Han Solo's old project car

Thu, 13 Dec 2018 01:33:52 GMT

My dad has a classic car as old as he is - a 1958 Austin Healey Sprite, also called a “Bug Eye”

(image source: ClassicCars.com)

To give you a scale, the top of the windshield is about 3 1/2 feet high

In factory condition, it was not a fancy car in any way.

It has one side mirror and no central rear view mirror.

Front and rear bumpers were an extra feature, that my dad’s Bug Eye never had.

Same with the radio - there’s a small piece of polished wood where you would expect the radio to be.

There are no door locks.

There are no windows.

There are no exterior door handles - just reach over the side and pull the interior handle.

There is luggage space for maybe one small duffle, as the roof takes up the space behind the passengers.

It has a realistic top speed of around 65 mph, and take about 20-30 seconds to reach that.

It has 43 horse power.

On top of all that, it has run for maybe ten of the last twenty years.

I have never seen the roof put up.

The windshield wipers don’t work.

It has a perfectly circular five inch dent on the left quarter panel, where all the paint has rusted away.

The speedometer is inaccurate - my dad knows what speed he’s going by when he has to switch gears.

To repair it last time, we had to call a flatbed truck. That’s because the ground clearance is five inches - too short to be towed without damaging it.

At the moment, the brakes are stuck - it cannot move from the garage.

Also, British cars of that era are known for leaking oil. I don’t know how true this is in general, but it is definitely true in this case.

Why am I telling you all this? Because when Kylo Ren ordered his troops to fire on the Millennium Falcon, I realized immediately that it was the Bug Eye. Kylo Ren saw his dad’s college friend driving the Bug Eye with a teenage mechanic riding (and holding a) shotgun, right in the middle of a war-zone. The emotional state is such a precise blend of anger, envy, and confusion at how that thing’s even running.

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Han Solo's old project car