Top Gear's 100 fastest cars

[tbearz]

I was just browsing Top Gear website this morning and had a look at their top 100 fastest cars and guess what I found at number 4. A massive suprise i must say, the Ford Falcon XB GT out of Mad Max movies. http://www.topgear.com/content/timet...astestcars/98/)

Ford Falcon XB GT: An ordinary family car with an extraordinary secret life

The XB Falcon was a perfectly harmless mid-Seventies Aussie family car.

Until, in 1979, master film-maker George Miller bolted a few movie cameras to a gaggle of XBs and made them look like they were travelling faster than any cars had ever travelled before. The film was Mad Max, of course, and the XB was the star, out-acting Mel Gibson (not hard) and burning itself into car freaks' brains forever.

A couple of XB sedans were painted up in bright yellow as cop cars. One of them rams into a Mazda Bongo and smashes straight through a caravan. The black XB GT was given a fake supercharger, Concorde nose and side-exit exhausts to become 'The Last of the V8 Interceptors'.

"I'm scared," said Max. "It's that rat circus out there. Any longer out on that road and I'm one of them, a terminal psychotic." Too right, mate. And your car's there already.

[4.9 EF Futura]

The XB Falcon was a perfectly harmless mid-Seventies Aussie family car.

You reckon???

Great to see it on the list though!!

[majin_andrew]

Great to see it at number 4!

[Powdered Toast Man]

It's been a while since I've seen it but isn't the MPF car that crashes through the caravan actually an XA and Max is driving an XB "Interceptor" in that scene.

[majin_andrew]

LOL at their No.1.

Hire car: There was no other contender and you know it

'You have to get a car that handles really well. This is extremely important, and there's a lot of debate on this subject - about what kind of car handles best. Some say a front-engined car; some say a rear-engined car. I say a rented car.'
P.J. O'Rourke, Republican Party Reptile.

Yes, the fastest car in the world is, as O'Rourke would have, one that belongs to someone else. Specifically, the faceless corporations that live in lurid-coloured branch offices on airport concourses and slightly inconvenient out-of-town locations across the world.

Hiring a car is an exciting business from the off. What are they going to give you this time? Because although hire companies deal in categories of car, everyone knows the vehicle they actually give you is determined by someone in the back office spinning a massive wheel of chance.

What'll it be this time? Punto? Focus? 3-Series? Maybach 62? Lockheed F-117A stealth fighter? Or maybe you got off the plane late, and all they have left is an Albanian-spec Kia Sedona with no aircon and an engine that runs on leaves.

The great rental car lottery is one of life's strangest thrills. But it's when you've got the keys that the real fun starts.

Jump in, gag slightly at the chemical synthesis of stale fruit that they've used to mask the fact that the previous renter left a dead monkey in the boot, and then go, go, GO!

Ragging the engine until it bangs off the limiter, late-braking in a way Schuey would have described as 'brave', finding out what changing gear without the clutch feels like - all of these loutish pleasures are yours in hire-car land. Cornering so hard the tyres peel off the rims is good too, and if it gets a bit hairy, well, you've got the full CDW to protect you. It does cover the side panels, the roof and some of my limbs, right?

You can do anything you want in a hire car as long as you always remember one crucial thing - it's not yours.

[Sick EB]

i have seen that car 100 times and because it was said i never realised it was an xb. i had no idea what it was. i have never seen or hear of the 'mad max' movies either.
i learnt something today.lol

[Powdered Toast Man]

Originally Posted by Sick EB

i have seen that car 100 times and because it was said i never realised it was an xb. i had no idea what it was. i have never seen or hear of the 'mad max' movies either.
i learnt something today.lol

Been living under a rock eh? _2:

One of, if not the biggest Aussie cult movie, the first one that is not the sequels. It's worth seeing, even if it's just for the 70's muscle car chase scenes. (Actually the movie is pretty B-grade. Hold on I'll put my flame suit on)

[Sorted]

Originally Posted by Sick EB

i have never seen or hear of the 'mad max' movies either.
i learnt something today.lol

OMG : .........

[4.9 EF Futura]

Hahaha, i love hiring cars!!! Strongly recommend anyone with a spare $100 go hire a Getz for the weekend and bounce it off the limiter for 2 solid days.

[4.9 EF Futura]

Originally Posted by Sick EB

i have seen that car 100 times and because it was said i never realised it was an xb. i had no idea what it was. i have never seen or hear of the 'mad max' movies either.
i learnt something today.lol

This should be in primary school curriculum!!! Vote "1" for 4.9 EF!!

[BlueRaven]

Actually, just watch the first 10mins or so of Mad Max I... I love it because its like a tribute to XBs... Big Bopper even sounds like my car, its just funny (kinda sick sounding stocko).

[LTDHO]

Originally Posted by V8GLI

It's been a while since I've seen it but isn't the MPF car that crashes through the caravan actually an XA and Max is driving an XB "Interceptor" in that scene.

The XB goes to caravan "Charlie copped a sausepan in the throat"
The XA hits the Telephone booth, then dirt and flips.

[[Tonko]]

Was the van from cheech and chong on it? The one made all out of Weed...
That thing would (make ya) fly...

[Dave_au]

Yeah considering "the Hire Car" as in hire cars in general were rated as the no. 1 fastest car of all time, I don't think the award has much merit

[mean & green]

Originally Posted by 4.9 EF Futura

Hahaha, i love hiring cars!!! Strongly recommend anyone with a spare $100 go hire a Getz for the weekend and bounce it off the limiter for 2 solid days.

have a getz for a week when we go to tassie in october, will have to try some of the targa roads out

[Doctor Sodways]

Hire cars, great fun, some of the geelone e series member will remember when me and another forum member rented a BF XR6 easter last year, less than 5k on the clock, that pulled some decent burnouts on tyres that were new, didnt move too badly either

[Falcon Coupe]

Originally Posted by Sick EB

i have seen that car 100 times and because it was said i never realised it was an xb. i had no idea what it was. i have never seen or hear of the 'mad max' movies either.
i learnt something today.lol

You do live in Australia right ? :

[Mongoose]

Originally Posted by Dave_au

Yeah considering "the Hire Car" as in hire cars in general were rated as the no. 1 fastest car of all time, I don't think the award has much merit

:O OMG! how can you say that! its top gear! they know everything there is to know about cars!

[FlipXW]

To be honest i've never liked that coupe. Im all about original, I'd much prefer to see it in its natural glory. I will hide now :

[BA Turbo]

So any other tips for thrashing hire cars, N to D numerious time foot flat on the flour while on a turn would be in the top tricks

[Sam_Boss260]

coming down the highway in a Toyota Echo (aka "The Brick" and at 80km/hr rip up the hand break turing into the motel..... of course we are talking regional Mareeba and nobody was around.

[XW_GS]

Originally Posted by Sick EB

i have seen that car 100 times and because it was said i never realised it was an xb. i had no idea what it was. i have never seen or hear of the 'mad max' movies either.
i learnt something today.lol

SICK lol

i remember going to see Mad Max 1 at the movies then mad max 2 & 3 at the drive in's

i loved the bit when Max was walking to the XB for the first time, then he "disappears" into the car. That was crazy in its time!! ooops sorry it was SICK
lol