Collaboration culture is here to stay, it seems. Look just about anywhere, and you’ll find line-inducing brand collabs like Omega X Swatch and bonkers, almost insane brand tie-ins like Crocs X Swarovski. Beyond fashion, though, some automakers have teamed with some unexpected partners, from clothing makers to motorcycle and alcohol brands. Seriously, a booze brand sat down with one of the most unhinged supercar producers in the world and dreamed up a wild collaboration.
Take Ford, for instance. The Blue Oval seems to have a penchant for partnerships, often pairing off with fan-favorite clothing brands to produce special edition models. It’s not just clothing brands, though. Ford has also partnered up with Harley-Davidson from time-to-time, building trucks bearing the Bar & Shield of Milwaukee’s instantly recognizable motorcycle maker. Here are 10 of the wildest and sometimes most bizarre pairings in the auto industry. Buckle up and settle in to your denim-clad seats. You read that right.
This is far from an exhaustive list of every automaker collaboration and tie-in. It is, however, a researched list of some of the wildest results of automaker-and-brand partnerships.
Ford And Carhartt
Ford Will Join Forces With Carhartt For A New Super Duty
Let’s start with a new one. Ford and Carhartt are coming together for one of the Blue Oval’s latest collaboration projects. Enter the 2027 Ford Super Duty Carhartt Edition truck. Details regarding the Carhartt Edition Super Duty are a bit thin for now. But, if previous special edition Ford F-Series trucks are any indication, we can expect copious Carhartt badging and design features. In a press release, Ford said designers visited Carhartt’s Detroit storefront for inspiration, including making model-specific wheels bearing a resemblance to the manhole covers near the shop. Ford says the brand partnership is about more than just the truck, though. According to Tyler Hill, senior manager, Ford Global Licensing, “Carhartt’s DNA is all about hardworking people, doing incredible things with their rugged apparel, which is as necessary as the tools they use — just like our trucks serve builders as tools for their trade.” We expect to learn more about the truck in the coming months.
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Ford And Eddie Bauer
Decades Of Ford SUVs And Eddie Bauer
Carhartt’s not your thing? How about Eddie Bauer? One of Ford’s longest-running brand tie-ins centers around the Washington-headquartered apparel company. Unlike the automaker’s brand-new partnership with Carhartt, Ford’s first Eddie Bauer-edition vehicle rolled off the line as a 1983 model. Since then, Ford has produced Eddie Bauer versions of the Bronco, Explorer, Expedition, and Excursion SUVs. Ford and Eddie Bauer’s sport utility love affair ultimately came to a close after 2010. That does, however, leave decades of Ford SUVs with Eddie Bauer treatments on the used car market.
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Lincoln And Shinola
Double The Detroit With This Lincoln Aviator Shinola Concept
Think of Detroit brands. You likely imagine names like Ford Motor Company, General Motors, and Chrysler, right? It makes sense, then, that Ford’s luxury sub-brand Lincoln would partner up with another homegrown Detroit company. In this case, it’s Shinola, an American watchmaker, bicycle maker, and leather goods company. “Shinola opened up their showroom to us as a playground – allowing us to explore how their brand’s lifestyle ethos could be woven into a new theme for one of our vehicles,” Lincoln design director Kemal Curic said. “Our designers were handed a rare gift, and they made the most of it. The fresh insights our team gained studying popular design motifs make this new Aviator concept a true celebration of craftsmanship.” Lincoln says its designers took inspiration from Shinola’s Canfield watch and Runwell bicycle to create the concept SUV. However, the 2021 concept remained just that, a concept.
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AMC Gremlin And Levi’s
Driving By The Seat Of Your Pants
Automakers and car builders can get a little, well, creative with vehicle interiors. It’s not out of the question to find houndstooth patterns and even hemp in the cabin of many a quirky car. But few– if any cars have the eccentric innards of the AMC Gremlin and its Levi’s treatment. Beginning in 1973, the oft-reviled AMC Gremlin offered a Levi’s appearance package that swapped interior materials for a denim look, complete with copper-palette stitching, metal buttons, and a Levi’s tag. If that wasn’t enough, the door panel inserts included denim, blue jean-style pockets, and period Levi’s logos. Needless to say, it’s a favorite among collectors going for the “wow” factor.
Subaru And L.L. Bean
A Rugged Subaru Outback With L.L. Bean Touches
Subaru found a partner in L.L. Bean back in 2000. But rather than rolling out a series of Subaru-branded coats and hats at L.L. Bean retail shops around the country, the Japanese brand launched an L.L. Bean edition for the Subaru Outback, complete with luxurious touches to celebrate the brand’s partnership with the premium outdoor apparel company. Thanks to the timing, the L.L. Bean edition Subaru Outback rode on the then-new platform. That meant a 212-horsepower 3.0-liter flat six-cylinder engine motivating the utilitarian wagon. Not too shabby. As for the L.L. Bean of it all, the special edition Outback included pleasing, pale-colored leather treatments throughout.
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Ford And Harley-Davidson
The Bar & Shield Meets America’s Favorite Pickup Truck
The Sturgis Rally. In the year 2000, there was a lot of what you might typically expect at the South Dakota town’s famed motorcycle rally. However, Ford also did something a bit unexpected at the big rally. The Blue Oval unveiled a collaboration with Harley-Davidson in the form of the 2000 Ford F-150 Harley-Davidson Edition. Now, more than a quarter of a century later, Ford and Harley-Davidson have had an off-and-on relationship, rolling out special edition trucks. But before you ask, you don’t get a motorcycle with every Ford and H-D collaboration pickup truck.
Hyundai And Marvel
A Hyundai Tony Stark Would Drive?
Iron Man fans who can’t afford an Audi R8 might be in luck. Not due to depreciation, mind you. Of all partnerships, it’s Hyundai that made an Iron Man Edition. Not kidding. For the 2018 model year, the same year as the theatrical release of “Avengers: Infinity War,” the Korean automaker debuted the Hyundai Kona Iron Man Edition. It was a limited-run “built-to-order” version of the Kona SUV, complete with exclusive Iron Man Red paintwork and logos bearing the image of Iron Man’s helmet. It’s not the only time Hyundai has jumped into the Marvel Universe, either. The brand partnered with Marvel Studios to put the Hyundai Veloster in the 2018 film, “Ant-Man and the Wasp.”
BMW And Neiman Marcus
BMW, Neiman Marcus, And James Bond– A Wild Combination
It’s 1995. The world gets a taste of Pierce Brosnan as 007 for the very first time in “Goldeneye.” But that wasn’t the only first for the EON James Bond films. It was also the first time Bond drove onto the silver screen behind the wheel of a BMW roadster. It was the BMW Z3, the then-new two-seat convertible, and an interesting chapter for BMW. Enter Neiman Marcus. The department store chain joined forces with the German luxury car marque to produce 50 “James Bond Edition” BMW Z3s. Customers wanted them so much that the initial 50 sold out immediately, prompting BMW to build 50 more. Since then, BMW and Neiman Marcus have collaborated on special edition versions of the BMW 645i, BMW M6, and BMW 750Li.
Bugatti And Champagne Carbon
Bugatti Popped The Cork On A Partnership With Champagne Carbon
Okay, so you might not want anyone behind the wheel of a 1,825-horsepower Bugatti hypercar to be concerned with champagne. At least, not at the same time. Well, that didn’t stop the unapologetic marque from partnering with Champagne Carbon. As a result of the brand tie-in, Champagne Carbon released multiple vintages in intricately designed bottles. In fact, a well-to-do buyer recently purchased Champagne Carbon’s “La Bouteille Noire,” a one-of-one, 15-liter bottle inspired by the Bugatti La Voiture Noire. And what says excess more than Bugatti? I suppose a four-gallon bottle of Bugatti-inspired bubbly might do the trick. Fortunately, Champagne Carbon is quick to remind interested parties to “be responsible” with alcohol and hypercars. Good advice.
Aston Martin And Brough Superior
How About An Aston Martin Motorcycle Instead Of A GT Car?
Back in 2019, Aston Martin set about making another “piece of automotive art.” Granted, those were Aston Martin’s words, but the brand isn’t exactly known for rolling out unattractive vehicles. This time, however, it wasn’t a sculpted grand tourer or track weapon. No, this time it was a motorcycle born of a collaboration with Brough Superior. The two British companies came together to unveil the AMB 001, a rakish 95,000-Euro premium motorcycle. It’s no cruiser, though. With a turbocharged, 1.0-liter V-twin developing 180 horsepower and a dry weight under 400 pounds, the AMB 001 doesn’t trade speed for style. That said, you’re not likely to see one any time soon; the Aston Martin and Brough Superior collaboration bike was limited to just 100 copies.
Sources: Ford, BMW, Aston Martin, Bugatti, Hagerty