This build story was approved on Saturday January 17th 2009 10:26:29 AM

We are entering the final stage of the styling aspect. Engineering is moving forward and we have to make choices in order to progress on both body and technique. One of the current tasks is the definition of the rear identity and the integration of the tail lamps... well-tested available tail lamps to be specific. As many of you know, development, confirmation and production of light units cost up to €750,000 for one set (e.g. rear) alone to US DOT standard. Based on capital efficiency alone and bringing the RF to you at a price and reliability you can afford, to us it is inappropriate to tool an individual light before exploring the thousands of existing lamps already on the market. ■■   The ones we've used on these pictures are an aftermarket model of the latest Honda Civic Coupe's lamps (US market). Some thoughts about this choice ■  GOOD POINTS : coherence with the RF's current rear surface and curvature / distinct features that recall aeronautic inspiration / availability of the parts, even in many years / local suppliers / lots of aftermarket choices / cost. ■ CHALLENGING POINTS : non-character outline / thickness of the part. ■■   Therefore, we will also test other tail lamps whose feature points of those ones are quite different and will help to make a choice. More news about these mysterious lamps on Monday. ■■ BTW, the metallic part in the middle of the bumper is at once a reminiscent of the P-51's tail fin, but also a way to hide a probable parting line, if we decide to make 2 parts (left & right bumper/fender). ■■ Now, You're welcome to comment or modify those designs in the way you want.

Wow! A lot of images.  I really liked the slim horizontal LED taillamps you used in previous renderings. Tho using existing taillamps makes sense for cost.  I like bringing in the vertical details to speak to the inspiration, part of me wants that to be more obvious tho-possibly in a molded vertical peak in the top rear with a vertical LED lamp (not too tall). I really like the metallic center strip on the lower bumper. That's a nice detail, and can match the metallic detail on the side of the front fenders. The TBL is formed nicely in A, D, and G, but my favorites are the duckbill versions. E, F, and J. I'd kind of like J to have a TBL span across the highest part of the underside of the duckbill, tho maybe that would require tooling.  I searched some aftermarket wings with TBLs and didn't find much in my first attempt. The surfacing around the taillamps and license plate area on F and J.

i like E and I...great work Aurel, as always

what about something slimmer and just as avaliable.... like a camry? or celica (although the model is discontinued...aftermarket still pretty strong)? or an eclipse? or just the outer section of a mazda 3?

heres another

and another, although a bit extreme on the angle

J, minus the vertical strip of metal on the bumper.

or puegout 307 tail, euro market but still cool.....

these taillights work really well here, and aren't recognizable as civic lamps either, which is a BIG positive. too often when small companies borrow lights, they are instantly recognizable, and often inharmonious. i wouldn't have a problem with these making it to production at all, but i also like the earlier small strips. the alfa gt perhaps?

Option F with option I rego plate treatment i would say.
great sketchwork Aurel.

I personally like the C, F and I variants, nice work on all.

I love the option G guys...cya!

Hi all. Thank you very much for your feedback. Here is a little table explaining how each RF pic is made (and how I organized my photoshop file at once . I am posting this one to allow you to be more accurate if you want. For example, if you like everything from the A version, just say A, but if you like everything from the B except the Bumper, you're welcome to mention it. In consideration of the "over-use" of the metallic strip in the pics, don't forget to give your point of view about that specific feature. Of course, all your suggestions and drawings even out of this table are very welcome! Thank you.

Concerning my last post, I would talk to you about the "Old Aunt Syndrome". Some of us have an old aunt who never knows how to dress for the great occasions. So, she asks you, your uncle, your cousins and others about the best clothes. You give her a good piece of advice about the best shoes, the uncle does the same about the best dress and your cousin about the best cardigan... And she finally looks like scarecrow. Sometimes, best+best+best=worst... So, the previous table is indicative and not mathematical. Once we will know all your suggestions and points of view, we will have to refine and work together on the "styling cement" between the bricks (and change some bricks if necessary). That's the way the table works. Thanks!

What's new under the sun and palm trees of Massachusetts? We received today new tail lamps from France... The Laguna Coupe's ones (thanks Mum for the shipment). That will help us to define the best choice... Those are thinner and much more expensive than the Honda Civic's ones that Dave already got.

A quick view of the real Civic's lamp on the RF section mock-up... It definitely looks better than on my drawings (I think).

bigger exhaust...

Honda's original lamps

...

Laguna's lamps...

Half of Laguna's lamps... If you like it, don't forget that reverse lights are missing here.

So?

count me in for N

N will look good with a different spoiler... maybe that of C, F or J

I actually prefer the stock EP3 taillamps over the aftermarket ones. The Laguna lamps are really nice.  I think the Alfa's are nice on the Alfa but too small here.  I think the Laguna's look more exotic over here as it's not a taillamp we see in the US. The EP3 lamps fit the body lines that we've got better tho, IMO.

How about these?

the clear Azteca lights are STOOOOOOOOPID! If they are claer lenses, there needs to be a structured interior, not this busy Prius or cheap aftermarket Kragen look. See the new Audi tail lamps etc....

I don't know if this is exactly right, but something similar would look pretty good.

Hello Aurelius, a.k.a the fabulous goaledaor of the legendary RForce Football (Soccer) Team. I am sure that you will be able to choose the perfect tail lamps set, but let me share my personal point of view about the rear design: I have made a proposal in a couple of minutes (actually, maybe half an hour) and you will probably see it as a synthesis, but I would like to insist on the fact that I think that the bumper part is too sharpy, with a lot of edges and even peaks... Take a look at my work, bye Lil' Padawan!

Hey Aurel! NIce job u had being doing since now! I vote on "L" proposal, cause , visually talking, they made the concept looks a lot more harmonious, the lines of surfaces talk beetween then, n in my proction vision, there r cheaper than the laguna´s one, n its is a very important point for production, and to the ones ho will buy this cars...I think this proposal is the best choice, a beautifull car, sexy, with a sketch feeling, without spend a lot of money doing it. tnx for ur time! have a nice day!!!

Looking at the body panels - try combining the wing off of E, the bumper off of G, and the trunk-skin off of J. I think that would be a winning combination. Also - As far as tails go - why not just do 3-LED strips on either side? Brake, running, signal.. with reflectors hanging low and to the sides of the chrome.. flange there.

Another thought on finish. One thing that no manufacture has done yet. Body-colored tail-light lenses. You see smoked, black-outs, full-red, and clear everywhere -- why not do a single coat of paint over the lense to match the body? I think this would end up looking very cool, and add a custom touch to the vehicle for a proposed owner.

Just a couple of thoughts..

A few ideas on alternate housings..

- BMW e60's (m5) - Nissan 240sx - Audi A3 - Mercedes SLR - Lexus IS3350(angular ones)
What about retro-fitting headlights as tails?

I kinda like M over all, but L is a close 2nd. The honda taillamp is a better look, I'm just not sure about the center chrome molding.

I you can do a head light conversion to a tail light the this could look good (Its from a dodge charger).

@Suz, how bouta sketch-over?  Sounds like we're making headway here.  

Honda Civics here in US is generally regarded as a cheap pocket rockets. people notice stock civic tail lights very easily, let alone import tuners, even when they are molded into custom bumpers. after all rigorous adjustments of all the lines in order to flow with civic lights, it will still be recognizable and that could possibly bother potential RF buyers. Laguna is also a family car (not quite sure of its image in EU), but for US car buyers it appears more exclusive and different from other American kit cars. Besides, i think they laguna lights just looks better on RF's huge butt. hehe. For my personal choice, i would actually put on circle lights. Skyline lights are iconic and they will add more performance image, a much better image than after-market civics.

@ari - it could take me a few days, but i can take a picture of a sketch; at the moment, my photoshop is busted.

hey aurel, good work on the variations. I think the shape of these lights is a tad dull for the whole concept. I rememebr seeing very good sketches of the rear lights sometime ago.I dont see them here. I think round lights should be good with the shape of the rally fighter. As for the variants, i prefer H.

Personally, I prefer the spoilers from H or J, though I like the no-spoiler look of I too, and H's spoiler looks like it could definitely be optional. It breaks up the rear lines a bit, and I think that's a good thing.  I'm not too polarized on the spoiler, overall.  The wider license plate treatment of A works well, looks a bit less "insert plate here" than H's small opening, and would work equally well for wider foreign plates.

I'm really not a fan of the chrome vertical rear strip, especially not in combination with the honda tail lights, and the silver underbody detailing.  It says 'face' way too strongly.

N looks sweet with the full Laguna tail lamps, a bit less 'eye'-like, though I'd lose the chrome strip, and try to do something to break up the mouth-like look of the silver underbody.  Waldezign's body-color inset below the plate area works better than the mesh, or the solid rear body color - helps visually distinguish the rear a bit more, and if any lettering were to end up on the rear, that would be a good place to put it, I think.

I don't know how much I'd trust my design judgement though, I'm kind of a newbie at this!

Here's my rather rough photoshopping. I decided to keep the little vertical 'fin' under the spoiler from B/C/E, and used a B-type rear lower fascia, as it looks a little less like a beard that way - also helps emphasize the wheel arches, and won't provoke being stood upon (which may or may not be a good thing).  Pardon the less than stellar quality of the edit, as I haven't got a good paint program installed on my new computer yet, so had to use my old computer over the network using VNC... it's kind of slow in full color mode!  I also moved the exhaust up and in a little, to de-emphasize the upper part of it.  Thanks to everyone whose work I borrowed! You guys are doing a great job.

I really like the Laguna lamps better, they are less cliche than the others. Send my thanks to your mum. I note that they are expensive, but I believe that something more that proportion would be a more signature design element. ....also, I needed to see it with different wheels. The industrial-look rally wheels are throwing me off a little. I have a friend in Brasil who is a champion rally-truck racer, and he knows his stuff, if you are interested in talking with someone who could give some legit rally race perspective...

Less pink lamps...

...and a parting shot for this thought:

Hi all. Thank you very much for all your comments and suggestions. Thanks to you, we know better what will be the final rear identity of the Rally Fighter. First, I would like to explain how we took into account your feedback about the 5 categories (TBL, License Plate Area, Bumper, Lamps, Metallic Strip). As you know, each drawing (from A to P) is a patchwork of different parts, as a police photofit. Every time that someone voted A, we added 1 point to each "A" line. Obviously, we also respected the choices when the answers were more accurate (I love A's TBL, but I want B's bumper). Concerning the lights, we only took into account votes from the time you had a real choice (between the Civic ones , Civic after market's and Laguna's). We thought this way fairer and more representative of your feedback. Finally, the metallic strip result is only based on your explicit comments (I like / I hate), because nearly 80% of the drawings had this feature.

Latest development of the rear-end according to voting results and feedback... + some new ideas. Concerning the metallic strip, we are quite sure now that the bumper will be made of 2 parts (left and right fender/bumper). I know that some of you dislike this vertical feature, so I'll try to improve that, but every suggestion (to hide or highlight it) is very welcome! Thanks

Aurel, it is phenomenal, my congratulations, man!

A similar shape lens I thought about after an earlier comment about retrofitting another car's headlights as taillights, I thought about the Mazda CX-7.  The shape is cool, I'm just not sure if it's worth the trouble of retrofitting them to make them work as taillights. I'm still digging the Laguna lamps!  The ones you've got in the sketches look really great Aurel!  And those look like civic lamps... but if I saw this car on the street, I really don't know if I would notice.  And I can spot out imports/customs pretty quick. Great work!  Quick thought... I pictured the winged badge that you made in previous postings at the top of the bumper separator.  Tho that badge should be flown high!

Mazda CX-7 headlights...

Regarding the split in the whole rear body skin...  If a split is required, perhaps it would be better to use three parts instead of two?  I don't know where the best places to split it would be, but I would like to see what people think.

This build story was approved on Thursday January 29th 2009 03:04:43 PM

I still miss the frontend of Checkup 2 That was SO strong in it's aeronautical inspirations! Along with the wing-like side view mirrors. Tapered nose with horizontal meanstreak headlamps. Mmmmmm

I like the headligth in Design Process Iteration 24 than this, I think that the headligths would be more agressive to be a good Rally Fighter... IMHO. If I need to choose one, I would choose the 2nd proposal...

i these and like the cool layout..although IMO, i think the bottom one would look the best if it was a little fatter towards the grill?? maybe something like this...just my thought..

It's not bad - but it reminds me of the Mitsubishi Concept RA. Especially from the side-view. I had one other thought on the tail-lights too - TVR Sagaris, or Chimera.. and for the headlights, maybe TVR Cerbera styled front lamps?

possible headlight configuration in the spirit of the shape we have become familiar with.... are you trying to lower costs her by using headlight from another vehicle as well, or developing its own identity in the "face" of the car?

and another with a slightly different take.....based on lights in the wings of various bomber planes and carrier planes

oops.... here's the image

This is a great debate and we are coming down to brass tacks here on the Rally Fighter working to firm up our final surfaces. Brianm, Tronco, MBW17, suzq, Nemo, I cannot tell you how meaningful it is to get your comments. As you all know well we have been developing the RF for over 250 days and the front face lights are one of the last items to nail down. We hit ideas in Checkup 2 as well as in DP 28 and even as far down as BE 25. All were fantastic explorations, but have yet to land us on our final shape. In answer to Nemo, it is not our intention to tool up our own DOT spec light if we can avoid because it raises the price so much for each of you and our other buyers. Additionally, we are also very good at finding pre-existing solutions that work with our surfaces, are DOT certified, have high-serviceability records, and are relatively easy to assemble. This means that we have a duty to exhaust ALL options before taking another route. It is perhaps our mistake in the Design Process that we did not emphasize this preference earlier so that the shapes in these final iterations are not out of line with some of the checkups of so long ago. In these two images you see a round headlight and a more modern horizontal high-intensity. I personally return to the inspiration of Aeronautics and the P-51 influence, and use that as my clue to what makes the RF into a timeless work. The early early checkups used round rings and clipped the top to provide some seriousness/evil nature to the "eyes". We have heavily improved the aeronautic inspirations and references of the body since those days, and at the same time we have worked hard to echo these early lights in the eyelids of the first version here, but also by removing a touch of the evil. In this version we worked off of Tyler 450's inspirational idea back in BE25 to put the lights down on the nose. It may look different at first, but by doing so, we also maintained the strong lines of the hood and the nosecone (for aeronautical completeness) by placing the lights in the front. This is not unlike the Eleanor GT500. Further, the round bodyshape around the light trailing out to a horizontal lightcatch is meant to be reminiscent of the wake turbulence created by planes. Complemented by a suite of Rally Lights for a "Rally Fighter" across the center, and this will be every bit the desert ranger that its performance spec is built to follow. In the second iteration here we have employed a different idea. This is moving distinctly away from the aeronautical inspiration of the early concepts and yet retaining the seriousness of purpose. We do agree that this look is more Mitsubishi Lancer Ralliart, but that is not a bad inspiration for such a purpose-built vehicle. Certainly a copy is not of interest for those of us that are Rally Fighter and LM purests, but also the lights in this second one will be more refined in their actual bucket and will provide a uniquely finished quality to the front eyes. The important thing about both of these concepts is that we have fully vetted that they do not significantly stray from the surfacing of the Rally Fighter. With our curvatures, this is no small challenge. This all having been said, we continue to look at other available front light shapes and beam horizontal lines to find more options that expand our set. I believe that we will have a couple more to show you....we have modeled thousands. For this reason, we are less likely to go to free-form uniquely styled buckets at this time. I hope that you will help us to bring this last and final surfacing challenge to a close while maintaining inspiration and that timeless gotta-have-it character of one of the worlds most exciting vehicles of this decade. Here are some images to think about.

Eleanor, as if she needs an introduction.

Wake Turbulence from one half of the double curl.

Mitsubishi Ralliart DAKAR. Mean and down to business. I see the Rally Fighter here in a year.

And finally the image to keep in mind. This is what I call true DRG (Down the Road Graphics)!

oh, i see some good inspiration here! great images John! I hope this will turn out great and cant wait to see what the outcome will be, and glad i could send in my vision on the front lights even tho it was not much! thanks man and Good Luck Local Motors!!!

cool. I like both of the final ideas... here is a version of the first one a little more along the lines of my previous idea.

here is an optional light to use for circular lights

the bottom one gives the rally fighter( RF) a mitsu dakar luk. thus RF will loose its distinct self accorddin to me. i think upper one is better. but perhaps more options cud be luked for...

the lower one seems a little typical.... upper one shows a more crazy and unique appearance, which i like! i do agree with moksh that more options could be looked upon... i do like the second variation of lights provided by nemodesigns!

I see Lancer and him. nice sketches tho, Aurel.

his name is windy boy

Okay - I hate to tell you Tyler, but you just made it look like a Crab. lol -- no offense, but that was the first thing that came to mind when i saw that tiny little red itteration.

Nemo, I like your second idea with the wider lights -- but I don't like the lower fogs - what about having center fogs along the top ridge of the grille and auxiliaries in the center.. 4 square lights between the 2 headlights, that flat nose is made for it; molded would be awesome.

I think you should mix the two variations. The basic should be the 2nd. The air intake and the lights are on the second picture more aggressive and they go well with the body. The mix means that you should use the round lights too. They should be on the same place as on picture 1 but they should be a bit smaller. I think the front will be so different from Mitsubishi. The smaller round light can be a bit rustic or other colour.

Tyler, thanks for the update. I meant to say in my comment that we moved away from the straight vents with the round lights, because we felt that the lights needed to look more purposeful as they would be the primary lighting element. I see the crab reference also, now that jarimuse pointed it out and suzq mentioned it. I have to agree that there is a resemblance. suzq and Roli, thanks for your comments. we would all love to see even the breifest sketch over if you get a chance.

I'm unfamiliar with the regulations, but I believe it is legal to apply a clear plastic over the front of DOT approved headlight assemblies, similar to what you would find on a Citroen SM:  http://media.popularmechanics.com/images/jay-leno-citroen-1107.jpg  What about something similar to an aircraft landing light setup, with a custom molded (arguably relatively inexpensive) clear plastic guard over the top of some much more standard (also arguably relatively inexpensive) car headlamps, similar to this? http://www.docthrock.com/Wings_files/LandingLightsFinished.JPG  I would draw something up but I'm pressed for time with some other work.  I'm not sure how the quality of modern sealed beam headlight assemblies stacks up to that of a modern halogen reflector like the Honda, but since they are still used on many larger trucks, one would assume that they still have some life left.

Posting johnbeams images

First image that you mention johnbeams

I just stumbled across this site and this car looks cool. Addressing the headlights, I agree with Nemo's second depiction. Here is another idea you could throw around. What if you kept the circluar lights, but added some Enzo-type lights vertically down the fender?

We have enough of the GR-1 aesthetic here that I think a look at its face along with lighting should be in order...

Some pieces of information about the headlamp choice process. From the early beginning, we worked altogether with the idea of making our own light units. With such a freedom, during many iterations, we created a coherent shape that fits very well to the body. But... what about the cost? Very expensive, even too much! From that time we had to take a decision and see what we could do to keep quite a similar aspect without loosing the "spirit". Hard way. We listened to your comments, searched for alternative solutions (decent cost and available in the USA). Here are some of them: Saturn Sky, Nissan 350Z, Mitsubishi Eclips (old generation). What about those samples? The first one finally doesn't match with the RF's body, the second one is too recognizable and makes the RF looks like a Nissan 350 Z (rectangular air intake, "nose cone" bumper,...). Concerning the third one, victory! It matches the surfaces, but what a shame in term of aspect. From that point, what's the best? Either, we try to keep the original idea, knowing that with those OEM' lights, we would be half satisfied, or we decide to start again from a blank page, keeping in mind spirit and requirements. I think we can't really hesitate in front of such a choice....

Honda Accord Coupe's headlamps are a good choice for the alternative we are looking for. The surface fits very well to the body, more especially in the wheel arch area of the fender (confirmed by CAD). Moreover, the inner aspect is incredibly qualitative. Then the confident identity that those lamps could give to the RF are right in the spirit defined in previous iterations. In front of that choice, the simplest  and most genuine shape ever, the round light. Several points made us give credit to this alternative. First, the original car is unrecognizable behind this lamp, furthermore this shape is pregnant with meaning (AC Cobra, Mustang, old Ferraris and obviously lights fitted under the wings of the P-51 and other planes of that time). The last point but not the least one, this headlamp gives a great freedom in positioning and styling around (more than the Accord's ones)...

Here are 3 variations of headlamps fitting. Except small perspective mistakes in some views, the spirit is quite clear (I guess ). #Honda Accord Coupe's headlamps, flush style.

#Honda Accord Coupe's, angry style.

#Round lights.

The 2 first proposals have a strong identity, even if the flush one may need some refinements around the air intake area and some feature lines to look better. However, the "down the road graphics" is very well known and corresponds to an established styling trend leads by Mitsubishi and some other (Japanese) OEMs. Imagine during the BAJA 1000, a Mitsubishi is passing you, and when you have its back and the sand in your face, you realize that it was... a Rally Fighter! What a shame! Far from my mind that Mitsu cars have a bad identity, but so many efforts in this project for a confusing front identity!...  

For those reasons, I have a kind of preference for the round lights and the specific DRG they give to the vehicle. I also think they allow a better expression of the aeronautic inspiration (long and pure hood, ending by a nose cone integrating cooling and lighting functions). And maybe will you feel a tribute to the p-82 twin Mustang?... I hope it wasn't too long :-), but it was very important to give some more explanations about the last orientations we took. I can't wait to get feedback from you about these points. Thanks!

I think the round lights are the best choice in this case , this type of light ( round ) it is relative like a common word ,but this is the main advantage , is classic , is not something own as an image by a car company , you can use this type of Headlamps produce by someone for another car ,without any risk of later confusion regarding the identity. You have made a very good choice Aurel .

Please don't go with the small round lights... unless the forms of the RF are to be massively smoothed out. Look at all the cars today and in the past that have used them successfully: there are two form languages that succeed well with the simple round: Organic(a'la 911) and simple, industrial look (a'la Wrangler/Hummer). The Rally fighter is neither of these, but has more a matured "flame surfacing" language, true to its roots as initially a BMW iteration. Look at cars that have this type of form- BMW Concepts, the newest batch of Hondas and Acuras, Ford's GR-1, Even some new ideas from Aston Martin- the surfaces of these cars are highly dynamic, and somewhat edgy, and the headlights are strong enough to meld with that language. Please rethink this, as to my eye, and several other non-designers I have shown it to, the round config here is almost devoid of "message". The headlights of a car are close to being at the top of the list of what defines the car's personality. They are the "eyes" on the design's face, and must carry the rest of the vehicles personality and mood in them.  I suggest taking these ideas 'round to your non-designer friends, and getting their reactions. I hope that that will clarify what I mean. As a last note, I believe that the new Camaro's design has pulled off this kind of form language and integrated the simple-round headlight well, but it is only by giving the headlight an "eyelid", a "brow" as it were, using a larger light, and recessing it into the face more. This might work for us. Right now though, the biggest feeling I am getting from this variant is that of a Chameleon, with both its eyes on either side of its head, and neither one really related to the other. It does not communicate intelligence or purpose.

See?

If nothing else, please try and set them more deeply. I'll get around to some sketch overs later today.

Her are my 2 cents.All these options are too predictable..i think there is something better lurking round the corner....when i drive past an RF, i dont want to see a honda accord or a mustang look in front, i think it should look totally new and eye catchy...maybe i am asking for too much but we are talking about the face of the car, i think its the most important part and no compromise will fit.

Now that I see the round headlights on the car in multiple angles its more obvious that they are the right choice. I think the look very american and would complement the side vent choice well. I don't like the honda accord headlamps as you have already chosen honda taillights. Using the headlights and taillights from the same company could confuse some people making them think its a honda (or even worse not an american product). The round headlights are timeless and would make this car memorable, while the honda headlamps make it look more generic.

what if u took a two peice head light i.e. the vw beetle which has lighting assembly apart from the actual headlight housing bucket. take the actual assembly which has no form but all the dot required lighting components, then for a reasonable amount and all things considered, build ur own bucket with a clear lens and walla! unique to form but compliant and cheap headlight....

here's the beetle light. notice the line on the inner contour of the housing. thats actually where it is seperated.

and here is another with no housing but is ready for whatever u can put it in.

also a possible motorcycle headlight conversion, less recognized when put on a car....

or these for some pizzaz, and like my second ideation above...

what about the mazda suv light? its shape seems  to fit the contour of LM RF

I like the round lights, but only as fog lights, the second lights look pretty cool, but they have a bit too much Mitsubishi Lancer in them for me.  I'd like to see a headlight on top like the original concept, but with the circular fogs.

Its been a while since i last followed the build. LMdesign excellent work. Aurel you inspire me big time. I took time to take a shot at the headlight inspired by the nose of the P51. Aurel your outlook on the identity part of the RF is so spot on. The round light is the way 2 go. Here is my take, hope its ok.

Again I come late to the party, but I hope at least someone reads/sees this! -=-=- Personally, I really like the idea of round headlamps.  Not only are they cheap, but they're simple, don't have much stigma attached to them, and they have a classic shape.  Straight up round, however, I think is, as someone else mentioned, either too organic, or too industrial. -=-=- While the second image waaay up top looks nice, I think it says 'Mitsu Dakar' far too strongly, particularly the long, wide open /____ intake.  The first one, as someone else said, looks too much like a chameleon.  And we want a strong purposeful DRG, that is unique to the RF, not something that makes it look like a deer in other cars' headlights. -=-=- So, with the comment I made above, about the round landing light style, clear plastic covered wing lights, I took some time to mangle together this sketch of how I think that might look.  I'm not exactly sure where the turn signals and reflectors should go, but you can see a possible location inside the housing, on the inside wall.  Another option would be to continue the upper line above the lamp, down the outside of the fender, taking a triangular chunk out of the sheet metal, and mount the turn signal on the outside - even that could be a standalone lamp like a 90's taurus (NOT saying that's a good idea!), if the sheet metal fit. -=-=- I didn't have much time, so I just copied in the small fogs from the round-lamp picture - but larger round fogs below the main headlamps, like in some of the other sketches, might look good if inset in that scoopy area below the main lamps.  -=-=- That said, if you like the idea, or have comments, I'd love to hear them.  Thanks for reading/looking!

Two extra little thoughts - perhaps wholly external turn signals, like navigation lights on planes? Or is that taking it too far? *grin*  Another thought:  It always seems hard to avoid design by committee...  It reminds me of this little story:  -=-=- An old man, a boy and a donkey were going to town... The boy rode on the
donkey and the old man walked. As they went along they passed some people
who remarked it was a shame the old man was walking and the boy was riding.
The man and boy thought maybe the critics were right, so they changed
positions. Later, they passed some people that remarked, "What a shame, he
makes that little boy walk." They then decided they both would walk! Soon
they passed some more people who thought they were stupid to walk when they
had a decent donkey to ride. So, they both rode the donkey. Now they passed
some people that shamed them by saying how awful to put such a load on a
poor donkey. The boy and man said they were probably right, so they decided
to carry the donkey. As they crossed the bridge, they lost their grip on the
animal and he fell into the river and drowned. -=-=- The moral of the story? If you try to please everyone, you might as well kiss your ass good-bye.

Well THIS IS REGARDING THE BACKLIGHT. Just wondering instead of using other car rear lights. Why dont u use LED torch lights. I understand the cost of creation is i believe is USD 750,000. but if u use LED torch lights the cost is very low in comparison to conventional . they are maintainence free have longer life n give u can use them to get that distintive feel n look as per the RF concept sketches. So i think it wont be too much difficult to make also.... please tell me wat u think of it.

i meant only the front half of the torch

Just saw the teaser image of the forthcoming Nissan Qazana and thought of its lighting arrangement as one that could be developed for the RF >>

what about nissan's new 370z headlights; turn em upside-down. I think it might look good on this thing.

Another one you guys may have over-looked. What about the Smart?

What an exciting debate! I am sorry for answering late, I am just back from Detroit, Cleveland and Cincinnati. Busy week, but now, I can't wait to give some feedback.
@johnbeams: I am really surprised by the Jay Leno's SM. Actually, according to the FMVSS 108, glass covered headlamps were forbidden in the USA from 1968 to 1983. Jay Leno's SM is an American version, no doubt (round lights), but I am not sure that the glass part over the lamps is authentic.
@gabriel_r: Thank you for your feedback.

@Designova: Great view... most of your arguments make sense about the success of the round shape on both organic and industrial designs. However, I believe that it's reductive to consider those are the only two ways to use this timeless shape. Lots of Muscle cars, the BMW Mille Miglia, the Rolls Royce Phantom Coupe... use round headlamps quite successfully (question of taste of course!) and are neither "organic" nor "industrial" in their design language. I really believe that round lights fit to the RF's design, even if surfacing within the lamps' area could be perfectible. And concerning the Chameleon, we aim to integrate a big gluey tongue right in the front air intake... Just kidding. If you had to tell, what car between a Ford Mustang and an Austin Frogeye is closer to the Rally Fighter in term of identity, what would be your answer?
@speedracer: I totally agree about the "eye catching" role of the front identity. Less about the "no compromise". We are OK that the design has to be the best, no debate about that. However, the fact we decided to not make our own headlamps (those from BE 25) is already a compromise. Are we ready to pay $1 million to tool and to get approval by DOT (+ cost of the production of the part itself)? If yes, will the customer be ready to pay (a lot) more for those lights? Here is the compromise, the RF is not a billionaire's car. At this point we tried to adapt quite similar OEM's lamp.. 50% similar, so 50% satisfying... The other way was to try something else, knowing all the requirements (cost, engineering) in order to keep a kind of control on the design. The round headlamps, and Honda ones allowed us to do that... But only the round lights allowed to have our own identity (even if Muscle Car inspired)...

@Tyler_450: Yes indeed! The side-vent will be a kind of reminiscence of the headlamp shape (we are avoiding the old aunt syndrome described in BE38!)... And I share your view about the risk of a full honda light unit signature... Not so good for a badass American car!
@NemoDesigns: The idea of the beetle's lamp is OK for one prototype but... Just imagine you're in a fast-food. You order a burger but decide to eat only the slice of tomato. So, you pay for the whole burger, spend time to dismantle it, and finally throw 90%... Now, imagine that you do that 2000 times a year in a factory with the light units. You lose money, time and you're not very eco-friendly. However, I love the idea of the motorcycle headlights. We had to look at so many different car headlights that we didn't have time to analyze the motorcycle offer, and the DOT rules about the use of those specific lamps. I definitely need to open my mind to this field.

@Kenetic: A kind of Viper's layout?
@Me2: Thank you! Nice to see you're back in vehicle build! I am a bit puzzled about the red and blue dots... They remind me of gingerbread men (maybe because I'm hungry) . However. I keep a very good memory of your interior sketches for the RF in iteration 23. I really hope you'll have time to push them further for the competition!

@johnbeams: I'd love to be allowed to play with an additional glass surface to have a "flush spirit", as we can see over planes' lights and in your drawing. The idea is seductive and gives a lot of freedom but, if we decided to choose that way, we would have to put  the RF through DOT tests in order to get approval, what we don't have to do if we don't add anything between the certified lamp and the road... BTW, I really like the story with the old & young men and the donkey. That's so true. No one is totally right or wrong, and that's the reason why I try to explain all my points of view, and I sincerely thank people who do the same (even if it's impossible to share the same opinions every time).
@moksh: The big problem with using torch lights instead of real automotive components is that you have to adapt the system for every car you build. I mean, buy the lamp, throw the half, fit it to the car, find a way to fix it, and be sure that you can manage blinker / stop / reverse / red light functions. A mess! However, it seems that front LED lights exist on aftermarket. Don't know enough yet to say if it could be interesting for the RF.
@Bentley Boy: I can't wait to know this concept better! I thought about the blinker on top of the fender but I need to find which one could fit the best and also if under the sun, people will see it blinking. If you have some ideas about the blinker location, don't hesitate.
@suzq044: The 370z's lamps have the same problem as the 350z's ones: it looks too much like the original Nissan car when you fit them on the RF because of some similitaries (shape of the hood, nose cone spirit, rectangular air intake). And the Smart's lights look too vertical to match the surface very well.

@Aurel: I would say that aiming more for Mustang would be closer to what I'd tag as the RF identity, but that the current use of the round headlight leaves the RF more on the Frogeye/whimsical side of the aesthetic. I don't think whimsical is bad, but I do think it doesn't fit with the rest if the RF id., and we need to be VERY deliberate about the first PRODUCTION vehicle coming from LM, as this will be the first impression most people get of LM, and we want that impression to be that we are self assured, and that we carry vision and purpose, not that we are the opposite of some of those things. EVen something like the attached image would be worlds better, in my opinion.(you should recognize this design!) Thank you for giving thought to my thoughts.

now that I have my photoshop up and running; I am going to play with Motorcycle and muscle-car lighting ideas.. IIRC there is no law against glass lenses anymore; it's just cheaper to make plastic than glass, so plastic is predominant. Give me a few hours to kick something up; I have a particular idea with projection beam motorcycle lights in mind.

.. what about something like this? Remember my "GTO" commment.. ?

Although what I just posted kind of goes along with the crab-face thing that I commented about earlier.. What about using hide-aways, or something from the 60s-70s era? The grille might need to be changed for the thought though.

.. Here is another idea with which to try out.. 1950s concept car style. First one - Alfa Romeo..

Second, 1950s GM concept cars.. The reason is, the 1950s were all about the air-race and aeronautics; who better to be inspired by?
Also I thought about using a hood scoop/vent like what is on Jaguars CXF Concept.

Suzq44 - not sure about your lighting arrangement, but I love that you included LR's winning vent design in your image!  I think that, in reference to Designova's concern about round light use, if it follows the idea of the Nissan Qazana where the lower round secondary lights are used in conjunction with slim primary lights up top to accentuate the fender, and all of it is sculpted in well; it won't have a whimsical look, but rather give it a strong, purposeful face as found on WRC and Dakar racers.

Suzq44: I like the "what about something like this?" image! Nice front treatment that doesn't look much like anything else out there, and it doesn't look crazy either - nice that you added the vents too, good to see them with the rest of the body.  Aurel:  The front covers on Jay Leno's SM are aftermarket that were imported from Europe after they lifted the law that required uncovered glass headlamps in the US.  I do concede that the USDOT may be rather more picky about things like that these days, which is a bit of a shame...  Keep up the good ideas, people!

based on my constant parts searching for my beetle, i have found u can order the lamp seperate from the housing... in which case u would have ur tomato without a bunch of unused burger!!! at any rate there are alot of different options for the RF lighting that i'm sure we havent explored yet....

http://www.3dimensional.com/press/news_2003_09_08.jsp

an interesting article on 3-d prototyping of concept modelling and headlights specifically.... thought it would broaden our minds on what it takes to get such a thing done right....

What great depth of thought both critical and praiseworthy. I wish that we could do everything here, and perhaps we can in future cars to come. Great thoughts suzq, BB, Nemo, johnBeams, moksh, et al!!! We are so amped about the RF every day and it is nice to know that each of you is also. Viva La Revolucion! May vehicle development never be done in the same old closed way. Now on to the next 1000 items we must nail down before test-driving this work of art and this purpose-built machine.

Alright then... Just give some thought to just how many posts there are here, and that they are not just any posts- the average level of passion here is unusual, and it is because this is such a key decision. I believe that this could honestly make or break the Rally Fighter. Be careful.

The only concern I have with the individual elements is that not all aftermarket headlights are DOT legal. However you COULD have a company such as Morrette or DEPO do your headlights for you, once you figure out what you want in shape, etc. Personally, If we change the headlights away from the Mitsu style; we may need to change the grille again; because the grill itself leaves not so many options, honestly.. unless you feel like using ford GT40 headlights.

I have not read all the comments, but in my opinion, I think that given the fact that LM can not design their own headlamps, Then the choice of a impersonal design is the best. However, I do not think that the round headlamps are not fitting the RF style, so why not to use square standard headlamps? Perhaps they may be more agressive and masculine... In the same way, maybe they should be integrated in the mouth of the RF, like a shark jaw...

@Designova, Thanks for the comment. We will be careful! It is of paramount importance to us to listen to everything that is said, that is what we do. I am so happy to see the focused discussion about headlamps, especially after we tried to start the discussion on this specific issue 4 times in the past and we had varying levels of success. This is awesome! Everyone is interested because the Rally Fighter is real, and those that contribute have a stake in that vehicle. No one wants to get it wrong. However, I do not think that the stakes are as high as your comments have made it seem. I do not believe that this decision will make or break the Rally Fighter for the simple reason that whatever we choose among all of these ideas has a loyal following. When we pick one we are bound to disappoint others, but we are very happy with that reality. That is what will make devotees of the Rally Fighter. As for this being our first production car, yes it is, but there will be more and soon. We are changing the time and expense of vehicle development, so I meant it when I said, that if we don't get it right for one class of folks one time, we will get it right on another vehicle. THAT pace is our fundamental innovation. I also did not mean to diminish any of this discussion by mentioning the 1000s of other decisions that need to be made, this is a good discussion and can continue on even after the Rally Fighter is in production. @Waldezign, you make a great reminder that if we choose not to build our own, that "impersonal" is a better choice. It was suggested by many on and off this site that a vehicle front is a face and that the lights are the eyes. We believe that that statement is not always the case. In some vehicles the function of the front and the lights abstracts the anthropomorphic nature of those components and so a face disappears. This can be a good thing. We believe after all of this discussion and balancing all of the competing claims that this is a great direction for us - i.e. avoiding the achievement of a face and sticking to the functional aesthetic of a P-51 mustang. Viva the discussion.

I have designed a ton of exterior lighting, both domestic and foreign. I would tool up a lens and housing, and mount some off the shelf Hella Projectors for the headlamp. These projectors  are already DOT legal, and you could choose between BI-XEnon or seperate High and low beam projectors. Hella Lighting also carriso offers many off the shelf options for Foglamps, Park/turn lamps, sidemarkers, etc.

If I can insist a little bit: I think that the inspiration has to come from sharks, definitively (WW2 aircrafts have always make me think to sharks). A big, big mouth with square or oval headlamps inside the corners, and no more "eyes" on the top maybe apart tiny sidemarkers. Try that aurel! bye...

All - thank you for all of your feedback on this very important design element as well as the images/renderings you've posted.  Dasbeev- Good to hear from you, and I agree - there are many suppliers (Hella being one of them) that offer round lights that are already DOT approved.  I've worked with Hella in particular on a few projects, and again, you are correct that they offer not only headlights, but turn signals, fog lights etc.  Therefore, we're already in contact with them and other suppliers too in an effort to source the front lights (headlights, turn signals etc.) so Aurel can put the finishing touches on the front end design.  As for the lens, we will not be able to use a lens over DOT lights since that would require us to go through the certification process again since in doing so we will have "altered" the light from it's approved configuration.  We're moving ahead with the round light, and here are a few images of the potentials.  Thanks again everyone.

@waldezign Great idea about the side markers up top. We have been looking at that and will do our best there. Hopefully Aurel will have some time to show you some sketch of that. He is busy surfacing the rear and front and side of the vehicle. Agree on the Shark and we will do what we can.

Didn't think that this choice would break the RF- just that the headlight choice has that capacity and range.

Cool I like the choice of the circular head lights, my only thought on the render given (at first.. up top) is the lack of fog lights. I think the addition of large fog lights in the grill would add another RF defining feature.
here is a render Aurel did... this is how I think fog lights should fit into the front, with  slightly larger (or smaller) headlamps... just to add a little contrast.

This build story was approved on Thursday February 19th 2009 05:48:07 PM

wat r the side buttons for on the central part of the steering wheel for? please specify. Also please tell bout the economic constraint. cause it wont be much use for any hi fi interior.....
IMPORTANT : In WRC cars the toggles switches n panels are huge , please also tell bout the no. of toggle that RF wud be having. N use so that they can be placed ergonomically. please assisst

Good question, we will clarify more. First thing, this is not a WRC. This is a Baja racing vehicle. It may be able to race WRC in some configurations but the primary use is for serious off-road desert/Baja/Dakar challenges. As for buttons, They are a vestige of the steering wheel and will likely be removed or repurposed.

Economic constraint comes from finding DOT approved wheels that will integrate an airbag system to pass DOT crash standards. This can likely be changed to an uncertified system by an individual owner, but we must design for the basic spec. We recognize that this spec is uncomfortable for some, and that is why we have not dictated it as a requirement in the design of the interior. The challenge is to celebrate the functionality and purpose-build of the interior. We can even help to work the details on wheels but DOT and cost must be respected to bring an overall unheralded vehicle to the market. Great questions.

but the pics used in the comp details .agreed they r not WRC. but they also had large amount of toggles. If u cud provide least the no of switchs . cause pics show varied no. of toggles. for co pilot n pilot. Also please provide the equipment list . GPS for one. or any other market device that LM wud like to implement. cause there may be many of them. It wud help the designer to design keeping in mind the devices that r required by LM. that is the only way to achieve to the final result. stylish.power packed . functional interior.

moksh - take a look at these images for closeups on the switches.  

more close ups....

other side of steering wheel from truck pictured above

another image of a different truck's switches etc.

and another....

and one last one...

@moksh, concerning the GPS, it may be best to include a space for a portable GPS as opposed to a built-in GPS.  This will be the best way to accommodate an up-to-date system.  If you try to include GPS in-dash, then you will have to choose a specific GPS design/year/etc, and it will become quickly outdated.  In my opinion, flexibility is key - and for those of us who are tech savvy, an interior with the ability to adjust to new technology would be AWESOME.

Big questions:  1) Should the exposed roll-cage be present in the road version, and 2) should the seats be lightweight buckets that can easily be slid into racing position (as in the front, slid back for best CG) and removed (as in removing the rear seats for racing)?  Finally, to sum up: I take it that the RF is meant to be an extremely spartan platform that is as close to racing spec as legally possible;  and that it should be ready to go from the road to the trail with a few minor alterations - is this correct?  

about what Bentley Boy said.Rally version interior probably would be very similar in every respect at most participants and similar to images presented in Guidelines and it will be not so hard to recreate it with all stanard equipment etc.  herefore there are not many final variants. So can interior  be more close to road version. And in entries present both road and rally variants. Of course it would be same interior  just with less trimming and embellish.

images are fine.but my question was different.
wat I was asking is that regarding the no. of toggles that LM wants in RF. U dont expect ppl to do the fuel pumps switching on n all for city driving. RF is for dakar / baja but also shud be for normal use as market wud demand that.
SO I WUD LIKE TO KNOW THE NO OF TOGGLES SWITCHES AND EUIPQMENT LIST ( LIKE GPS FOR ONE ) . IT WUD HELP ME A LOT IN DECIDING POSITION. ALSO WAT DEVICE IS OPERATED BY WHOM. DRIVER OR CO DRIVER. CAUSE ALL IMAGES U PUT UP HAS DIFFERENT SIZES.

sorry for askin so many questions. must be really bothering u.

the relevant files does inculde the last threee images showin 2 seating adults  n 50 percentile male etc. ? please include that also

@moksh, no worries.  You're definitely not bothering anyone here!  Good questions.  mpisani will answer your question ASAP - he knows more than I do regarding these features.  @BentleyBoy, I think you have the right idea  

@BentleyBoy - Yes, the roll cage will probably be exposed, and the interior will be very simple so going from the street to off road requires little change.  The seats should also be simple, but keep in mind that we will most likely purchase seats from an aftermarket supplier, so take inspiration from aftermarket bucket seats.  We may also make our own bucket from composites, and have it upholstered if we cannot find a ready-made solution that's lightweight, requires no maintenance, and is cost effective.  @moksh - you are right - in a production version, the fuel pumps would not have to be switched on, but there would be switches for things like the lights, maybe the ignition etc, so what you see in the images would definitely be for dedicated race set up.  having said that, if you don't actually put the switches in the design, leave room for them for those vehicles that will be set up for dedicated race use.  The co-driver would handle a lot of the controls in that regards since the driver's main function is just that - keeping his hands on the wheel and getting across the desert as quickly as possible!  Sorry for the delay on the response - I am away snow boarding and snow shoeing this weekend, so I've been on the mountain most of the weekend and have limited internet access at that, but will check back again as soon as possible.  Hope this has helped.

Mpisani, Ari, Aeolus - thank you for your clarifications.  As far as the steering wheel, I can't help but have this bugging me: Imagine I jump in my spankin' new LM-RF...look around in awe at the unique, bespoke surfaces...only to end up at the wheel, disappointed that it reminds me of the wheel out of my friend's Ford F-150...wow, really stoked until I saw that.  It's like the experience of sitting in one of the old 'Ford Jags' and realizing that such an extraordinary sportscar marque shared switch-gear with...an ordinary soccer-mom saloon from suburban America.  It dampens the purist excitement and leaves one with a slightly unpleasant taste in their mouth.  That said, is their a way to keep the actual airbag capsule and simply design a new package around it, that keeps the unique aesthetic of the Rally Fighter while fitting within the original dimensions?  I don't know about anyone else here, but it seems like some really striking interior proposals could lose that special touch - if they are slated to be mated to the current, not-so-striking steering wheel selection above.  Pardon for having the notion to rock the boat, but like I said it was bugging me.  Thoughts?

what about on the steering wheel issue... with minor fabrication and paint being able to change the aesthetic to better fit the rally fighter. my proposal, take the wheel as it is, paint the spokes and make the texture match other surfaces of the design, remove the section between the lower two spokes as it is a point less in a car that would most like ly have a higher gear ratio in the sterring (very useful in rally car). also on the wheel, flatten the top area to give a stronget aviation inspirational feel possibly with a hand grip at ten and two type of embellishment once again to match surface languages of the interior desing. change the plastic covers and shrouds surrounding the column as that chunky area is killing any style that our community may be coming up with. i think these type of minor modifications (if legal) would help to keep the style of the interior and the simple function this wheel already provides...

@Nemo - Yeah, I like those Ideas.

more pictures with mechanics assembly please..step by step-->suspension,transmission,direction etc..i would like to see this process please  

This build story was approved on Wednesday March 4th 2009 10:37:11 PM

Awwwww Yeh! Aurel you are bringing the heat here. I especially like Lady Diesel, but every D@MN one of these is awesome!!!! I sense a competition coming!

The Mako Shark version and the red racing livery are very cool.  How about throwing Alxart's Red Bull livery in to this lineup?  Personally, I'd take a polished aluminum and naked carbon-fibre scheme...or, maybe a blacked-out version of Ari's -->

Can the main body be wrapped in clear vinyl and still retain that polished aluminum appearance so reminiscent of the P-51?  Mmmmm, jet black and polished aluminum -->

very nice work aurel! awesome vinyls! i like all of 'em!

actually u can urethane clear brushed aluminum with a zinc based adhesion promoter as per Bentley's comment. me and my dad used to do it for sprint car wings, to keep the cool metallic finish. I personally want a jet black on flat black, with bronze rims (preferably Volk Ray's TE37 which are discontinued) with suttle metallic accents like side vent and roof strips. The desert Knight Rider, but i wouldn't name my RF Kit, but rather something a bit more intimidating like Sand Ripper or Desert Crusher.... who knows.

Aurel, these are fantastic. Super hottt! I can't wait to see the custom finished people can go with.  I'd also like to see the car in an aluminum finish, and I love carbon.  The shiny stuff and the dry carbon, too.  Ari's, Ben's, Jay's and Aurel's are my personal favorites here. Did the respective people give ideas of what they wanted? Anyways, the photoshop work is great!  Good work, Aurel!  

Also I'd like to note the viability of vinyl. Yes, graphics are common today.  Something that's catching on, however is full wraps.  It's not cheap, but it's cheaper than most paint jobs.  Also much easier to change colors if need-be. Or replace panels, etc. It can also protect the surface it is covering, from my understanding.  For the real racers, the viability of the adhesive in the desert will have to be checked. But c'mon, can you deny the hotness of a flat black like this?

(That flat black GT-R is a vinyl job, in case that wasn't clear). And here's another example, a black BMW that is being wrapped to be glossy white:

So, Aurel, can you do add to this lineup a version of the polished aluminum w/ carbon-fibre flanks and canopy - finished in the flavor of the most famous 'Stang of all, "Big Beautiful Doll", with the checker pattern on the snout and red details around??  That would look H-O-T!

I mean, look at her, she's just...beautiful!

NOO! haha boo red sox! this is what i had in mind....and i dont know why its so blury and the text over the green house says yankees...GO Yanks!

oh and BTW Aurel, these are very sweet and i love the clean, and awesome looking renderings, great style, what type of brushes do u use?

OOOOOOOOOYYYYYEEEEEAAAAAHHHH! Thats really cool. I would take #Ben and #Jay. Am old school hence my take on the 2 tone style and i love the war bird, paint job. Which ever one is carried i wont be disappointed, they all work well on the RF. All thumbs up Aurel.

love the Mako. Very nice. Looks like it's coming together.

Aurel, you rock!  These are all fantastic!

Of course, I like mine the best

i would like to see a desert camo job with and all black top, and a suttle carbon kevlar rear section with the golden weave pattern, and sand colored rims. also with some sort of military stencil on the side, like some distinct designations for the RF. and not all glossy either. all geurilla style, with influence of both desert racer and military represented.

I love these renderings!!! It looks like these are the Phase 1 design. Is there any way that the guy who modelled these could get one designed?

maybe silver, with the checkered nose and flat black upper half back to the windshield. With a character on the side. Lady or donald duck.

Jay's is Awesome!!!!!!!!!

Here's a good "nose art" site. http://www.passion-aviation.qc.ca/noseart.htm

lolzzzz...i love them all....maybe Tim's version should've had php code all over it....
and wheres my version???

fantastic! great Aurel! mako shark has a lot of potential.

Peppypri

dasbeev

Bentley Boy

NemoDesigns

Aurel - thank you a billion benjamins - "Big Beautiful Doll" looks awesome!!!  Instant Classic!

"Desert Crusher" is pretty cool as well.

I love it - you even included the id # from the tail.

Love it!!  I would've pegged Nemo for a pin-up lover.  And BB for a crusher.  When will the image be ready for the community to start doing their own graphic treatments???

thanx a big bunch aurel, but u forgot the bronze rims lol....ari of course i love pin-ups, but that was too obvious so i was lookinf for a bit more unique and aggressive. but truth is RF looks great no matter how u slice it!!!

@peppypri Thanks for the Rally Fighter... I've been having a blast with it!

This build story was approved on Friday March 20th 2009 11:40:55 AM

This is looking AWEsome.

Can't wait to see it drive!

winner

Fantastic. Beautiful proportions. Great job.

where's the side vent?

Thanks!  NemoDesigns: The modeling is still in progress, so LR's sidevent will come soon...  

COOOLIO!

i think once the modelling is complete we see more aurel sketchovers with his awesome graphic color skills

and also some action shots much like those of the Panterra from cali motors and Filski's entry.... if anyone remembers....

Oh, I remember Nemo and I am sure that those actions shots will be coming.

i request the first action shot be the scenario i painted on ari's wall of the RF unveiling, that way everyone could see my vision and realize the awesome newness i feel is the RF. any takers?

wow, this looks fantastic,

last news:
outside lm's headquarters where the community has gone crazy, they demmand rally fighter action shots...hope they get em' soon.