The millennials may only know Mad Max from the 2015 version, Fury Road, with an armless Charlize Theron and the man of few words, Tom Hardy leading the film, along with plenty of nubile and scantily clad PYTs. But it all started in 1979 with the now not-so-vaunted Mel Gibson and his Ford Falcon Interceptors. At the time, Gibson was an up-and-coming Aussie import and the first of the three movies were made on a shoestring budget.

The movie, upon release, exploded at the box office and became one of the coolest movies of that time. By the time the producers decided to make the second movie, they had plenty of money to introduce even better cars, and have Mel Gibson do even more spectacular—if not painful—stunts.

The Mad Max movies attained cult status, the Interceptor even more so, which is why it made an appearance in the latest dystopian flick as well, Mad Max: Fury Road. But this Aussie car is no longer in Australia. So here is what everyone forgot about Mad Max’s Interceptor, and where it is now.

10 The Base Car Was A Star Too

Via Pinterest

The car beneath all the Concorde-style modifications—and by that we mean the aerodynamic nose and all the arches and edges—is a 1973 Ford Falcon XB GT Coupe. It was an Aussie version that carried a 5.7-liter V8, jetting about 300 horses and 380 lb-ft of torque, so it was quite muscly by itself.

Via Pinterest

While the movie added a Weiand 6-71 supercharger to the hood, it was basically a non-functional dummy, considering Rockatansky keeps switching it on and off, which is not really possible in reality.

RELATED: Ford's 10 Most Badass Muscle Cars, Ranked

9 But It Could Have Been A Mustang

Via Pinterest

The art director for the original movie, Jon Dowding, was told to select the car and make it into something Max Rockatansky would use to enact revenge. Dowding initially wanted a Mustang, however, getting an American car into Australia and then paying for its parts and repairs was way over the budget.

Via Mecum

So the plan for the Mustang was dropped, and the Falcon XB GT came into the picture as a rather popular Aussie muscle car. More than 200,000 XB Falcons were made from 1973 to 1976 and these were the last of the cars to come with V8s.

8 There Was More Than One Ford Falcon

Via Pinterest

Max Rockatansky works for the Main Force Patrol (MFP) of the Australian Federal Police special task force as an officer who pursues the baddies in a yellow 1975 XB Ford Falcon. But after a co-officer is killed, he gets disillusioned and leaves the force.

Via Twitter

Later, Max’s wife and infant son are also killed by the same gang he was trying to catch, and from then on he turns into Mad Max. The car changes too, and it’s now an all-black 1973 Ford Falcon XB GT Coupe with that supercharger, now called the “Pursuit Special” V8 Interceptor.

7 The Interceptor Was Given Away As Payment

Via Pinterest

Once the movie wrapped, the creators, George Miller and Byron Kennedy, realized they still had bills to pay and no money to pay them. So the car itself became the payment for stuntman Murray Smith. It was converted back into road-specs and had all the superfluous styling removed.

Via Twitter

Smith then tried to sell the car, to get his monies but apparently, no one wanted it, and that proved to be a boon for the second installment of the franchise.

6 Rehauled and Enlisted For The Sequel

Via Twitter

Now, with considerably more money than before, the same car was bought back by the creators, and given a rough-edged makeover to be more in line with the movie. The car now bore more scratches to suit the apocalyptic world of Mad Max as it starred in the sequel, Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior.

Via Hemmings

The rear was ripped out and massive fuel tanks were put in place to show the fact that fuel was running out and needing to be stored. The stunt car was blown up in the movie and ultimately, only one remained.

5 The Interceptor Changed For The Road Warrior

Via Pinterest

More modifications were made and now even the fuel tank gauge read 200 liters. The front bumper was removed as was the passenger seat, and here came a custom dog seat to follow the movie script. The gas tanks were shown to be rigged with a booby trap.

Via Twitter

There were hidden weapons all over the car and the trunk of the car is now basically Max’s home. There was a cupboard, a workshop, and even beddings for him to bunk down in the cold desert air.

RELATED: 20 Things That Really Happened Behind The Scenes Of Mad Max: Fury Road

4 Destined To Be Destroyed But Rescued

Via Pinterest

The car was destroyed in the movie and even Max is shown to be badly injured. As a result, the filmmakers decided that the only remaining car should be destroyed too and was sent off to scrap.

Here's What Everyone Forgot About Mad Max's Interceptor
Via Pinterest

At this point, Harry Warholak Sr. saw potential and saved the damaged and dented beauty. And it’s a good thing because this very car made an appearance in the 2015 franchise of the movie as well. The Interceptor, meanwhile, changed hands plenty of times till finally, it reached Bob Fursenko in the mid-’80s.

RELATED: 10 Heartless Movies That Destroyed Cars

3 Refurbished And Glossed Up By The Owners

Via Twitter

Fursenko replaced that damaged front end, but he left the fuel tanked-rear as is to make it look as authentic as possible. He did have the whole car painted a glossy black and so it looked shinier than it had ever looked in the actual movie.

Mad Max's Interceptor
Via Wikimedia

For the rest of the ‘80s, the car remained on tour in Australia, generating money for Fursenko. By 1992, it reached the Cars of the Stars museum in Keswick, England, where it remained till 2011.

2 From Australia To England, To The US

Via Pinterest

And so today, the Australian born-and-bred Mad Max Interceptor is in the U.S., having completed a transatlantic journey. In 2011, the entire Cars of the Stars museum collection was bought by real estate mogul Michael Dezer.

Via VoloAutoMuseum

Initially, it was part of the exhibit at the Miami Auto Museum, although today, it is at the Orlando Auto Museum in Florida where apparently, it is for sale. But Dezer has already refused a $2 million offer, so clearly, you better have a lot more money for the Interceptor.

1 The Fury Road Interceptor Changed, Again

Via Facebook

Obviously, since the original Interceptor is with Michael Dezer, the car shown in 2015’s Mad Max: Fury Road is not the real thing but instead built to look like one, using Ford Fairmonts instead of the Falcon.

Via Pinterest

Tom Hardy’s Mad Max is seen driving the car, briefly, before it is captured by the War Boys, who strip it back to bare metal and give it a silver look. In this movie, it is then dubbed the Razor Cola and meets its demise between two large trucks. Two cars were made, one was destroyed, so the other one was used in promotional events. Let's see if more movies and cars come up in the future.

Sources: Hemmings, Driving.ca