Toyota built a one-off Star Wars car in 1977 but it’s become an automotive mystery after vanishing decades ago
Published on Feb 27, 2026 at 7:57 PM (UTC+4)
by Alessandro Renesis
Last updated on Feb 27, 2026 at 7:57 PM (UTC+4)
Edited by
Emma Matthews
In 1977, Toyota built a one-off Star Wars Edition Celica in partnership with a California workshop – but then the car disappeared, seemingly for no reason.
No one knows where it is, and the car has been missing for nearly 50 years.
But there are at least two theories surrounding its disappearance.
The first one is bleak, and the second one is sad.
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Why Toyota created this one-off Star Wars car
In 1977, Toyota unveiled the Celica GT Star Wars Edition.
It was built as a prize for a Star Wars-themed sweepstakes, and it was customized in California by Delphi Auto Design.
Among other things, it featured a body kit from a Toyota pace car, a sunroof, and a custom airbrushed paint job.
The hood also displayed the iconic movie poster art, and the flanks featured scenes from the film.
It was also famously photographed with Darth Vader, R2-D2, and C-3PO as part of a promotional tour.
But then it disappeared.
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What really happened to it?
Both Toyota and Lucasfilm – which owned the rights to anything Star Wars-related – have been trying to locate the Celica Star Wars Edition for about 50 years.
To no avail.
If we gloss over conspiracy theories and unconfirmed – and let’s face it, ‘unconfirmable’ – hearsay, there are two theories.
The first one is pretty bleak.
The owner of Delphi was convicted, and the aftermath of said conviction was terrible.
This happened while the sweepstakes was still running, which also meant that Toyota quickly distanced itself from the whole thing.
Because Delphi ended up involved in some very serious crimes, the car may have been seized by the authorities and lost in a maze of bureaucracy.
The second theory is a lot less dark, but sadder.
Assuming the car was indeed delivered to the owner, it may be unrecognizable today, or it may have been crushed altogether.
After years of driving, the custom airbrushing likely chipped, faded, or rusted.
Or maybe the owner grew tired of the attention or the deteriorating paint and had the car resprayed a neutral color.
The car may still exist in a garage or scrapyard today, completely unrecognizable under layers of cheap paint.
Pity.
After beginning his automotive writing career at DriveTribe, Alessandro has been with Supercar Blondie since the launch of the website in 2022. In fact, he penned the very first article published on supercarblondie.com. He’s covered subjects from cars to aircraft, watches, and luxury yachts - and even crypto. He can largely be found heading up the site’s new-supercar and SBX coverage and being the first to bring our readers the news that they’re hungry for.
