Vroom for Everyone: Local Motors unveiling crowdsourced Rally Fighter at SEMA [w/VIDEO]
by Sebastian Blanco on Oct 30th 2009 at 7:01PM 
Local Motors Rally Fighter – Click above for high-res image gallery
The wild things have left the movie theaters and are headed toward Las Vegas. Destination? SEMA. Case in point, the Rally Fighter. Local Motors, the company that plans to build the offroadster, is attempting an industry first: dipping into the collective wisdom of the Internet (we're not sure if "wisdom" is the right word there, but whatever) to crowdsource the design and specifications of their first vehicle. Intended to be an eco-minded Baja-capable daily driver, the Rally Fighter uses a BMW 335d powerplant to achieve 36 mpg on the highway and 30 mpg off-road. Why is decent fuel economy important? Local Motors' CEO Jay Rogers fought in the Iraq war as a Marine and "saw the oil problem with his own eyes," says the company's PR.
According to company officials, the Rally Fighter left Wareham, Massachusetts yesterday in order to make it to SEMA for its unveiling on November 3. For more on Local Motors' microfactory and crowdsourcing processes, you can check out a video of Rogers after the jump. You don't often hear an automotive CEO compare his company to Build-A-Bear, but you can in this case.
Gallery: Local Motors Rally Fighter
[Source: Local Motors]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
larry raines 7:06PM (10/30/2009)
its ABOUT TIME we see something real from these guys!
looks cool -
lr
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Gruv 7:54PM (10/30/2009)
I wish them the best. Unfortunately, here is the problem: Normal people are NOT designers. Think of the Homer Simpson mobile. All of his little ideas might not have been bad, but together... well... I don't know. This thing has the body of a sportscar, with the chassis of a sport truck. Right away, I can tell you that if the real car looks anything like the concept, it's going to have HORRIBLE visibility.
I guess this is what I'm getting at. Making something that "looks cool" with neat specs is all well and good, but if it fails at things like visibility, exiting and entering the vehicle, and other such mundane things, will it still succeed? I don't really know. The idea of crowd sourcing has the potential for some great innovative ideas, but it also has potential for watering something down into nothing, as well as normal people voting certain designs/aspects up without fully understanding other aspects.
It'll be interesting. The one GREAT part is the idea of user serviceability. HUGE PLUS. Make it user serviceable, and it'll last a long, LONG time. See Cuba and it's 1950s cars. :)
larry raines 8:14PM (10/30/2009)
Gruv - Agree. Let's remember this is a second or third car for the people that are buying them and will never be a daily driver. It's a toy for on and off road. So in my opinion the impracticalities wont kill it, may even help it. If you are going to have a toy you want it rad as possible, and with rad comes compromises. For example I want an Ultima for my weekend plaything, but I am sure it is going to be a bitch to get in and out of and you cant even roll down the windows - but I wouldnt have it any other way. Heck it doesnt even have a back window, speaking of visibility, still love it.
So, crowd sourcing seems strange for this, doesn't it? Maybe they will just make some sort of display out of all the ideas to make their point that anyone can do whatever they want with the base car.
Martin 10:17PM (10/30/2009)
didn't caterham try and do some crowd sourcing? I'm sure i remember seeing something about it this time last year. These guys beat them to the finish by the looks of things, awesome project . . . a low end ferrari Fxx maybe? In origin at least.
Randy 10:34PM (10/31/2009)
Totally bad ass!
Commander Cool 7:07PM (10/30/2009)
Like an AMC Eagle on steroids. I like it!
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John H. 7:58PM (10/30/2009)
Good eyes - I thought the same thing.
For a buck, you'd think he'd be able to take the name "American" from Fiat...
chris 1:06AM (10/31/2009)
I thought AMC too. Like a 68 AMX got with a 90's Hyundai Tiburon. The baby came out all jacked up. The body actually is pretty nice. Drop it down to a normal ride height and it would be pretty sweet.
Tony 7:14PM (10/30/2009)
I originally thought Local Motors was just producing vaporware,but now that they are bringing this product to fruition I am happy that they have proven me wrong. Best of luck to these guys. Hopefully they can pull it off.
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Tim 7:54PM (10/30/2009)
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
Yeah... Good luck with that.
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Protzenegger 9:58PM (10/30/2009)
The Rally Fighter is already built. What's so funny?
http://www.local-motors.com/buildProcessDet.php?c=3425
Cameron 8:03PM (10/30/2009)
Holy crap this dude is smart.
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thipps 9:56PM (10/30/2009)
I love what LM is doing. as a member i can say they actually listen what the consumers say.
you will see the most exiting and best designs coming out of this company trust me.
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Protzenegger 10:20PM (10/30/2009)
Agreed, the Rally Fighter was the product of very open minds and an unwavering commitment.
Hey, are you the Thipps on LM also? Your portfolio is freakin' amazing.
Random Gearhead 12:21PM (10/31/2009)
I've been following Local Motors for a few months now and I think that they are doing some awesome work.
The designs are exciting, the engineering appears sound, and the Rally Fighter looks way more badass than the Infiniti FX / BMW X6 / Porsche Cayenne super-crossovers.
See for yourself: http://www.local-motors.com/
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Shiftright 11:30PM (10/30/2009)
Mad Max, your new car for your fourth installment is ready, and it looks bad-ass...
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deysc05 3:53AM (10/31/2009)
I too am apart of the design community and I will boast it loud and proud. I am getting butterflies seeing this car being produced knowing that I put in my own two pennies.
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rmfootball69 10:53AM (10/31/2009)
Is it just me. or is that what the new camaro body lines should have looked like? That screams 67-69 camaro.
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Commander Cool 11:36AM (10/31/2009)
I read that's it's been inspired by the P-51D. Too bad it uses a BMW diesel. If only Rolls Royce made a diesel they could get for cheap. :)
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fmwso 8:18PM (11/01/2009)
That looks pretty cool, I like the design and it's pretty aggressive imo.
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