My lack of faith in these five Star Wars tie-ins is disturbing

Tom White
Deputy News Editor
4 May 2017
3 min read

If you're more interested in arguing about whether Han shot first than you are about power and torque figures read on, because while these cars might interest Star Wars fanatics, they certainly won't excite revheads.

Barely any of these cars are as fun as watching limbs being severed by a physically-impossible laser sword and in the grand scheme of tie-ins and homages some are pretty close to rock bottom.

While companies could do something cool like the land-speeder some bloke actually made, most of them opt for a half-assed marketing experiment that wouldn't be worth lifting out of the swamp on Degobah.

Without further adieu, the top five Star Wars movie tie-ins that The Force probably isn't with...

#5 Mercedes-Benz CLA180 Star Wars Edition

Just over sixty-thousand republic credits will do fine.
Just over sixty-thousand republic credits will do fine.

This is the most recent in a bunch of 'here are some Star Wars logos and a bit of black and white trim, because stormtroopers.' Likely inspired by the next car on this list, this Japan-only Mercedes-Benz fittingly comes with the base engine, because it brings nothing special to the cantina, not even Galactic Empire logo inspired rims, which I'm glad I just thought of.

#4 Nissan Special Edition Rogue One X-Trail

More School run than Death Star trench run.
More School run than Death Star trench run.

Congratulations, if you bought this car, you are now the coolest most Force-sensitive soccer mum ever. There is literally nothing different about this car. It has a half-baked paintjob so it's sort of like how they changed C-3PO's arm to red to give him some character development in The Force Awakens except that was more mysterious and therefore of more value to fans.

Seriously, worse than Attack of the Clones...

#3 Fiat Stormtrooper 500e

I don't actually know if you can still see through the windscreen on this one.
I don't actually know if you can still see through the windscreen on this one.

This, somehow beyond reason, manages to have more branding stickers than an Abarth product, so hats off to Fiat for this car having more of something than the rest of their product lineup. I'm really not sure even a dedicated fan would be seen in something so... Brazen.. I have to say though, the Pirelli whitewalls look kind of novel on the 500.

#2 Hot Wheels Stormtrooper Dodge Charger

Yet another 'stormtrooper' design...
Yet another 'stormtrooper' design...

How many brands can you fit in one value-packed marketing experiment? This might just take the automotive cake outside of motorsport. Thats right, this is a stock Dodge Charger, with the Dodge badges replaced by Hot Wheels logos as a kind of co-sponsored marketing experiment with Uber and Disney to promote The Force Awakens. Oh, and it has a stormtrooper paintjob again. 

Seriously, how cool would something a litte more original be, like a Ford Millenium Falcon. We just thought of that on the spot in the office, it's not that hard.

#1 Hot Wheels Darth Vader car

Complete with iPad controlled sound effects and built in smoke machine...
Complete with iPad controlled sound effects and built in smoke machine...

Darth Vader's helmet makes him look a bit formidable in the movie. Now imagine you stuck it in the microwave over the top of an RC car and left it for 40 or so minutes to adequately melt and you might end up with this.

I mean look at this thing, isn't it the goofiest movie-themed bodywork you've ever seen?

Lighter and faster than the donor car? There will be no-one to stop you this time.
Lighter and faster than the donor car? There will be no-one to stop you this time.

Underneath is a C5 Corvette making it, by long and far, the best car on this list.

Pretty menacing, how will people see you indicate though?
Pretty menacing, how will people see you indicate though?

There is a lot more to it than that though, thanks to the bodywork being mainly fibreglass it actually weighs almost half what the original C5 did. Plus it comes packed with an LS3 (of Commodore SS fame) and a six-speed manual. The Force is certainly stronger with this one...

What would you pick as the worst move-car tie-in of all time? Let us know in the comments.

Tom White
Deputy News Editor
Despite studying ancient history and law at university, it makes sense Tom ended up writing about cars, as he spent the majority of his waking hours finding ways to drive as many as possible. His fascination with automobiles was also accompanied by an affinity for technology growing up, and he is just as comfortable tinkering with gadgets as he is behind the wheel. His time at CarsGuide has given him a nose for industry news and developments at the forefront of car technology.
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