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1973 Ford Falcon XA 500
Capsule
March Hare is a near-movie correct replica of the MFP interceptor driven by officers Sarse and Scuttle at the beginning of the film Mad Max. It was originally built as a 1973 XA Ford Falcon 500 in Australia and is powered by a its original 250ci inline six engine.
Details
1973 Australian Ford Falcon XA w/stock Australian 250ci high compression I6 loghead* (I have a 2V upgrade but I've yet to install it). It's a three-on-the-tree manual transmission with a hydraulic clutch (I hope to convert it to a five-speed on the floor sometime in the future as there's just something seemingly unsafe about the steering wheel-mounted shifter). It has front disc brakes and rear drums and an open differential (3.23:1).
The replica was built by Kraig Cummins in Australia. The interior vinyl and paint are all movie correct and it does have an RVS console and a movie-accurate siren made by Sirenco of Australia. I have c-pillar shields, but have yet to apply them. I also need a roof speaker (for show--the actual siren speaker is installed in the engine bay). The "Sarse" and "Scutle" badges are movie incorrect. In the film they were written in a type of script that went from lower to higher on the driver's side fender. I have a front air dam (as can be seen in several of the photos), but I don't drive around with it normally since it rides so low. I hope to get an XC Cobra air dam that I can drive around with since it's higher and doesn't scrape as easily.
I am, believe it or not, the second owner of the car (see timeline below)! For more information about this car, scroll down or read the FAQ.
*The Australian 250 I6 is an Australian-developed engine similar to, but not exactly the same as the US 250 I6.
Gallery Images of This Car (you don't need a FB account to view these):
March Hare is a near-movie correct replica of the MFP interceptor driven by officers Sarse and Scuttle at the beginning of the film Mad Max. It was originally built as a 1973 XA Ford Falcon 500 in Australia and is powered by a its original 250ci inline six engine.
Details
1973 Australian Ford Falcon XA w/stock Australian 250ci high compression I6 loghead* (I have a 2V upgrade but I've yet to install it). It's a three-on-the-tree manual transmission with a hydraulic clutch (I hope to convert it to a five-speed on the floor sometime in the future as there's just something seemingly unsafe about the steering wheel-mounted shifter). It has front disc brakes and rear drums and an open differential (3.23:1).
The replica was built by Kraig Cummins in Australia. The interior vinyl and paint are all movie correct and it does have an RVS console and a movie-accurate siren made by Sirenco of Australia. I have c-pillar shields, but have yet to apply them. I also need a roof speaker (for show--the actual siren speaker is installed in the engine bay). The "Sarse" and "Scutle" badges are movie incorrect. In the film they were written in a type of script that went from lower to higher on the driver's side fender. I have a front air dam (as can be seen in several of the photos), but I don't drive around with it normally since it rides so low. I hope to get an XC Cobra air dam that I can drive around with since it's higher and doesn't scrape as easily.
I am, believe it or not, the second owner of the car (see timeline below)! For more information about this car, scroll down or read the FAQ.
*The Australian 250 I6 is an Australian-developed engine similar to, but not exactly the same as the US 250 I6.
Gallery Images of This Car (you don't need a FB account to view these):
Photo Gallery
FAQ
- Is yours the original from the movie?
No. The opening scene in Mad Max was actually filmed last because Big Bopper and March Hare were to be destroyed. Reports were that they went to the crusher after filming wrapped up.
- What kind of engine did the original movie car have in it?
Apparently, the March Hare was built from a retired Melbourne taxi that had a 250 ci inline Ford Six with a loghead intake. This is exactly the same engine my March Hare has in it. It should be noted that it appears that Interceptors (Max's yellow and March Hare--not to be confused with the black Pursuit Special) are probably supposed to be more powerful than Big Bopper since they both have hood cowlings. It's apparent from the scene where Max is tuning his car that the cowl isn't used for anything. However, one must figure that, in real life, the cowl would have been used for induction purposes, which means that March Hare should have had a powerful V8 perhaps with some sort of forced air induction system on it. If I ever get a chance to speak to anyone involved with the movie, I'll certainly ask what was supposed to be under the hoods of interceptor cars. - Will you change March Hare to be movie universe correct (i.e. use the hood cowl)?
At this time, I have an Australian 2V intake sitting around, which is a very rare find. I plan to install this into March Hare when I rebuild its engine in a couple of years (it needs it, for sure). The 2V head's intake is off center, however, which means that that air cleaner would not protrude through the hood without a lot of modifications. I'm not sure if I'm up for the task of installing both the 2V head and re-routing the intake so that I can use the cowl somehow. Stay tuned and I'll let you know? - Why aren't you itching to put a more powerful engine in the car?
I'm sortof proud to have an Australian 250, which is a different from the American 250 as they were developed from the American 200 ci separately. On top of that, I have a rare Australian 2V head, which I want to use in something, and the March Hare is the best candidate I have for that at the moment. - How do you know what the roof number of the car is? You never see it in the movie.
I don't--that's how the car came. When I refresh it, I'm going to change it to "MFP 520" since that's my favorite area code in the whole wide world.. - What are the differences and similarities between movie car and yours?
According to first-hand accounts, the XA used in the movie was an ex-taxicab used in Melbourne while mine was a family hauler in rural New South Wales. Both are loghead I6-250s with single exhausts. The cars have the same interior trim. From what I can see, the movie XA is a column shift auto (maybe C4??) while mine is a three-speed column manual shift. The actual fender flares are cut in Mad Max so that the extended flares become the actual flares. On mine, the fender flares are intact. The March Hare used in the movie has a smashed in roof and is probably in car heaven by now, whereas mine still patrols the highways and byways of the countryside. - What colors are used on your car?
I believe that the yellow is Mid-Chrome Yellow, the red is Monza Red, and the white is some sort of white--probably "white." I don't have a guess as to what color the blue is.
- What's the difference between a PURSUIT and INTERCEPTOR models?
The movie never makes this clear. The only visible differences are that INTERCEPTORS have hood cowls and the PURSUIT Big Bopper does not. You can draw you own conclusions from that, I suppose.
March Hare in Mad Max
For the uninitiated and un-roadworthy, it's the car that eventually slams in to the TARDIS and flips over in the clip below. You can also identify it by the Haight-Ashbury-amounts of smoke billowing from its exhaust pipe. Don't get it confused with the Big Bopper, which is an XB sedan with "PURSUIT" scribed across the trunk lid; also, don't get it confused with Max's/Mel Gibson's XB GS/GT XB sedan with "INTERCEPTOR" on its trunk lid.
Move your cursor over the photos to see descriptions of what's going on...
Move your cursor over the photos to see descriptions of what's going on...
Timeline
1973
1980 or '81?
2004
2005
2006
2015
2020
- March Hare was built as a Ford XA Falcon 500 in Australia
- October 12, 1973 - "The Tank," or the "Dust Bucket" was purchased by R.E. and C.A. Carroll of Boree Creek, NSW. The Carrolls had just brought two children into the world in May and needed a larger car because the twins "wouldn't fit into the old car." The Tank was sold by Billabong Motors in Uraga.
1980 or '81?
- I watch Mad Max for the very first time on KWGN Channel 2 in Denver, Colorado. The manager of the station, John Suder, came on before the movie and after each commercial to explain that KWGN would "show Mad Max in its entirety, because to edit the film would utterly destroy its content." John was a man with a beautiful 1980s mustache (check it out on the Internet)! Actually, his announcement was not entirely correct: the nude couple being watched by Roop at the beginning of the film was cut (that was the only cut I could identify). The movie was the American voiceover version and it's the only edit of the film I knew until the 2000s.
- I started wondering just what it would take to import an Australian Falcon XA sedan (March Hare), XB sedan (GT, hopefully, to use as a fair-weather driver), XB coupe (GT or replica would be fine), and some sort of Falcon Ute. The 25-year import restriction was certainly up on these cars.
- The Carrolls finally sold their family farm so no more room for the Tank. It was picked up by builder Kraig Cummins of Sydney in his Dukes of Hazzard replica. It metamorphed from the Tank into March Hare.
- March Hare was imported into the U.S. and eventually made its way into Phoenix with the help of Paul Miller, who is known for his work on Mad Max Renegade and for his tireless efforts organizing Wasteland Weekend.
- November 2 - That wide-eyed kid who fell in love with Mad Max and John Suder's sweet 'stache purchased it and took it to its new home in Tucson, Arizona. While I drove it home for the first time, I clearly remember another young man (maybe late teens, early 20s) hanging halfway out of his friend's window on I-10 screaming "MAD MAX! MAD MAX, BABY!" That's a constant reaction now (other than the occasional getting pulled over by police so they can look at the car).
2004
- Lots and lots of engine work! Timing chain was so loose that it was cutting into the housing, so that needed replacement. New wires, plugs, oil pan and valve cover seal...tons of other stuff.
- July 4 - Led Independence Day parade in Patagonia, Arizona.
- Purchased siren generator from SirenCo of Australia. Siren speaker donated as surplus from the Patagonia Town Marshall's Office (thank you!)
2005
- July 4 - Again, Independence Day parade in Patagonia, Arizona.
2006
- Went into semi-retirement when I left computer programming and left Arizona to go to graduate school. Driven and cleaned sporadically as I could make it back.
2015
- Will come out of retirement now that I'm done with graduate school.
2020
- Will undergo a full refresh with engine rebuild and repaint (planned).