Bobby Price is a classic car collector with a soft spot for unique vehicles. He recently watched the blockbuster film Mad Max: Fury Road and praises the movie’s producers and set designers for their inspired creations and clever re-imaginations of some of his favorite machines. Fury Road is the fourth installment in George Miller’s Mad Max franchise and has, for its use of skillfully restyled vehicles, become a favorite of Bobby Price.
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.
The Volkswagen Beetle became a popular car in the United States during the 1960s peace and love era. Essentially, the car morphed into a symbol of everything that Hitler was not, points out Bobby Price.
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 reports that different Volkswagen vehicles have been portrayed in popular cinema, starting in 1969 with Herbie: The Love Bug. A Volkswagen Beetle was featured in the opening sequence of The Shining and a bright pink 1958 Volkswagen coupe was Molly Ringwald’s car of choice in Pretty in Pink. These are just a few examples that Bobby Price believes clearly illustrate the importance of automobiles in American culture.
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.
