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Ever Wanted Your Own Land Speeder?

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the talk-about-obsession dept.

An anonymous reader writes "Be the first on your block to drive on of these! a StarWars Land Speeder. This used to be a 1988 Ford Escort and only has 880 miles since built." This is a surprisingly impressive conversion.

20 of 221 comments (clear)

  1. Better. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Funny

    It's better than the ones from the films .... you can't see the wheels.

  2. jedi mind trick by gmkeegan · · Score: 4, Funny

    This isn't the Escort you're looking for...

    Scoundrel? I can live with that...

  3. Cool. Bad timing, though. by Animats · · Score: 3
    That should have gone on sale before Burning Man. Great art car for the playa.

    The interior is pure Ford Escort, though. The guy could have put some better seats in the thing, and reworked the dashboard.

  4. Re:Impresive by enigma48 · · Score: 4, Informative

    The donor car it was built on actually has 108k on it - the "Speeder" after built though, only has gone 880 miles.

  5. This is street legal ?!?!?! by MarcoAtWork · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Well, in Europe (Italy to be more precise), where I'm originally from, there are *extremely* strict rules that define what is street legal and what is not (for example, most kit cars are not legal despite the fact that they've been tested, because you're building it yourself, so you can't, say, use the crash tests from a different one, because the manufacturer is different).

    Something like this would probably be laughed at before even starting the application process ;)

    Just curious, what are exactly the regulations that define street-worthiness in the USA? I'm thinking about things like

    - safety (if I want to install an impaling device on the front of the car, am I allowed to? or what about the always fun side-mounted scythe blades?)

    - safety (if I want to install a 10 foot tall flagpole that will make my car 99% flip over in a turn when there's wind, can I do it?)

    - safety (if I take my average car, install a couple thousand pounds worth of 'mods' and its braking distance shoots up fourfold, is it a problem?)

    - safety (what about being able to evade an accident? if my 'mods' make my car drive like a barge in a river, is that ok?)

    - safety (what about if sharp pieces of my 'mod' become unglued when going over a bump at speed, take off, and shatter the windshield of whomever is following me?)

    - safety (what about seatbelts? what if it rolls over?)

    I don't want to spoil the fun, but really, if a car doesn't pass *all* of the above (and more) IMHO it shouldn't be classified as 'road worthy' regardless of how cool it looks...

    just my 2c

    --
    -- the cake is a lie
    1. Re:This is street legal ?!?!?! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny
      it used to be a frigging Ford Escort. How much more could he fuck it up?
      • Horrible braking distance? Check.
      • Drives like a barge in a river? Check.
      • Pieces falling off? Check.
      • Rollover? Check.
    2. Re:This is street legal ?!?!?! by Salsaman · · Score: 4, Funny
      No need to worry about that...

      "Excuse me sir, is this your vehicle ?"

      "This is not the car you are looking for"

      "This is not the car we are looking for. Move along."

    3. Re:This is street legal ?!?!?! by gmhowell · · Score: 3, Funny

      It's not as simple as that, even. This is a 'kit car' (regardless of what he says, regardless of it being a one off, this is a kit car). The rules and regulations vary by state. And the odds of finding the rules in your state are... varied.

      Some states require only the VIN (Vehicle Identification Number), working lights and turn signals, etc. Other states require emissions testing and other things. But if you can fill out the right papers, there's not much you can't drive. I believe the thinking is "if you're stupid enough to drive it, you're stupid enough to die in it".

      --
      Jesus was all right but his disciples were thick and ordinary. -John Lennon
    4. Re:This is street legal ?!?!?! by laserjet · · Score: 3, Funny

      Having my fiance owning an Escort, and having driven it, I commend you on your accurate description. I have never driven such a small car that felt like driving barge.

      --
      Moon Macrosystems. Sun's biggest competitor.
    5. Re:This is street legal ?!?!?! by zenyu · · Score: 3, Interesting

      In most states in the US if you have the right lights, a mirror on the drivers side, and one either on the passenger or windshield you can get it registered and inspected. If the mod looks like it might weigh to much it might not pass inspection, or if you had that flagpole or whatever.

      You probably could get insurance to cover damage to your car but you could get liability as long as it passed inspection. In NJ, the only state I've had an inspection done, you need seatbelts and to pass emission. Even that could be gotten around by having it inspected at your local garage for a fee. The funny thing is if it's a classic car (over 20 yrs old) the emission standards are very low, and you even get registration and insurance for less. It's a sort of "Sunday Driver" clause, since they don't expect you do drive the thing everyday.

      Parts will come flying off on any car on some of the roads in the states. I lost a my muffler on a bridge that was being refurbished because my car couldn't clear the uneven road surface(NJ). It only cost a $1000 to have the undercarage repaired and the muffler reattached so I didn't bother filing for any kind of reimbursement. 10ft deep potholes are not uncommon in NYC, I just saw a brand new one on my way to work yesterday(4ft). It happens when there is a flood underneath the road surface. There congrete under the blacktop is 3ft thick in places but it isn't steel reinforced so if the earth beneath it is gone, the road eventually fails. A few months ago a delivery truck fell completely underground when the intersection collapsed. That one took 3 days to repair, a watermain had broken at least a week before underneath. My neighboorhood used to be a marsh 200 years ago, so it's not surprising when an buried river goes amuck.

  6. Re:Is it actually legal to drive this? by NMerriam · · Score: 3, Informative

    It says that it is street legal, and I don't doubt it. It looks like it has the proper lights on front and back, as well as mirrors and a windshield. That's pretty much all that is required for a vehicle to be street legal int he US -- if he were manufacturing these as an auto dealer he'd probably have to do more safety/impact tests of the body, but as-is, it's legally a Ford Escort.

    --
    Recursive: Adj. See Recursive.
  7. Re:Impresive by BabyDave · · Score: 5, Funny
    What fascinates me is the price. 880 miles and a real car and the guy is selling it for less than $5000 + 50% of the transport costs? Makes you wonder a bit.
    He says it's the best he can do. Since the XP-38 came out, they're just not in demand.
  8. I can just see the conversation with the cop by CodeWheeney · · Score: 5, Funny

    Cop: Son, do you realize you were going 45 in a 25? License, and, um, registration please.

    Obi Wannabe: These are not the droids you are looking for.

    Cop: What?

    Obi Wannabe: Move Along.

    Cop: Get out of the car and place your hands where I can see them...

    --
    C8H10N4O2 | Developer > Code
    1. Re:I can just see the conversation with the cop by Salsaman · · Score: 3, Funny
      Just what is the air speed limit for extremely low flying craft?

      What do you mean, an African or European low flying craft ?

      (Sorry, couldn't resist that one.)

  9. Re:Is it actually legal to drive this? by nomadic · · Score: 4, Funny

    Of course, the insurance company would probably freeze you in carbonite, metaphorically speaking...

  10. Esthetic trash by gmhowell · · Score: 3, Interesting

    This thing... Needs some work. The dimensions appear a bit off. Nose too long, pods not quite the right size. Others have mentioned the obviously Ford dash. A trip to Dakota Digital could have quickly solved that. And a Grant steering wheel would have been nice. After spending this much money, they could have at least grabbed the seats out of an Escort GT.

    And what's with the nose? There is no reason to have those huge cutouts for the headlights. Either put them behind the grill, or let the grill roll up when needed ('69 Camaro among others). Please tell me it has this feature, and they were just rolled up for the pictures.

    Finding a competent glass shop isn't always easy. If you can find a Corvette specialty shop, you might be okay. Otherwise, you are stuck with boat shops. And most of them are more worried about the structural repair than the appearance.

    Still, a fun link for a Saturday afternoon.

    --
    Jesus was all right but his disciples were thick and ordinary. -John Lennon
  11. Yes. I must purchase this automobile. by multiplexo · · Score: 5, Funny

    Then and only then will I be able to complete my transmogrification into the Comic Book guy from The Simpsons.

    --
    cheap labor conservatives - they want to keep you hungry enough to be thankful for minimum wage.
  12. Re:"Street Legal" only in the US? by kikta · · Score: 5, Funny
    it would look pretty in my garden next to the R2D2 fountain and Ewok treehouse...


    Don't you mean your parents' garden? ;-)
  13. Escorts: The Phantom Engine by Tablizer · · Score: 3, Interesting

    (* it used to be a frigging Ford Escort. How much more could he fuck it up? *)

    I had a Ford Escort once. It indeed was a P.O.S. I had to write "NOT TO CLOSE" on the back because it would stall if I stopped on a hill and roll backward. It had an aluminum head-block that cracked every six months.

    If Richard Petty sins too much, an Escort is what God and/or Satan will give him to drive around in the afterlife.

    I hear that the *only* reason Ford sold Escorts is that by law the average gas milage on *all* cars a vendor sold had to average a certain gas milage. Ford sold Escorts to simply keep the average down so that they could sell more fat trucks. (This is why they had wimpy engines). They practically gave the things away and people *still* did not take them often enough.

    People would rather pay the same for a used Toyata with 55K than a new Escort. The post 55K is better in a Toyota than the first 55K on an Escort.

    They should make something that is half mini and half go-cart, then the engine would have decent pull. Don't try to dress it up as a real car, because Escorts ain't real cars. I hated renting the damned things too. It is a lawnmower in car body.

    --
    Table-ized A.I.
  14. It could get worse... by Mulletproof · · Score: 3, Funny

    Bust out the high end stereo system and blast the StarWars anthem as you cruise around town... I'm sure it'd have the same affect as having the Black Plague or Ebola... "Chicks? We don't need no stinkin... ch-- No, actually, we DO need some chicks... BOB!! CANCEL THE BID BEFORE IT'S TOO LATE!!"

    --
    You need a FREE iPod Nano