Walking Dead Hyundai Tucson Special Edition Was Pretty Morbid, Even For A Zombie Show

The movie "28 Days Later," which came out in 2002, is generally considered the first outbreak in the modern-day zombie revival. However, The Walking Dead comics were close behind. The first issue premiered in October 2003, and that was only a few months after "28 Days Later" had been released in the United States. Both would go on to make their mark on pop culture, but only one would inspire a special-edition Hyundai crossover.

That came in 2014, when the automaker partnered with the zombie franchise to make the "Walking Dead" Special Edition Hyundai Tucson – it marked the 10th anniversary of the comic's debut. Of course, the TV series had been out for about four years at that point, and despite being one of the TV shows with the worst cars, it helped deliver a massive boost of interest in all things zombie. 

The bloody-red handprint and splatter graphics were indeed pretty cool — or disturbingly extreme, depending on your point of view — but the only other upgrades in the package were interior badges, floor/cargo mats, and a "survival kit" that was supposed to help keep you alive during those critical first few days of the zombie apocalypse. That said, if you really want to outrun the walkers, you may be better off in some of the other Hyundai-sourced zombie machines we've seen in the past. Just be aware that those rides may not be exactly street legal — which won't matter much when society collapses under an onslaught of the undead.

Hyundai and The Walking Dead had more than just the special edition Tucson as a collaboration. The Tucson played a major role in the show as part of a product-placement deal. Hyundai played up its connection to the show off-screen as well. The Hyundai Elantra Coupe Zombie Survival Machine, which first appeared at the 2012 Comic-Con in San Diego, was a prime example. It was designed by the show's writer and creator, Robert Kirkman, built by Design Craft, and it took a more serious approach to zombie defense. Out front was a spiked plow for carving your way through a zombie herd, while bars over the windows helped keep passengers out of biting distance. A full complement of weapons was also carried in the trunk, while the roof opened up to allow survivors to use them on the go.

The next year on the opposite coast, Hyundai had two more weaponized zombie vehicles on display at the New York Comic-Con. Both were by Galpin Auto Sports, the same shop that modified many of the cars made famous by Pimp My Ride — not surprising when you look at how wild they were. The violence-ready Veloster boasted dual front-mounted chainsaws, a hood-mounted shotgun, and on the roof, a machine gun. The modified and murderous Santa Fe opted for a trio of machine guns complemented by an automatic crossbow, a samurai sword, and razor-wire windows. While it would be tough to include these vehicles on lists of the best car casting on television, it's clear that Hyundai wants to make sure the world is protected from zombies, which is, at the very least, consistent.