Rally Fighter Explained

Rally Fighter
Manufacturer:Local Motors
Production:2010–2016 (50 produced)
Assembly:Chandler, Arizona (Local Motors)
Class:Off-road buggy
Body Style:2-door Coupe
Layout:Front Mid-engine, Rear-wheel drive
Engine:6.2 L GM LS3 V8
Powerout:430 hp (321 kW; 436 PS)
Transmission:4-speed 4L85-E automatic
Wheelbase:29211NaN1
Length:48001NaN1
Width:20571NaN1
Height:17591NaN1 high ride, 15561NaN1 low ride
Weight:17200NaN0
Designer:Sangho Kim

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]

Specifications

The Rally Fighter is powered by a front-mid mounted 6.2 L GM LS3 V8 that produces 4300NaN0 at 5,900 rpm and 424lbft 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

The 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. The Rally Fighter is street legal in all 50 states and upwards of 50 cars have been produced.

Crowd sourcing

The Rally Fighter is an open-source vehicle.[8] 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.[9]

Notes and References

  1. News: Heritage · Local Motors. Local Motors. 2018-05-26. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20210811185631/https://localmotors.com/heritage/. August 11, 2021.
  2. Web site: 2012 LOCAL MOTORS RALLY FIGHTER207401 . Barrett-Jackson Auction Company. en. 2018-05-26.
  3. Web site: Puckett . Elizabeth . 2022-02-27 . Fate Of The Furious Hero Rally Fighter Goes On A Trip . 2023-11-27 . Motorious . en.
  4. Web site: Skwarczek . Matthew . 2021-03-26 . Local Motors' Rally Fighter Is Open-Source Off-Road Awesome . 2023-11-27 . MotorBiscuit . en-US.
  5. Web site: What is Rally Racing and Why Isn’t it Bigger in The USA? – Autowise . 2023-11-27 . en-US.
  6. News: For Sale: 430HP V8 Rally Fighter. 2017-09-27. Silodrome. 2018-05-26. en-US.
  7. News: The Local Motors Rally Fighter Is An Open-Source All-Road Beast. Ballaban. Michael. Jalopnik. 2018-05-26. en-US.
  8. Nelson Ireson. "2010 SEMA Preview: Local Motors Open-Source Rally Fighter". 2010.
  9. News: How a Car is Made: Every Step from Invention to Launch. Car and Driver. 2018-05-26. en.