When I arrived at the Bondurant School this afternoon to meet Local Motors and the Rally Fighter in person, I entered Gate 4 as the instructions said. I immediately found myself driving on a race track. It was a sunny Sunday afternoon and I was driving, possibly the wrong way, over a crest on a race track.
I started to check my Gmail to confirm that I had entered through the right gate, but then it hit me that it was a sunny Sunday afternoon and I was driving, possibly the wrong way, over a crest on a race track while fiddling with a cell phone. I put the phone down and kept a vigilant eye, struggling to resist the urge to hit the few apexes along the way to where we were all parking on a straight.
I made my way past a row of shiny red Corvettes, past the other row of silver Cadillac CTS-Vs, towards the large, black hood raised in the distance. Local Motors had quite a set up in place. Quality Mexican food was catered in (they sent me home with nearly five pounds of enchiladas, taquitos and chimichangas – thanks, Ari!) and the weather was, in typical Phoenix fashion, fabulous.
The first thing I noticed, above the roar of drag boats at Firebird in the distance, was that the Rally Fighter had obviously seen some time off road. The pristine gloss of the rear fascia had been carefully texturized by various indigenous plant species which had reached out and touched someone flying past at over 90mph in the Mexican desert the day before.
I love the notion that this is pretty much the first and only road-going Rally Fighter and yet Local Motors felt it important to take the rig through some paces while they were down at the Baja 1000. The Rally Fighter had probably been wiped down hastily with rags or whatever was handy before being loaded into the trailer for the trip to Phoenix. The tires were dirty and there will still rocks stuck between the tread. This is not a crossover or sport utility vehicle, possessing minimal off road prowess and a pretty face. This is a serious piece of off-road capable kit that you can strap your children into and drive around town.
So, what did I think about the Rally Fighter in general. The exterior was amazing. The satin black finish brings out all the subtle curves and angles in the body work. As the sun was setting, I got a couple really good pictures that I think are just stunning. This is a vehicle you just have to walk around and admire from every angle. The pictures just don’t do it justice.
I loved the fact that I was able to walk up to members of the Local Motors team and they not only recognized me, but knew more about me than just my screen name on Twitter.
Some might feel that the way Local Motors is ‘crowdsourcing’ designs (they could very well be producing upwards of 30 new models every year, according to John Rogers) is shallow and takes advantage of the design community, but in speaking with these folks this afternoon, it was apparent that they are just as passionate about the people who make up their community as those people in the community are about designing cars.
Every ‘car meet’ I’ve ever been to – Pavilions in Scottsdale, Arizona, Cars and Coffee in Irvine, California, the DSM/EVO Shootout in Norwalk, Ohio – all have one thing in common; they’re a bunch of gearheads milling about, talking shop and looking at pretty things. Today, I attended a different kind of car meet, one which I hope to attend more often.
Today I attended a car meet where the people in attendance were gearheads just like me, but everyone – regardless of income, position, background, or automotive pursuit – recognized that this sort of thing can only happen when we all work together. This excellence, this excitement about seeing the first car of its kind – and knowing that others will soon follow – is the product of passion and community.
And it feels so good. If Local Motors comes to your town, make sure you go meet them. See the Rally Fighter in person. Shake everyone’s hand. Meet other gearheads in your own hometown that you never knew existed. Experience why those cars you used to doodle in class or during a boring meeting mean so much more now. Experience Local Motors.
In the glovebox:
Working Credo
