscle cars in this sense because they inspired people with their V8 engines (even if they weren't the top of the line or big blocks), bodylines, relative affordability, and their powerfully youthful image. In this sense, the muscle car eras of the United States and Australasia are very similar. As a cultural historian, I have a tendency to use this definition when I think of muscle cars.
- How many Australian Ford Falcons are there in the United States?
There used to be a guy that kept a registry of the Aussie cars that were in the United States, but it's gone, and as of this time, I don't know how many there are. My guess would be a number fewer than 200 with many owners possessing more than one (so, say 150 owners). This wouldn't even qualify as an educated guess, though, so just ignore this entire paragraph. - I want one. How can I get one?
Check my links page to find resources. While you're hunting yours down, join some of the groups I've linked to on the same page to learn more about the Oz Falcon community in the U.S., Australia, and all over the world.
Mad Max Stuff
- Since you seem to be into the movie, did Mad Max or Mad Max 2 (The Road Warrior) take place before or after a nuclear war?
I had the advantage of actually both seeing and reading an interview with the filmmakers by chance at a Denver-area sci-fi con (back when no one went to them--before ST:TNG came out) in which the filmmakers clearly indicated that both movies take place before a nuclear holocaust. However, being lucky and being without torment are two different things and I've been arguing with people since then about this fact. The Semmelweis Effect is strong in people, and few believed me.
So, let's put this question to rest, now and forever (Danny Peary. Omni's Screen Flights, Screen Fantasies: The Future According to the Cinema. New York: Doubleday, 1984):
Update: The art book for Fury Road also confirms that MM and MM2 are pre-nuclear war.
- Although this rumor keeps popping up, there was never a scene filmed where the biker gang in Mad Max overruns the Halls of Justice and kills its officers.
- The thing on the back of Fifi's head is not a wart, it's a spider that Roger Ward generally disliked after viewing the film.