Local Motors - Rally Fighter - Off Road Concept Vehicle

Local Motors Rally Fighter Concept Vehicle Front Left View

Local Motors Rally Fighter Concept Vehicle Front Right View

"What the heck is that thing?"

We heard that over and over throughout the afternoon as we made our way down a desert trail east of Phoenix, Arizona. What people saw on a rocky wash trail frequented by dirt bikes, quads, and 4WDs was the Local Motors prototype Rally Fighter, and we were putting it through some high-speed desert running and some low-speed rock bumping.

It was a modern-day concept that spawned a modern-day vehicle. The Rally Fighter is an off-road vehicle, yet an on-road vehicle. More on this after we tell you a little about this car company.

Local Motors Rally Fighter Concept Vehicle Rear Left View

Local Motors is a fairly new car company that was started with the idea of creating a collaborative community of car designers, engineers, and enthusiasts who could come together to create unique new car designs. They hold online community design contests, and there, other car nuts join to share, learn, and grow new vehicle concepts.

Beyond that, they have a goal to turn some designs into working rigs sold in 2,000-vehicle production runs. Their intent is to offer innovative designs produced in small, highly efficient factories in the USA. Once a car design is adopted by the community, and it's decided it will be produced, a prototype is built. Once the design wrinkles are ironed out, the design can go to production in one of the new micro factories.

The Rally Fighter was conceived and designed by Local Motors community member Sangho Kim and is currently being built in the first micro factory in Phoenix. Local Motors describes the Rally Fighter as a vehicle designed for the American Southwest. It's got capability both on-road and off, and will be street licensed. It's what you might commonly refer to as a truggy-style rig, with long-travel A-arm suspension up front backed with a linked solid axle rear setup. The chassis sports 18 inches of front wheel travel and 20 inches in the rear and is built to have a dual ride height with the choice of 275/70R17 (high ride height) or 265/50R20 (low ride height) Goodyear MTR tires. The car is wrapped in a fiberglass body with functioning hood and doors, and has the creature comforts of air conditioning and heating.

We followed the wash trail downstream and the 2WD Rally Fighter did some downhill rock-crawling with little issue. The generous belly clearance allows for lots of suspension travel and allowed us to bump over some decent-size rocks. Final weight of the car is approximately 3,500 pounds.
We followed the wash trail downstream and the 2WD Rally Fighter did some downhill rock-cra
Tucked into the powdercoated tubular chassis is the GM 6.2L emission legal LS3 sold as the turn-key E-rod package. This efficient engine pumps out about 430 hp and about 450 lb-ft of torque. The engine is mounted well rearward of the front tires to help even the weight distribution. Behind the motor resides a 4L85E four-speed auto transmission.
Tucked into the powdercoated tubular chassis is the GM 6.2L emission legal LS3 sold as the
Exhaust travels back through dual catalytic converters and then to dual Spin Tech mufflers. The pancake-style mufflers fit well under the car and take up little underbelly clearance.
Exhaust travels back through dual catalytic converters and then to dual Spin Tech mufflers

The rear axle is positioned using a three-link with Watts link to control side-to-side motion across about 20 inches of travel. The Rally Fighter uses a Ford 8.8 disc-brake axle filled with 3.55:1 gearing and a factory limited-slip differential. You can see the elevated dual exhaust dumps, and the battery sits centered, just forward of the rear bumper.
The rear axle is positioned using a three-link with Watts link to control side-to-side mot
The braking is setup with a four-wheel anti-lock system. Both the 13-inch rotors used up front and 13.7-inch rotors used in the rear are Ford pieces, as are the front (dual piston) and rear (single piston) calipers. Brake booster, master cylinder, and pedal assembly are all from Ford parts stock, as well.
The braking is setup with a four-wheel anti-lock system. Both the 13-inch rotors used up f
A 1.75-inch tubular chassis is tucked under the fiberglass skins and the Rally Fighter is setup to easily transform from low ride height to tall ride height, and vice versa. Dual upper coilover mounts exist in the front and rear to allow the upper shock eye to be repositioned fairly quickly.
A 1.75-inch tubular chassis is tucked under the fiberglass skins and the Rally Fighter is

We dropped into the factory (open to the public) to observe the builds of the first four production cars. In fact, by the time you read this, those cars will have all been displayed at the 2010 SEMA show in Las Vegas and new production builds will have started.

The Rally Fighter uses an 18-gallon BMW fuel tank that sits up behind the seat area. Local Motors capitalizes heavily on the use of commonly available OEM parts where those parts make the best sense. Aluminum Mercedes bumpers, Ford steering column, brake, and axle components are used, plus numerous other OEM parts that can be replaced easily and should be widely available.
The Rally Fighter uses an 18-gallon BMW fuel tank that sits up behind the seat area. Local
Inside are dual bucket seats flanking a sleek brushed aluminum console. This car also has the aluminum dash panels installed and is in the process of wiring completion. The dash holds a full complement of gauges, along with the air conditioning vents. The A/C is a proven product from Vintage Air integrated into the custom Rally Fighter interior.
Inside are dual bucket seats flanking a sleek brushed aluminum console. This car also has
We were on hand to watch the assembly of the first four production cars. It was cool to see the interesting mix of OEM, aftermarket, and custom-designed products meld together to form these cars. The build pace was hectic and not without some hitches, as one might expect with a new product line. Moving ahead, the builds should fall more in step when the assembly process is dialed in. Looks like the Local Motors concept is evolving to fruition.
We were on hand to watch the assembly of the first four production cars. It was cool to se

The 18-inch travel Fox 2.5 internal bypass coilovers control the rear axle movements and stability is further enhanced with the use of a sway bar tied to the axle. 2-inch travel Fox bumpstops also come into play when the rear axle travels upward and is close to bottoming the suspension.
The 18-inch travel Fox 2.5 internal bypass coilovers control the rear axle movements and s
The front suspension utilizes a double A-arm design damped by 12-inch travel Fox 2.5 coilovers backed up by another set of Fox bump stops. Steering for the long-travel front end is done using a Howe-built hydraulic assist rack and pinion box that is mounted in the nose of the chassis. A Sweet Manufacturing power steering servo sits midway in the steering shaft assembly to direct fluid to the steering box. Steering rods with rod ends go outward to Ford knuckle assemblies.
The front suspension utilizes a double A-arm design damped by 12-inch travel Fox 2.5 coilo
The body and floor panels are constructed from hand laid fiberglass. The nose and tail are constructed from carbon fiber using a process called Thermoforming. Heat insulation material is also used under the floor panels in areas near the engine and the transmission.
The body and floor panels are constructed from hand laid fiberglass. The nose and tail are

We also had the chance to ride along in the prototype car, which runs the original engine choice, a 3.0L BMW diesel. However, production cars are now using the relatively new GM E-rod 6.2L engine package that packs over 400 hp. We headed out for a day in the dirt and ran some two-track roads along with a wash trail.

We rode with Baja champion Ryan Thomas, who put the car through some paces. The Rally Fighter proved to be a smooth, stable platform that was a fun ride. Look to see these cars starting to pop up over the next year as they take hold, with enthusiasts looking for a street-legal machine that can hit the dirt with competence.

Local Motors Rally Fighter Concept Vehicle Custom Vehicles

Open Source Designs
Most of the design is public knowledge. In fact, anyone can download the open source CAD chassis data and see the exact dimensions and configuration of the tube chassis.

Another way that the public and community can join with the Rally Fighter evolution is with the creation of aftermarket products for the car. Local Motors encourages third-party vendors to create modifications or accessories for the Rally Fighter, and believes the community and car owners benefit from such new products.

Local Motors Rally Fighter Concept Vehicle Car Parts

The Micro Factory Concept
When customers choose to buy a car, they come to the micro factory to see their car being built and participate in the build themselves. They get to work side-by-side for some number of days, turning wrenches with an expert builder as their car is assembled for about 2 weeks.

In this way, customers get to experience the satisfaction of building their own rides and get intimate knowledge of how the Rally Fighter comes together, bit by bit.