Americanized Interceptor "Tribute"
Posted: Sun Aug 20, 2017 6:41 am
Chapter 1: The Research
I've been lurking on these forums for a while now, scouring through posts. I've also read every bit of information I could possibly find on the original car, and potential parts for cloning it.
I can honestly say that no movie car has ever left an impression quite like the original Black-on-Black. The green R/T Charger from Dirty Mary Crazy Larry and the '55 from Two Lane Blacktop both have special places in my heart, but they're so simple in comparison to the Interceptor.
Now, at 20 years young, I've learned the value of a dollar, and I know damn well I can't afford to try and replicate the Interceptor by traditional means.
Thankfully, I've taken the time to try and understand what the famous Pursuit Special actually IS, and that's the most important part of trying to replicate any unique car without being able to create an exact copy.
The MFP's Black-on-Black Pursuit Special is, as I understand it, intended to represent a hand-built supercar of the 70s. It looks menacing, but not in the same way a muscle car does.
I've finally decided to make my attempt at cloning it, with limited resources and budget, using what's available to me here in the USA. This first portion is intended to gather information on what can be used to pull it off.
The XA-XC Ford Falcon is essentially the bastard child of the '70-71 Torino, and the '71-73 Mustang. That can easily be seen at a glance, but I have several questions pertaining to these cars and using them to replicate the most visually-iconic features of the Falcon, and the Interceptor itself.
Let's start with the front end, which I would consider the easiest part of this
Falcon
Interceptor
Mustang
As you can see, the front clip of the Mustang is close enough to use without any major modification.
The general slope, the scoop and pin setup, and the top lines of the fenders are near identical. The only modification needed here would be the cut-out for the blower, and changing out the hood pins to match those on the Interceptor.
The grille and front bumper, while generally pretty close, aren't too relevant since they'd be covered by the nose cone.
Two major differences stand out here. The wheel wells are smaller and entirely rounded, compared to the wider and more straight-sided wells of the Falcon. They also come flared from the factory.
Personally, I would just leave the wheel wells alone. The flares are very similarly-sized to those of the Interceptor, and the overall shape of them isn't too important to achieving the look of the movie car.
The second, and more important, difference would be that overly-pronounced line which extends to the doors. On the Falcon, this line is much more subtle and runs the entire length of the car. The body of the Falcon also allows this line to remain close to the center of the body top-to-bottom.
I reckon the best thing to do about that line would be trying to remove it totally. One could try to get creative and form out the Falcon's line, but that would require far too much effort and potentially come out looking awful.
(I didn't mention the Torino here because the front clip isn't even close)
Next, let's talk about the side profile
Interceptor
Torino
Mustang
This is what I'd consider the most challenging part of the Aussie car to match with an American equivalent. It boils down quite a bit to personal preference.
The Mustang's doors seem to be a closer overall match here. Those iconic door handles are definitely an important piece. Both the Torino and the Mustang share some unnecessary body lines which extend into the doors, and would ideally need to be removed entirely. It can be seen that the Torino shares that subtle straight line extending the length of the car, which is a bonus. It also has very similarly-shaped wheel wells.
The Falcon's windows are certainly unique, and their shape is an important part of the car's look. I believe the Torino's windows are closer length-wise, while the Mustang's have a more appropriate height.
Another important point is the length and shape of the tail section. I think the Torino definitely wins here. The length from the rear of the door to the front edge of the wheel well is near-perfect, and allows enough space to add the iconic zoomies. I couldn't see this being possible on the Mustang. The Torino also shares the concave line from the rear of the roof to the tip of the tail, while that of the Mustang is more convex. The Torino does seem to be a bit too long beyond the rear of the wheel well, but I think this difference could be ignored.
Now, the tail itself is somewhere I recommend getting creative
Falcon
Interceptor
Torino
Mustang
One obvious point here is that the convex curve of the Mustang's tail is way off, while the Torino is pretty close to what we want. The Mustang does, however, share the upswept edges of the bumper. Both American cars' bumpers stick to a line parallel to the bottom edges of the taillights, while the Falcon has a center protrusion which accents the lights. The taillights themselves are different on all 3 cars, although I'd personally call the Mustang's lights a bit closer to the Falcon's. Overall, I'd say the Torino has a much more similar tail. The recessed center section matches up well, and the tail panel itself is laid out similarly. The primary difference is that the Falcon's looks more like one big panel with everything attached to it, while the Torino's is more part of the body with each individual part laid into it. Your best bet here is to just pick what looks nice to you, and modify it however you see fit. I personally think the tail panel of the Torino looks a bit better than the Falcon's, and will likely leave it alone.
How 'bout the interior?
Falcon
Mustang
Torino
'73 Gran Torino
I doubt it'd be possible to match the famous Falcon's interior 100% without spending way more money than it's worth. You can, however, get pretty close and match the overall feel. The Torino's interior is way off. It's far too outdated and simple. Remember, we're building a supercar here. It needs to have all kinds of gadgets and gauges. The Mustang seems to be the obvious winner here, BUT the interior of the '73 Gran Torino is a lot more modern and also does what we need it to. If most of these pieces can be fit into an older Torino, this gets much easier.
My Conclusions
It seems to me that if I want to build an Americanized tribute to the Pursuit Special, the best possible base car is a '70-71 Torino Cobra. Any Torino equipped with the Sportsroof option will work, though. I would simply need to change out the tail panel for the Cobra one.
I would then need to work out the upper and lower body lines from the fenders, doors, and just behind the doors. The center line is a nice bonus.
Now, the most complex part of this job is the front end. I don't know how much work would be needed to get the Mustang's scooped hood to fit. I'd also like to graft the ends of the Mustang's fenders onto the stock ones, which would also mean adding a slight crease to them to match that center body line. Finishing this would probably mean trying to add the Mustang's grille, as well, but no fine fitting is really necessary as it'll all be covered by a nose cone.
Some fun custom fiberglass work will be required to add the iconic spoilers, and the best option for the nose cone is probably to buy one intended for a Falcon and modify it to fit. It'll then need to be molded to run into the front fender flares, which will need to be added (along with the rear ones). Appropriate headlights, a cut-out for the blower, new wheels/tires and some suspension work will have the exterior finished. The final touch would be the iconic gloss-and-matte paintjob.
For the interior, I reckon it should be possible to obtain the interior pieces from a '73 Gran Torino and fit them in the older one. The Mad Max modifications are the easy part here.
The amount of interior and exterior work required means I'm not too scared of getting a more rough example to start with. If I'm gonna be stripping it down and modifying the hell out of it anyway, I don't mind working some restoration into that to save some money on the car in the first place.
The 351 Cleveland and some basic performance parts for it aren't hard to acquire out here. The 4-speed Top Loader may be a different story. Thankfully, Holley now sells a Weiand "nostalgia" 6-71 blower with a dull finish. They are also now producing the Weiand "nostalgia" swing-arm blower drive in the same finish. I know this part was practically unobtainable a few years ago.
My one concern with building an engine for this thing comes with the Scott injection hat. I know reproductions of these are being made, but I don't think 7 grand is a very fair price for a primitive fuel injection system. Now, there are the ones made just for show, but I feel like the setup would look strange with the carbs sitting on top of the blower. I do suppose it'd give the whole setup the height it needs to be displayed well. I have no interest in a fake blower setup. I get why people do it, but it's not something I'd blow my money on.
So, let's get some discussion going here. Constructive criticism, input on fitting of some of these parts, suggestions for alternatives, etc. Info on a lot of this is few and far between, so it'd be nice to have a central place to discuss it for those working with a tight budget that want to use an American alternative to the Falcon to build their dream car.
I've been lurking on these forums for a while now, scouring through posts. I've also read every bit of information I could possibly find on the original car, and potential parts for cloning it.
I can honestly say that no movie car has ever left an impression quite like the original Black-on-Black. The green R/T Charger from Dirty Mary Crazy Larry and the '55 from Two Lane Blacktop both have special places in my heart, but they're so simple in comparison to the Interceptor.
Now, at 20 years young, I've learned the value of a dollar, and I know damn well I can't afford to try and replicate the Interceptor by traditional means.
Thankfully, I've taken the time to try and understand what the famous Pursuit Special actually IS, and that's the most important part of trying to replicate any unique car without being able to create an exact copy.
The MFP's Black-on-Black Pursuit Special is, as I understand it, intended to represent a hand-built supercar of the 70s. It looks menacing, but not in the same way a muscle car does.
I've finally decided to make my attempt at cloning it, with limited resources and budget, using what's available to me here in the USA. This first portion is intended to gather information on what can be used to pull it off.
The XA-XC Ford Falcon is essentially the bastard child of the '70-71 Torino, and the '71-73 Mustang. That can easily be seen at a glance, but I have several questions pertaining to these cars and using them to replicate the most visually-iconic features of the Falcon, and the Interceptor itself.
Let's start with the front end, which I would consider the easiest part of this
Falcon
Interceptor
Mustang
As you can see, the front clip of the Mustang is close enough to use without any major modification.
The general slope, the scoop and pin setup, and the top lines of the fenders are near identical. The only modification needed here would be the cut-out for the blower, and changing out the hood pins to match those on the Interceptor.
The grille and front bumper, while generally pretty close, aren't too relevant since they'd be covered by the nose cone.
Two major differences stand out here. The wheel wells are smaller and entirely rounded, compared to the wider and more straight-sided wells of the Falcon. They also come flared from the factory.
Personally, I would just leave the wheel wells alone. The flares are very similarly-sized to those of the Interceptor, and the overall shape of them isn't too important to achieving the look of the movie car.
The second, and more important, difference would be that overly-pronounced line which extends to the doors. On the Falcon, this line is much more subtle and runs the entire length of the car. The body of the Falcon also allows this line to remain close to the center of the body top-to-bottom.
I reckon the best thing to do about that line would be trying to remove it totally. One could try to get creative and form out the Falcon's line, but that would require far too much effort and potentially come out looking awful.
(I didn't mention the Torino here because the front clip isn't even close)
Next, let's talk about the side profile
Interceptor
Torino
Mustang
This is what I'd consider the most challenging part of the Aussie car to match with an American equivalent. It boils down quite a bit to personal preference.
The Mustang's doors seem to be a closer overall match here. Those iconic door handles are definitely an important piece. Both the Torino and the Mustang share some unnecessary body lines which extend into the doors, and would ideally need to be removed entirely. It can be seen that the Torino shares that subtle straight line extending the length of the car, which is a bonus. It also has very similarly-shaped wheel wells.
The Falcon's windows are certainly unique, and their shape is an important part of the car's look. I believe the Torino's windows are closer length-wise, while the Mustang's have a more appropriate height.
Another important point is the length and shape of the tail section. I think the Torino definitely wins here. The length from the rear of the door to the front edge of the wheel well is near-perfect, and allows enough space to add the iconic zoomies. I couldn't see this being possible on the Mustang. The Torino also shares the concave line from the rear of the roof to the tip of the tail, while that of the Mustang is more convex. The Torino does seem to be a bit too long beyond the rear of the wheel well, but I think this difference could be ignored.
Now, the tail itself is somewhere I recommend getting creative
Falcon
Interceptor
Torino
Mustang
One obvious point here is that the convex curve of the Mustang's tail is way off, while the Torino is pretty close to what we want. The Mustang does, however, share the upswept edges of the bumper. Both American cars' bumpers stick to a line parallel to the bottom edges of the taillights, while the Falcon has a center protrusion which accents the lights. The taillights themselves are different on all 3 cars, although I'd personally call the Mustang's lights a bit closer to the Falcon's. Overall, I'd say the Torino has a much more similar tail. The recessed center section matches up well, and the tail panel itself is laid out similarly. The primary difference is that the Falcon's looks more like one big panel with everything attached to it, while the Torino's is more part of the body with each individual part laid into it. Your best bet here is to just pick what looks nice to you, and modify it however you see fit. I personally think the tail panel of the Torino looks a bit better than the Falcon's, and will likely leave it alone.
How 'bout the interior?
Falcon
Mustang
Torino
'73 Gran Torino
I doubt it'd be possible to match the famous Falcon's interior 100% without spending way more money than it's worth. You can, however, get pretty close and match the overall feel. The Torino's interior is way off. It's far too outdated and simple. Remember, we're building a supercar here. It needs to have all kinds of gadgets and gauges. The Mustang seems to be the obvious winner here, BUT the interior of the '73 Gran Torino is a lot more modern and also does what we need it to. If most of these pieces can be fit into an older Torino, this gets much easier.
My Conclusions
It seems to me that if I want to build an Americanized tribute to the Pursuit Special, the best possible base car is a '70-71 Torino Cobra. Any Torino equipped with the Sportsroof option will work, though. I would simply need to change out the tail panel for the Cobra one.
I would then need to work out the upper and lower body lines from the fenders, doors, and just behind the doors. The center line is a nice bonus.
Now, the most complex part of this job is the front end. I don't know how much work would be needed to get the Mustang's scooped hood to fit. I'd also like to graft the ends of the Mustang's fenders onto the stock ones, which would also mean adding a slight crease to them to match that center body line. Finishing this would probably mean trying to add the Mustang's grille, as well, but no fine fitting is really necessary as it'll all be covered by a nose cone.
Some fun custom fiberglass work will be required to add the iconic spoilers, and the best option for the nose cone is probably to buy one intended for a Falcon and modify it to fit. It'll then need to be molded to run into the front fender flares, which will need to be added (along with the rear ones). Appropriate headlights, a cut-out for the blower, new wheels/tires and some suspension work will have the exterior finished. The final touch would be the iconic gloss-and-matte paintjob.
For the interior, I reckon it should be possible to obtain the interior pieces from a '73 Gran Torino and fit them in the older one. The Mad Max modifications are the easy part here.
The amount of interior and exterior work required means I'm not too scared of getting a more rough example to start with. If I'm gonna be stripping it down and modifying the hell out of it anyway, I don't mind working some restoration into that to save some money on the car in the first place.
The 351 Cleveland and some basic performance parts for it aren't hard to acquire out here. The 4-speed Top Loader may be a different story. Thankfully, Holley now sells a Weiand "nostalgia" 6-71 blower with a dull finish. They are also now producing the Weiand "nostalgia" swing-arm blower drive in the same finish. I know this part was practically unobtainable a few years ago.
My one concern with building an engine for this thing comes with the Scott injection hat. I know reproductions of these are being made, but I don't think 7 grand is a very fair price for a primitive fuel injection system. Now, there are the ones made just for show, but I feel like the setup would look strange with the carbs sitting on top of the blower. I do suppose it'd give the whole setup the height it needs to be displayed well. I have no interest in a fake blower setup. I get why people do it, but it's not something I'd blow my money on.
So, let's get some discussion going here. Constructive criticism, input on fitting of some of these parts, suggestions for alternatives, etc. Info on a lot of this is few and far between, so it'd be nice to have a central place to discuss it for those working with a tight budget that want to use an American alternative to the Falcon to build their dream car.
) I grafted 69 fenders onto the 72, hand built the nose and just sourced pieces from everywhere. My scoop is a fiberglass replica. I get alot of attention, but i tell people its not the real deal but they dont care. The main thing is have fun. Ive been a fan of the movies my whole life and i was bound and determined to build one. You could use any car you want, a welder and torch does wonders!! Thats my story!
