Today is Star Wars Day, and if you don’t know why “May the Fourth” gets that honour then you probably didn’t click on the link to get this far. The Star Wars franchise is the 800 lb wookie in the world of entertainment. Movies, games, books, toys, sheets, commemorative plates, flamethrowers [Evan, I think that last one’s the wrong movie. –Ed.] So naturally, there are some Star Wars cars too. And not just from fans. Real factory-built Star Wars cars. Some of them were even available to buy from dealers. So here are some of the best you could buy and a few you couldn’t.
Fiat 500e
Inspired by the armour of the First Order Legion, this 500e is wrapped to make sure you see the visor and helmet of a First Order Stormtrooper. The inside is matching black-and-white as well, with leather and Alcantara in a Star Wars–inspired pattern. It needs to be comfy in that helmet, after all, so the materials are comfy. The white dash gets a Star Wars logo, just in case you weren’t sure what look they were going for.
Dodge Viper, Charger, and Challenger
Dodge wanted to use a different kind of force to promote The Force Awakens. They took a Charger and a Challenger – both with 707 hp Hellcat V8 – and vinyl-wrapped them with Stormtrooper-inspired graphics. Then they took a V10 SRT Viper and wrapped that for Kylo Ren. The cars toured LA to help promote the movie, with fans able to take photos with the cars.
Renault Zoe
The exterior of the Renault Zoe is... Well, let’s face it, kinda boring as far as special editions go. It’s got a Millennium Falcon graphic on the hood and one on the roof, and that’s about it. But look inside and there is new purple dash trim, seat fabric, and floor-mat piping. And you could buy this one. Sort of. It was limited to 1,000 cars and only sold in France.
Hot Wheels
The Hot Wheels Star Wars Character Cars seem like an odd choice. After all, why would the car body just be a giant head? But that’s all that some of the full-size cars are doing, and when you’ve already created as many toys and action figures as the Star Wars Franchise, this is what’s left. At least they have cool working suspensions and big tires to help them navigate the sandy dunes of Tatooine or the snowfields of Hoth.
Dodge Avenger
Dodge brought a Stormtrooper-themed Avenger to SEMA 2007. It doesn’t look much like its namesake, although the body kit does add a bit of a resemblance. This is a SEMA show car, so it gets a more powerful engine with “the punch of a velvet hammer”. Well, that’s using the Force! It also has Microsoft Zune support, not Android, but it is from 2007 so we’ll cut them some slack. This one didn’t make it to dealerships.
Nissan Rogue
The Nissan Rogue One was one of the first Star Wars cars to actually see production. 400 of them were made for Canada, with a special badge and some exterior trim and decal changes. It was offered, fittingly for Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. Even though Nissan only made a small number, the prices haven’t rocketed through the roof. In fact, we have at least one listed for sale on autoTRADER.ca right now. Maybe this is the Rogue you are looking for.
But before the production model, Nissan revealed an even better Star Wars–themed Rogue. This one was an X-Wing Rogue. Nissan weathered it to look like the Rogue had a rough time travelling through space. They also added engines and a droid over the rear cargo area. And while it couldn’t actually travel through space, or fit in a lane of traffic for that matter, the adorned Rogue looked pretty cool.
Toyota Celica
The Star Wars Celica was a joint venture between Toyota and Twentieth Century Fox. This extremely 1970s-looking car was a giveaway prize to promote the first movie, which makes it one of the first pieces of merchandise for the franchise. The car was based on a 1977 Toyota Celica Pace Car edition, which added a very ’70s body kit to the Celica. It also got Star Wars graphics covering the exterior. The car was awarded to a lucky (?) winner in early 1978.
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