Hot Wheels' real-life Darth Vader car (pictures)

Mattel's Hot Wheels line of model cars turns to the Dark Side at San Diego Comic-Con, with a full-size Darth Vadermobile. And yes, it's fully operational.

Under it all sits an F1-style A-arm suspension, and 4-wheel 6-piston calipers, while custom electronics and sounds from the "Star Wars" movies echo in the cockpit.

Mattel built this street-legal Darth Vader car for San Diego Comic-Con, and is selling bite-size scale replicas as a convention exclusive.

The Vader car is driven by a high-performance, six-speed L3 engine, with 526 horsepower for the rear wheels and a 3,500-stall converter.

Under the Vader car's retractable roof, there are custom electronics, and leather seats sporting the logo of the Empire.

In between the seats sits  an authentic Darth Vader lightsaber hilt from the original "Star Wars" trilogy.

The Vader car has a custom-built front end and exterior detailing, with exhausts shaped like lightsabers, carbon fiber nose and air dam, custom tires and wheels, and a replica of Vader's chest panel.