The Rally Fighter is an American automobile manufactured by Local Motors and introduced in 2009. It is the first car to be developed using co-creation design.[1] The exterior design was submitted by Sangho Kim and selected through community votes. The Rally Fighter is street legal in all 50 US states.[2][3][4][5]
| Rally Fighter | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Overview | |
| Manufacturer | Local Motors |
| Production | 2010–2016 (50 produced) |
| Assembly | Chandler, Arizona (Local Motors) |
| Designer | Sangho Kim |
| Body and chassis | |
| Class | Off-road buggy |
| Body style | 2-door Coupe |
| Layout | Front Mid-engine, Rear-wheel drive |
| Powertrain | |
| Engine | 6.2 L GM LS3 V8 |
| Power output | 430 hp (321 kW; 436 PS) |
| Transmission | 4-speed 4L85-E automatic |
| Dimensions | |
| Wheelbase | 2,921 mm (115.0 in) |
| Length | 4,800 mm (189.0 in) |
| Width | 2,057 mm (81.0 in) |
| Height | 1,759 mm (69.3 in) high ride, 1,556 mm (61.3 in) low ride |
| Curb weight | 1,720 kg (3,792 lb) |
Specifications
edit
The Rally Fighter is powered by a front-mid mounted 6.2 L GM LS3 V8 that produces 430 hp (321 kW; 436 PS) at 5,900 rpm and 424 lb⋅ft (575 N⋅m) of torque at 4,600 rpm. Power goes to the rear wheels through a 4-speed GM 4L85-E automatic transmission. The suspension utilizes “Double A-Arms” in the front end and a Solid Ford 9-inch axle using either a “Watts-Link” to locate the axle laterally and a “3-Link” with Trailing arms to locate the axle vertically in the rear or utilized a “Triangulated 4-Link” rear control arm setup to locate the axle in every direction. both using coil springs and “Coil-over” Long travel telescopic shock absorbers. This gives it 16 inches of suspension travel in the front and 20 inches in the rear.[6] It also features a fiberglass body to save weight. In the interior, the Rally Fighter is equipped with standard 4-point harness seat belts, a full roll cage and Recaro seats, as well as amenities such as air conditioning, stereo and power windows.[7]
Build process
editThe Rally Fighter used an assembly process where the buyer of the car went to one of Local Motors' micro-factories to assemble their car with help from a team of Local Motors employees. This also allowed the Rally Fighter to be titled as a kit car or component car in the United States.[8] The Rally Fighter is street legal in all 50 states and upwards of 50 cars have been produced.[2]
Crowd sourcing
editThe Rally Fighter is an open-source vehicle.[7][9] The Rally Fighter is believed to be the first production vehicle designed through crowdsourcing, the process of drawing input from a global community of interested people via the Internet. The winning design was submitted by Sangho Kim of Pasadena, California, and is inspired by a P-51 Mustang fighter plane. It was chosen through a vote in 2009 by a community of people on the Internet. Using this method, the car was developed from start to finish in 18 months.[10]
References
edit- ^ "Heritage · Local Motors". Local Motors. Archived from the original on August 11, 2021. Retrieved 2018-05-26.
- ^ a b "2012 LOCAL MOTORS RALLY FIGHTER207401". Barrett-Jackson Auction Company. Retrieved 2018-05-26.
- ^ Puckett, Elizabeth (2022-02-27). "Fate Of The Furious Hero Rally Fighter Goes On A Trip". Motorious. Retrieved 2023-11-27.
- ^ Skwarczek, Matthew (2021-03-26). "Local Motors' Rally Fighter Is Open-Source Off-Road Awesome". MotorBiscuit. Retrieved 2023-11-27.
- ^ "What is Rally Racing and Why Isn't it Bigger in The USA? – Autowise". Retrieved 2023-11-27.
- ^ "For Sale: 430HP V8 Rally Fighter". Silodrome. 2017-09-27. Retrieved 2018-05-26.
- ^ a b Ballaban, Michael. "The Local Motors Rally Fighter Is An Open-Source All-Road Beast". Jalopnik. Retrieved 2018-05-26.
- ^ Jay Leno's Garage (2013-01-13), Local Motors Rally Fighter - Jay Leno's Garage, retrieved 2018-05-26
- ^ Nelson Ireson. "2010 SEMA Preview: Local Motors Open-Source Rally Fighter". 2010.
- ^ "How a Car is Made: Every Step from Invention to Launch". Car and Driver. Retrieved 2018-05-26.