Wannabe automaker Local Motors will be taking the wraps off its first completed product, the
internet-community designed and BMW turbodiesel-powered, Rally Fighter, at the 2009 SEMA Show in Las Vegas. We first heard of the Massachusetts-based company that's lead by retired U.S. Marine Jay Rogers whose grandfather owned the Indian motorcycle company, in the summer of 2008.
To put it briefly, the company plans to use the designs of an internet community and micro factories around the country to build region specific vehicles.
The Rally Fighter is a baja-style crossover penned by Sangho Kim with the help of the firm's online design community. Local Motors says that the two-door vehicle's chassis and various parts connecting with OEM-sourced components are made in-house.
One of the most interesting aspects about the Rally Fighter is its 3.0 liter twin-turbo diesel from the BMW 335d. The inline-six cranks out 265 ponies and an even more impressive 425 pound-feet of torque at just 1,750 rpm that are channeled to the rear wheels through a 6-speed automatic transmission.
According to the company, the street-legal Rally Fighter that weighs in somewhere between 3,000 and 3,200 lbs (1,360 - 1450 kg), returns 36mpg on the highway and 30mpg in an off-road setting.
The cost of the Rally Fighter is estimated to be around $50,000 USD, with Local Motors claiming that it has already secured 22 orders for the vehicle. More to come at the SEMA Show next week.
http://carscoop.blogspot.com/2009/10/web-designed-local-motors-rally-fighter.html
internet-community designed and BMW turbodiesel-powered, Rally Fighter, at the 2009 SEMA Show in Las Vegas. We first heard of the Massachusetts-based company that's lead by retired U.S. Marine Jay Rogers whose grandfather owned the Indian motorcycle company, in the summer of 2008.To put it briefly, the company plans to use the designs of an internet community and micro factories around the country to build region specific vehicles.
The Rally Fighter is a baja-style crossover penned by Sangho Kim with the help of the firm's online design community. Local Motors says that the two-door vehicle's chassis and various parts connecting with OEM-sourced components are made in-house.
One of the most interesting aspects about the Rally Fighter is its 3.0 liter twin-turbo diesel from the BMW 335d. The inline-six cranks out 265 ponies and an even more impressive 425 pound-feet of torque at just 1,750 rpm that are channeled to the rear wheels through a 6-speed automatic transmission.
According to the company, the street-legal Rally Fighter that weighs in somewhere between 3,000 and 3,200 lbs (1,360 - 1450 kg), returns 36mpg on the highway and 30mpg in an off-road setting.
The cost of the Rally Fighter is estimated to be around $50,000 USD, with Local Motors claiming that it has already secured 22 orders for the vehicle. More to come at the SEMA Show next week.
http://carscoop.blogspot.com/2009/10/web-designed-local-motors-rally-fighter.html