02/17/16 – Nashville, TN – Car collector Bobby Price recently sat down to watch Mad Max: Fury Road, the 2015 hit starring Charlize Theron and Tom Hardy. The film, which Bobby Price describes as set in a dystopian post-apocalyptic Australia, centers on Max, a desert wasteland survivor, and Furiosa, a recent defect and enemy of the tyrannical leader Immortan Joe. The movie, reports Bobby Price, relies heavily on the use of armed vehicles, especially during the action-packed escape scene.
According to Bobby Price, what caught his attention was that, despite the availability of CGI and automotive engineers, moviemakers chose to use real vehicles to make the movie more relatable. One vehicle that stands out to Bobby Price: a Volkswagen Beetle, as the Volkswagen brand is an unintentional paradox. Volkswagen was initiated under the rule of notorious Nazi leader Adolf Hitler. The vehicles, explains Bobby Price, were originally designed as an inexpensive, reliable, quick, and practical family car that would be driven primarily on Germany’s new highway system.
It seemed fitting to Bobby Price that the movie portrayed the Volkswagen Beetle as an off road speed machine equipped with flamethrowers and a Nazi-esque death emblem emblazoned on the front bumper. The Beetle, along with a half dozen other armored cars and trucks, was designed to serve the needs of the fictional totalitarian ruler. Mad Max: Fury Road portrayed the Hitler-designed vehicle as everything the Führer was. Bobby Price isn’t sure if the symbolism was intentional or not, but it struck him as a truly powerful reminder of how automotive history continues to play a significant role in the culture of today, whether consciously or not.
In addition to the Volkswagen, Bobby Price says that Mad Max: Fury Road features a 1932 Ford Deuce Coupe, a 1959 Cadillac Coupe DeVille, and a 70s Chrysler Valiant Charger. Bobby Price explains the Volkswagen caught his attention because he recently purchased a 1968 VW from a local car enthusiast.
Bobby Price is a Nashville, Tennessee-based classic car collector and owner of Price’s Collision Centers. Price’s was founded by his father, Bobby Price, Sr., in the 1960s and continues to serve the needs of consumers in Tennessee and Kentucky. Along with his Volkswagen, Bobby Price owns a number of classic Chevrolet vehicles, three race cars, and an antique, out of service fire engine.
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Mad Max is one of my favorite film franchises ever. I think it’s really impressive for a movie to appeal to such a broad demographic. Bobby Price is obviously a successful business owner and I’m a struggling college student. I would love to hear what Bobby Price thought about the chase scene in the movie!
I wish the people who posted the pictures here would show a few of the cars Bobby Price has! (Especially the Bug) I found this piece searching for Mad Max: Fury Road after watching it last night with my girlfriend…who wasn’t as impressed as I was. It’s definitely a “car guy’s” kind of movie…Looks like Bobby Price is kind of THE car guy in Nashville.
Best.Movie.Ever. Bobby Price has good tastes! I had no idea that Volkswagen was a Hitler car. That’s really funny though since it’s kind of a hippy car now. I’ve never seen the Herbie movie Bobby Price mentioned. It sounds interesting though. I have seen The Shining but I’ll have to go back and watch the intro. And Pretty in Pink wasn’t that memorable so I’ll just have to trust Bobby Price on that one. Anyway, glad I read this. It’s inspired me to pay more attention to history!
That movie was terrifying. I have never seen a chase scene quite like the one at the beginning of Fury Road and if what Bobby Price said about them using real cars is true, that makes it even scarier. I’m surprised the guy that played Max didn’t die from being strapped on to the front of the car he was on. I am curious to see if Bobby Price takes any inspiration from the movie when he restores the Bug he just bought.
The Ford Coupe was the coolest car in the movie. It’s insane how people can look at a car (or a shell of a car) and come up with all of these interesting concepts. I think I agree with Bobby Price that the symbolism in using the Volkswagen was pretty cool, and, having seen plenty of other George Miller movies, I have to bet it was intentional. Bobby Price, you should check out some of his other films like Dead Calm.