A few months ago, sharp-eyed auction watchdogs may have spotted a sporty-looking roadster sharing more than just a passing resemblance to one X-34 Tatooine landspeeder while browsing the internet listings. No, this wasn't an original prop that hovered its way into private hands after being traded for passage to Alderaan -- it was almost as cool, though.
The landspeeder, which sported a bright red and white paint scheme and a 1971 Volkswagen chassis, was actually a custom vehicle built by the Coca-Cola Bottling Company back in the early 1980s for use in parades and special events. Like the famous R2-D2 clone Cobot robot from Coke (you can read about that campaign here), the Coke landspeeder showcased the Coca-Cola brand by using popular Star Wars iconography -- in this case, Luke Skywalker's hometown ride. Coca-Cola, of course, was a Star Wars licensee in the U.S. between 1977-1985.
Sadly, the Coke landspeeder's heyday was short-lived, and quickly fell into obscurity in the years following its early '80s debut. So obscure is the Coke landspeeder, in fact, that no photos of it could be found in the company's archives in Atlanta -- only a postage stamp-sized image on the front of a 1981 Atlanta auto racing brochure testifies to its Coca-Cola roots. One might guess the mascot vehicle would fall victim to the fate of others like it -- chopped up for parts or sent to the spice mines of Kessel and smashed into who-knows-what -- but not so in the case of the Coke landspeeder.
While the reason it's survived all these years is not entirely clear, what is known is that the red rocketcar landed in the grassy impound lot of Florida's Cedar Grove Police Department a couple years ago, apparently donated by a local charity to the town back in 1995. Chief Guy Turcotte, an 18-year law enforcement officer and currently Chief of Police for the town of Cedar Grove, discovered the speeder there when he began work at the station a year ago. A confessed Star Wars fan, Chief Turcotte instantly recognized the vehicle's familiar lines and decided it was time for the speeder to pay up for years of free parking on his lot.
"I advised my town council that I have a very tight budget and that if I could sell the landspeeder, I could use the money to buy equipment and new computers for the police department, replacing our old, broken and out-of-date ones," says Turcotte, who notes the speeder will be roadworthy once the '71 VW engine is fixed by a collector with some know-how. "It was used for special events and parades, and for the past couple of years, it has just been sitting in my impound lot."
Comparing the recent photos of the speeder to the image published on the 1981 racing brochure, it's doubtful even Luke Skywalker could have kept so much of the original vehicle intact. With the exception of the wrap-around grill, upholstery, Coke branding, and a couple other cosmetic changes, "Coke One" (as it is was originally called) appears relatively well-preserved, awaiting a new home in a collector's garage or showroom.
While the original auction claimed no bidders, Chief Turcotte intends to put it up for bid once more, now with the benefit of some added exposure. The obvious question, of course, is who will get it -- a Coke or Star Wars collector? Needless to say, you know who we'll be pulling for.
