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Detroit, 9:32 AM
Sat Nov 7
21 posts in the last 24 hours
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11/06/09
Good luck. #localmotors
04:27 AM
11/06/09
Seriously, I'll do it for free. And make notes. #localmotors
11/06/09
Surrender a Rally Fighter, Local Motors, or I shall release my dogs of war! #localmotors
11/06/09
11/06/09
Jay Rogers seems like a good guy and I like what he says, but I feel like a lot of what he does doesn't fit.
First of all, I think the end result is cool, but far from fantastic. It looks disjointed and designed by committee. I think most of us would agree that the greatest car designs in history have come from the singular vision of one person and not from the "wisdom" of the crowd.
Secondly, it seems to me that Local Motors got 2899 members to work without compensation. With all of the recently unemployed designers floating around the world right now (and maybe, you know, in Detroit), I'll bet they could have had something even more incredible. Alas, they probably would have been expected to be paid for their work. You know, given a job instead of a prize.
Third, the whole idea of Local Motors is to create unique vehicles for niche markets and build them using members of the community its designed for. But crowdsourcing the design out to all of the world's design students (most of their design community) doesn't jibe with that philosophy. Shouldn't they be crowdsourcing the ideas for the car from desert racers, then paying one single-minded designer to rip out the coolest thing ever from that input? Wouldn't that make more sense and be more in keeping with their supposed concept? I think so.
And finally, there's the point that, other than the gimmicky crowdsourced design process, this is really just another cottage/kit car company. They use parts-bin parts? Awesome. Lotus, TVR, Bristol, Vector and every other small manufacturer has done that for decades, and often crucified for it. Many, like TVR, have done it better than LM.
Yeah, I have opinions on it and I realize a lot of people will disagree with me, but I think it's time that someone other than the LM hype-machine gave the other side of the story. #localmotors
11/06/09
I am no expert on this project but from what I have read they give away prizes as in cash and pretty substantial amounts too. To those ideas they use.
To me this thing looks like a rock crawler although a nice one. It's got a cool BMW diesel but it looks like something someone built in their garage.
I think my biggest concern is price. They explain how much cheaper it is to use already developed parts but still charge $50,000 for the thing. Does that price include the labor done by the owner to build it. What would it cost if it was turnkey?
I find it funny they proclaim how green it is with the diesel engine and the lack of paint. I can't picture someone into the environment blasting through the desert and doing burnouts. I am sure they have some reason why that's bad for the environment. #localmotors
11/06/09
There's a reason why this type of competition is explicitly advised against by organizations such as the AIGA. #localmotors
11/06/09
11/06/09
Most engineers are quite "stifled" in corporate structures, and don't have the freedom to be creative and develop freely. A project like this gives them the chance.
If software developers can work on "hobby" projects like XBMC, why can't a hobby engineer help develop a 2+2 RWD shoot brake with a twin turbo v6.
Both seem fun to me! #localmotors
11/06/09
Also, imagine having a 2nd year student get paid for an engineering solution that's not as good as the one you spent weeks on because the "crowd" liked it better. Wouldn't that be frustrating?
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If I ever get the bug to design cars I'll do kit cars - with the growth of micromanufacturing and things like this it seems like there's a 1000x better chance of seeing your ideas on the street. #localmotors
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11/06/09
Some smarty pants has perfectly recreated the Rally Car from Smugglers Run on PS2.
Good work, no GREAT work. #localmotors
11/06/09
11/06/09
I think you're right. That's the freakin' exhaust on the fender, just like the P-51 Mustang.
They should paint it in old WWII squadron colors with the girly names on the fender/fusalage.
I'm really diggin this. #localmotors
11/06/09
On the downside, this means others with shall we say, um, questionable taste, will have the same ability. Fortunately, they tend to shop at the stick-on performance section of Pep Boys. #localmotors
11/06/09
I think a STI with a bunch of upgrades would be a better car than this. It would cost less and not look like a camaro some redneck jacked up.
I think I would rather have one of these though it would bust the budget. #localmotors
11/06/09
Please. It's a kit car, or in the preferred parlance of that industry, a component car. #localmotors
11/06/09
11/06/09
Note that I'm not railing against the idea; I rather like both the concept and the vehicle. However, it remains to be seen how well it works in execution - it may be the culmination of 35,000 designs, but that was also the type of thinking that brought about the Homer. It's also hard see any of the CARB states, EPA, or insurance companies liking it much if it takes off.
If it helps to clarify my position somewhat, I'm looking at this from the standpoint of someone who has been a Linux administrator and user since 1995 and supports both free and open-source software; these are essentially the same models being applied here to automobile production. There are lessons that were learned in those circles about crowdsourcing and its efficiencies or lack thereof; hopefully, these lessons have been noted and applied as necessary here.
But I still say it's a kit car by any other name :) #localmotors
11/06/09
11/06/09
Going back to the Open Source analogy for a moment, though: it is beneficial to maintain perspective on what has actually been achieved in order to understand where a project may end up going. The Linux project is a good example of crowdsourced contributions creating a product that has exceeded its creators original intentions. Was it revolutionary? In terms of contributory development, yes. How about technologically? In some ways. Was it a complete paradigm shift in computing? No, because others are still players on that field and they will remain there as long as people select the tools best for a specific job.
The Rally Fighter falls into the same categories. It's a nifty collaborative effort, but at the end of the day you've still got boxes of parts that need to be put together in order to do something useful - much like kernel source waiting to be run through a compiler, either one is a kit awaiting assembly. #localmotors
11/06/09
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11/06/09
Cars are registered at the DMV.
These things are supposed to be road legal so it's registered and insured much like a normal car. #localmotors