THE ROAD WARRIOR
LASTV8

Saturday, march 22nd 2008. My second encounter with the Road Warrior Interceptor. When the garage door is opened the Interceptor lies in waiting under a blue tarp. This car does not have a rear window, and the side windows are left open as well. The tarp undoubtedly serves as a barrier against anything the windows would keep out otherwise. I help Jake take off the tarp, something he undoubtedly done by himself many times. It is something special, unveiling a car like this. With the tarp gone my eyes run over the bodywork. Sleek it is not, but who needs sleek in a post apocalyptic world? You need gas, as much as you can carry. And since your aircon will break down in a matter of months you don't need side and rear windows either. I continue to look at the car while Jake gets inside. I hear him pump the gas a couple of times before cranking it. It fires up with no hesitation. The sound emmitting from the side pipes identical to the Interceptor used by Max himself. When I get in we idle for a bit in the driveway, the smell of exhaust fumes filling the cabin. The side pipes and lack of rolled up windows are obviously to blame. Bit it is something magical, the smell of the exhaust fumes, mixed with unburnt gasoline. “It’s a sign everything works,” I hear Jake say. And although nowadays it would mean the opposite he is right. This car is from an era where no computer chip controls the flow of gasoline. It's raw, pure, and most of all; understandable.

Then we are off, taking the route Jake always takes around the block to warm the Interceptor up slowly. Many people wave as we drive by, it’s hard not to notice it. A couple of kids request a burnout. “Residential Area,” is all Jake has to say. The Interceptor is loud. But somehow people seem to accept it. Try this in a current vehicle, like my 2005 mustang GT, and you will get complaints all the way up to a nice visit from the police. But no matter what kind of exhaust you put on a car nowadays, it will never come close to those of yester year, just like none will come close to the sound of the Interceptor. It's unique, unmistakable. “You won’t be able to do this in the Max 1 car,” Jake said as we took a shortcut trough a gas station. The road dipped down a fair bit, and it would indeed demolish the front end. Even though I love the Max 1 front fascia, even I am known for going into area’s that would damage a lowered car. This is undoubtedly something Max must have done while wandering in the wasteland. He hit something, and as a result he took a hacksaw to it.

“People look at you all the time, but you have to watch out for target fixation. People will literally run into someone or do something stupid to take a picture,” Jake said. And I agree, seeing with my own eyes how people where taking pictures from their moving vehicles. But there is an added benefit of being seen. When we merged onto the freeway a big rig actually slowed down. He had seen us on the service road previously. It however doesn’t save you from the terminal ignorant driver which just put her car in front of us and practically slammed on the brakes because she had to have the same exit as we did. Jake drove it back, using his good neighbors’ driveway to back it up. I helped him cover it back up, leaving the hood open to allow the engine heat to dissipate. We spent some time talking, and part ways. It was a good day, and I hope there will be others like it in the future. When I got home my wife says: “You smell of Car,” Indeed…

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