Mad Max, Twisters, and Javelins – The Larry Carrell Collection

Text and Images by Bryan Goffe

Following a successful career in the Oil, Gas and Mining industry, Larry and his wife Kathi built a magnificent home in the hills above Lewistown, Montana.  In addition to the three-car attached garage for daily drivers, the homestead has a shop with a black and white checkerboard pattern RaceDeck tile floor with red borders for a 10-vehicle display, a work area with a lift and a painted epoxy gray floor, separate RV parking stalls, and a studio apartment above.  Further up the driveway, there’s an expansive 5,000 square foot “Board Room…its where the Boss’s are” garage with commercial VCT flooring in the same black, white, and red pattern, with retractable ceiling exhaust ventilation, and a gathering area in the corner.

Both are filled with Larry’s collections of cars, 1:18 scale models in recessed, glass cased shelving, Automobilia, Petroliana, neon and porcelain signs blended with assorted lifestyle souvenirs.  A special hinged display (so both sides of each can be seen) holds a complete set of autographed Team Shelby sweaters.

Ever the gracious host, “I can put the hoods down, but this is how I keep them, people are always interested in the engines.”  Photographed as kept, pages could be written about each vehicle (and in a couple cases, have been) in Larry’s car collection; each has a unique story.  While the cars are predominately special edition Fords, (including six Boss’s, three Shelby’s, five Twister Specials [Mustang Monthly magazine, May 2009], three Cougars [one included with the Boss’s]), there is also a Superbird and three American Motors’ specialty cars – two S/C Ramblers, one in “A” Group paint scheme, the other in “B” (Musclecar Enthusiast magazine, February 2008), and an AMC Javelin which his sister bought new; the collection also has an extra from the original Mad Max movie, an Asher Bros racecar driven by Linda Landers, “White Lightnin” 1954 Ford pickup built for SEMA 2014, and many others with special meaning.

When pressed for a favorite(s), Larry responded with, “I don’t really have a favorite.  They each have their special place in my collection.  The array of Ford engines includes 302, 351, 427 side-oiler, 427 tunnel port, 428 SCJ, 429 CJ, Boss 429, and modern supercharged 4.6 Liter packages.  I have projects in progress with flathead, fuel injected 289 and 390 engines.  It has always been interesting to see how people who know Ford engines react to the display of so many different examples in one place.  The Twister Specials are probably the most unique part of the collection.  They include a concours quality restored 1970 Mach I Mustang 428 SCJ (one of 96 Twister Special Mustangs) and a concours quality restored 1970 Torino Cobra 429 CJ (one of 90 Twister Special Torinos).  In addition, it includes an original unrestored 1985 Twister II 5.0 Liter Mustang (one of 96) and the only two EF-5 2008 Twister Special Mustangs built, each of which has with it the bible provided with the cars.”

For those who don’t recall how many times you’ve watched the Mad Max and Road Warrior movies, you’ll be happy to know the bomb and machete are underneath.  And when asked about the blower (in the movie it wasn’t real for the effect of turning it on and off), “This one is, and the car really goes…”  It was an extra stunt car, so a real blower makes this survivor even better.

Having the opportunity to witness Larry over the course of a long weekend, it is obvious in the way his eyes light up while giving tours of his collection that for him, the thrill is in the memories he has from obtaining, driving, and sharing these automobiles with others.

As much as Larry loves these cars, he is sending most of them to Kissimmee, Florida for the Mecum 2021 auction.  His departing words at the end of a weekend visit, “If and when these cars do go away, I’ll just find others to put in the garages.”

It looks like another visit and appearance in GSM is on the horizon.