When you see a vehicle inspired by the famous X-Wing ships from Star Wars, you can never be sure whether it will drive by you or really take off. A simplified version has been recently built for a race in Pennsylvania. 
K. Sebring, who is more popularly known as The Papier Boy, came up with this design for a race that is organized by NASBRA (Nazareth Adult Soapbox Racing Association) periodically. Before building this vehicle, the designer did some extensive research on the Internet, in order to replicate the original as accurately as possible. Still, considering the materials from which the car is made, the resemblance is really relative. 
The car body has two wings and four turrets attached to it and these are precisely the elements that made the original X-Wing stand apart. The car is modular, so the designer was able to put it together on site. NASBRA requires all the cars to have an eye hook in the front of the car, but the Papier Boy managed to hide this under the nose cone that lifts up. One of the breakpads broke during the first heat, but this did not stop the Papier Boy from winning the heat and moving to the next round. Another element that contributes to the authenticity of the car is the spinning R2D2 placed in the back of the car. The Papier Boy also connected an mp3 player to a speaker that is hidden under the spinning droid. As seen in the video, samples of R2D2 sounds are played while the robot spins, so the overall design is rather impressive, considering the low amount of money the designer needed for building this soap box car. Building this soap box car cost less than $75, so even though the car is a bit flimsy, the effort of The Papier Boy needs to be appreciated. The low budget determined the designer to abandon one of his initial ideas. Basically, he wanted the wings to open and close, but this would have required not only more money, but also a lot more time. If you liked this post, please check the X-Wing built from office supplies and the Star Destroyer ice luge. Via: Instructables
