What Trucks Were Used To Make War Rig Vehicles For The Mad Max Franchise?

"Mad Max: Fury Road" and its prequel, "Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga," have stayed in peoples' minds thanks to their harsh, violent action, gritty world-building, and intense storyline. But what has often stood out is the War Rig, a massive truck with two engines used to race across the harsh desert, equipped with weapons and defense to fight off rival factions coming from the mountains and sky. It's probably the most memorable vehicle in either movie, but what's even crazier is that the War Rigs were semi-functional off-camera, built with a blend of real-life vehicles for big-screen stunts. 

One of the wildest stories about the War Rigs is when filmmaker George Miller decided to have the massive vehicle crash on set instead of using CGI. Miller recalled the massive stunt in the book "Miller and Max: George Miller and the Making of a Film Legend," written about his film history and the creation of the "Mad Max" franchise. Miller said the team turned down the notion of using a miniature or CGI. Instead, the stunt involved driving the War Rig about 500 feet, then hitting a button that fired a cannon mounted to the truck into the ground, causing the massive 78-foot-long War Rig to roll and crash. Despite how incredibly dangerous the stunt was, there were no serious injuries reported. 

There were actually three War Rigs that were interchangeably used in "Mad Max: Fury Road." This model was a heavily modified 18-wheeler Tatra T815, a truck from the Czech Republic. The cabin remained true to the Tatra T815 but had a widened rear provided by a Chevy Fleetmaster. It was also given modified suicide doors. Two of the War Rigs had a V8 Tatra engine cooled with a big turbine fan, producing 275 horsepower — unsurprisingly, this meant it was not powerful enough to take on tougher terrain at its size. A third War Rig was given a Tatra racing engine with 500 hp — the other engine and superchargers shown in the film were and non-functional. The War Rig also had 14 weapons in the cabin and mounted in various areas.

The War Rig made an appearance in the prequel "Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga," where the titular Furiosa drives a heavily modified 12-wheeler Kenworth W900 (one of the most popular semi-truck brands in the U.S.). This version had 615 hp and was equipped with the Bommy Knocker, a spinning drill that swings around four maces, and two excavators — defense against other vehicles. The War Rig was designed with various action shots in mind, like the front grille having horizontal lines so you could see Furiosa's eyes through them at certain angles.