Welcome to Post-Apocalyptic Media’s Car-maggeddon Tournament, where we’ve pitted popular vehicles from various wastelands against one another in a battle to the death!
There are 20 vehicles of different shapes and sizes. Who will win and be crowned the Wasteland Winner?
Note: These vehicles are from movies only and one vehicle per movie. (And no space ships or aircraft)
How will Car-maggeddon work? Each Saturday, we will pitch two vehicles against one another based on six criteria (listed below)!
Reliability/Functionality
Does the car have a tendency to break down? To lose parts? Can you sleep in it?
Offense
Does the vehicle have any weapons or other ways to take out the competition?
Defense
What armor (if any) does it have? How hard would it be for a zombie to get inside it or for someone to take out the driver from outside?
Speed
Can it outrun any threats, or does it just trundle along?
Power
Can it ram its way out of anything holding it back?
Aesthetics
This is basically a tie-breaker. In the battle, which vehicle has a higher “coolness factor” or matches best the wasteland look?
Check out the roaster below to see upcoming battles! Once every battle is complete in Round 1, the winners will move on to round 2.
To start us off with a bang (well, hopefully not!) today, is:
Round 1, Battle 1:
Mad Max’s Ford Falcon Pursuit Special, “the last of the V8 Interceptors” [1973] From Mad Max: The Road Warrior (1981) vs. the 1965 Ford Mustang from Cherry 2000 (1987).
Two equally cool cars from two equally iconic movies. The drivers aren’t a consideration in these battles, but I think Max and Edith are on par with one another (but that could be my bias, as Cherry 2000 is one of my favorite movies).
The Cars:
Storming down a desert highway, the cars start the battle neck-and-neck. Both cars are matched for practical use – neither are convertibles, so both can be slept in or used as a quick cover. Where the Falcon can get further miles to a tank, due to its extra fuel storage, the Mustang can get itself out of tight spots with its winch. The Mustang does have an array of tracking equipment built into the dash.
Both cars are also comparable in their defensive capabilities. Neither has any extra armor or shielding, meaning they are vulnerable to attacks from raiders and all manner of feral children.
Yet, these cars are too fast to catch and have comparable power. The Falcon is newer and has a supercharged engine, but the Mustang has mysterious jet-propulsion capabilities retrofitted into the vehicle.
The Falcon flies past the Mustang, opening fire from the gunner seat. The Mustang returns the heat from the sunroof, beginning an all-out war. Unfortunately for the Mustang, even if they were to gain the upper ground, the Falcon’s booby trap bomb would take them both out.
As such, it’s down to aesthetics. While the Interceptor comes with a cute dog, the Mustang has that sunroof. In the end, it’s a case of the Interceptor’s quintessential post-apocalyptic style versus the cherry red finish and classic coupe of the Mustang.
As such, though a surprisingly tight match, the Pursuit Special is the Last V8 standing.
WINNER Round 1, Battle 1: Ford Falcon Pursuit Special from Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior
Next Saturday, we’ll see who can survive longest: the Bus from Dawn of the Dead (2004) or the Tank from Tank Girl (1995)! Let us know in the comments, on our Facebook group, or on Twitter who you think will win! Throw in the hashtag #car-maggeddon !
