When
Cedar Grove Police Chief Guy Turcotte took the job in March 2006, he
uncovered behind the department’s building a defunct, impounded
landspeeder, something “Star Wars” fanatics cherish.
Coca-Cola
in the early 1980s built the landspeeder for parades and special
events, promoting “Star Wars” visuals on the custom-made
vehicle. In “Star Wars,” Luke Skywalker commanded it.
Only
three authentic, life-size landspeeders can still be found intact in
the country, Turcotte said. That fact alone, he believed, made it
valuable. He recently put it on eBay for auction, but no one met the
minimum bid of $5,000.
The next
online auction, he said, should elicit more competitive bids,
because the landspeeder will be featured in a pilot TV series of
“Star Wars” called “The Renaissance Chronicles.”
A
Jacksonville production company, Crown Productions, which is casting
the series now, saw the Cedar Grove landspeeder online and contacted
Turcotte.
“I saw
it and fell in love with it,” said Dwight Cenac, vice president of
Crown Productions. A company associate drove about a week ago to Bay
County to pick up the 18-foot-long landspeeder.
Turcotte,
a self-professed “Star Wars” buff, said the city is leasing it
to Crown Productions for $100 per month until November.
The
company will restore it, making it operable. Cenac said once his
team is finished with updating the vehicle, it will be “street
legal.” It has rear-view mirrors, turn signals, and it fits inside
street lanes.
“The
cops may pull it over, but only to see how cool it is,” Cenac
said.
Cenac’s
production team had built a landspeeder but was not happy with the
finished product. They will save money by not having to build a new
one from scratch, Cenac said. Much of the landspeeder’s exterior
is fiberglass, which is very expensive.
Once the
vehicle acquires network notoriety, the production company
management has told Turcotte the landspeeder’s value will be six
figures.
“I
don’t know if I believe that,” Turcotte said. “But I want to
get collectors to respond with bids. You’d be amazed what they
will pay for it.”
The
landspeeder could go easily for $40,000, he believes. Turcotte
recently spoke with an Orlando businessman, who said he “would pay
up to that amount.” The production company also has agreed to pay
$40,000 if it damages or loses the landspeeder.
At a
time of short staffing at the department and a tight budget,
Turcotte said the money would be welcome to allow the purchase of
computers and additional cruisers.
“Springfield
is getting attention for its role in ‘The Simpsons’ movie. Cedar
Grove can have ‘Star Wars,’” he said.
By Ryan
Burr News Herald Writer
(850) 747-5074
rburr@pcnh.com
This
story can be found on NewsHerald.com at:
http://www.newsherald.com/headlines/article.display.php?a=2397
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The News Herald
