By Joshua Lucas
Staff Writer
When Luke Skywalker needed a fast spaceship to get off Tatooine in Star Wars, he headed to the cantina in the Mos Eisley spaceport – a “wretched hive of scum and villainy.â€
Sage Pivirotto, 18, of Carrboro, sought her vessel out on Craigslist.
“Some of the cars I saw there were pretty sketchy,†she said.
Once she turned 16, she hunted for a bargain vehicle to call her very own. Settling on a light blue 1991 Toyota Camry, she and her friend Sophie began making plans to put her stamp on the car.
First, it needed a name. They settled on “Yoda the Toyota,†because they found the rhyme funny. After that, the vehicle cried out for customization, Pivirotto said.
“We were like, ‘We have to paint this car,’†she said.
It started with a portrait of Yoda – the gnarled Jedi master who teaches Luke Skywalker – on the car’s hood. Later came an imperial storm trooper on the trunk and “May the Force Be With You†on the bumper.
A few additions later, the car isn’t hard to spot around town. From the “Star Wars†logo on the driver’s side to the Darth Vader head on the passenger door, Yoda the Toyota is covered with tributes to the movie series.
And the thing is, Sage wasn’t even a big Star Wars fan before she and the car were introduced. It was just kismet.
“I feel like I wouldn’t be such a fan if I didn’t have that car,†she said.
But Pivirotto dove into fandom headfirst, and now says the movies are her favorites. She’s especially fond of The Empire Strikes Back.
“Han Solo,†she sighs. “He’s so beautiful.â€
A senior at Chapel Hill High School, Pivirotto got a page in the yearbook last year devoted to Yoda the Toyota. Other students, she says, have taken to decorating their cars in unusual ways too.
“I feel like I’ve inspired a lot of people,†she said.
It’s gotten attention from her neighbors in Quarterpath Trace too.
“It’s sort of a tourist attraction of our neighborhood,†Sage’s mom, Karyn Drum, said. “We sit on the front porch and watch people walk down the street and crowd around her car.â€
Pivirotto will attend UNC–Greensboro in the fall. Yoda – the car – will be making the trip with her.
Sage,
Moege die Macht mit dir sein!
Tom
Heidelberg, Germany