Interview with First Place Chicago Motors Winner, Giulio Partisani

Ready for the shortest blog post EVER? Here it is:

Click here for an audio interview with 1st Place Chicago Motors Winner, Giulio Partisani, aka "Oct8n" :)

Or you can copy/past this: http://www.local-motors.com/assets/martina.mov

Happy weekend, all!

Top 10 Winners, and the Stealth Favorite

So here it is, your top 10 list! Well done again to all Chicago Motors car design participants.

Before we launch into the list, let's take a moment to recognize our community's "Stealth Favorite" design. That's what I'm calling Cristianci's Chicago Slinker, which was a Late Entry but scored a remarkable 3.965; that's .024 higher than the score of our first place winner.

Cristianci's Chicago Slinker

This is a first. A Late Entry, which is ineligible to win the competition, has never scored highest. Even though Cristi did not technically win he deserves a gigantic pat on the back for the ass-kicking, highest-scoring Chicago Slinker. Cheers, Cristianci!

I am going to work with Tim Thomas, our Web Architect, on a solution to help all of us keep better track of deadlines. I know how hard it is trying to keep track of multiple timezones.

So, without further ado, here are our top 10 winners:

1.) Oct8n's Socom AC Biposto

2.) Mihai's ChicagoRED

3.) LR's Chicago

4.) Lude's LM Gngstr

5.) Jarimuse's LM Razcal

6.) Ugo's Nightfall

7.) mj-design's black lagonda

8.) dkcardesign's TommyGun

9.) alxart's Chicago Interceptor

10.) frost's Dominant Concept

Thank You, from Tom O. Rascoll

Guest post from Tom O. Rascoll


To My Friends at Local Motors,

Thank you for putting Chicago in the spotlight. I did not know what to expect from this competition, but the faint expectations I had were blown away. You have exceeded them.

Congratulations not only to the Chicago Motors winners, but to all participants. Each of these original designs is a step in a unique Chicago direction. Thank you for concentrating on our need for increased efficiency and freedom, for designing cars that will be accessible and affordable for our city. You have done this without sacrificing awesome style.

I can't wait to drive a REAL Chicago ride. Someday it will happen.

Your friend,

Tom

Stand-Up Meeting

On Tuesdays and Thursdays the Local Motors team typically has "Stand-Up" meetings where the entire team (or almost the entire team) meets to discuss the "state of the union". This is an opportunity for us to touch base on multiple projects and generally stay in touch with one another.

At today's Stand-Up meeting the team talked about the future of competitions and how we want to incorporate different types of competitions. Chicago was our most successful competition yet and partially because of Tom O. Rascoll's involvement; we were able to mix it up a bit this time, and we want to continue to keep it fresh in the future.

So, in order to keep it fresh we discussed a few main ideas. First, we want to run competitions at all times with no downtime. Right now we host a competition about every 4 weeks, but there is downtime between competitions where participation lags. We think, that by hosting smaller competitions for Rally Fighter development, like a challenge to design the side vent, or a challenge to find a back end light-treatment solution, would be fun.

These smaller competitions would have few requirements, a shorter time line, and would still have rewards for the winners; like, say $100 for a three day competition winner.

Our community has been awesome at collaborating on the Rally Fighter and has shown us that money is not the main incentive. Mainly, it is fun to participate in the development of a real vehicle - and you guys are so capable. But, to keep it fresh, interesting and more standardized we are considering smaller Rally Fighter Competitions.

Thoughts? Would you want to join?

A New Fixation - Inhabitat Blog

I came across a great new blog last week and now I want to share it with all of you. Congratulations and thank you to Julien Sarremejean (eclips); the reason I found this blog, Inhabitat, is because your Green Apple design was featured!

Here is a little background taken from Inhabitat's "About" page:

"Inhabitat.com is a weblog devoted to the future of design, tracking the innovations in technology, practices and materials that are pushing architecture and home design towards a smarter and more sustainable future."

I was so proud and excited to see Julien's Green Apple featured here - and since the post, it has earned over 400 diggs. Over 400 people were inspired by this design and Julien's vision of a sustainable,exciting and stylish future. Well done, Julien.

You guys inspire me everyday. Seriously. Let's not get all sappy and emotional, but day to day I am stoked to join you all in our community and explore what could be. I know that together we can create a new, more exciting, and more sustainable future for the automotive industry. And right now we really need this - especially here in the U.S.

So keep makin' it happen!

You will notice that there are 4 or 5 "disbelievers" who commented on Julien's design in the comments section of the Inhabitat blogpost. They say it's not feasible. The naysayers came up with a couple reasons why the proposed "clean air as you drive" feature wouldn't work. I say, who cares? This was a sketch contest and a test of idealism and foresight.

I estimate that within a year we will have an enthusiast and engineer community with the same passion and commitment to collaboration as our design community. Together, we can make it happen.

As designers it is probably hard to step out on a limb publicly; to stretch the imagination a bit and propose new features that may not be feasible today. I love it when you push the limits. Ignore the naysayers. We will never move forward if we stay within the realm of what traditionalists are comfortable with.

What does it mean to be affordable?

I realize this is a simple question, but it is an important one. One of the competition guidelines of the Chicago Motors challenge is to design a car which is "affordable" for Chicagoans. Some designs described how their designs would be affordable, but others did not.

In my mind, little details go a long way. I realize that not all designers have a lot of engineering experience, but I think most of you do think your designs through in terms of packaging, materials, and performance. Don't you? And all of these elements effect the final price. So really, you could take this question head-on and have a better competition entry in the end.

So if you haven't yet, I encourage you to describe what would make your design affordable and accessible to the people of Chicago. Is it the use of recycled materials? Is it the simplicity of gadgets and extras? Or the fuel-savings cost of using an affordable yet super-efficient powertrain?

This shouldn't be overlooked. Though the competition guidelines are simply "guidelines" and not "requirements", they are quite important. Small details and ideation can bring a hot sketch or render to life. Affordability and accessibility are a means for freedom, so while this may seem like a small detail it could have a huge effect in the end.

84 Entries! Well Done, Motorheads

You guys ROCK. I knew you guys would design cars Chicago could really bite into, but you've exceeded my expectations. We love what you've done.

At the onset of the competition I was a bit hesitant to focus on the gangster heritage of Chicago. But, I learned by talking to Aurel and a few others that part of Chicago's worldwide notoriety is associated with Al Capone, speakeasies, and general rule breaking. And, let's be honest, our last Governor didn't really know how to follow the rules, did he? And there are still blogs in the Windy City that cover the goings on of mobsters who are STILL on trial today. What? You thought the "Outfit" was gone? Wrong-o.

I'm not only happy that I've come to grips with the actuality of Chicago's slightly rule-breaking culture, I'm happy that you guys dug a little deeper. You designed cars using alternative energy, and you realized that efficiency is super important to this city.

Nightfall by Ugo

You designed cars using composite and recycled materials, realizing that sustainability is important to us.

Cloak by BrianM

And you designed cars that are affordable which means that if brought to market, these cars would help nourish this local economy.

Egon by Doam

Not only would our job market gain a small boost, but by putting exciting and affordable cars in the hands of people who need them, we would be manufacturing Chicago pride. That is something I can and will get behind.

Well done.

An Array of Chicago Music to Get the Proverbial "Juices" Flowing

Chicago is known for Blues and Jazz music and has been for just about, well, forever. Legends live here, like Buddy Guy.



And tide-changing, innovative musicians come from Chicago. OK Go started on the local Chicago rock scene, and with this video (and a rockin' song), their fame took off:



And Chicago is home to classics! As many Southerners did, Joe "King" Oliver came to Chicago from Louisiana. Though he came from Louisiana, he made Chicago his home and forever influenced the city and Jazz in general. Louis Armstrong said, "if it had not been for Joe Oliver, Jazz would not be what it is today".



And the last that I will mention is Kanye West. A true Chicagoan at heart, Kanye has gained world-wide recognition for his unique style and addictive beats. In this song, he's talking about his love for his city: Chicago!




Quite an array! Are you inspired?

It Has Begun!

It has begun! Both the Chicago Competition and the incessant, ever-returning Chicago snowstorm.

It's funny that two days ago I called the Chicago weather "blustery". It seems that I will now need to find a new word to describe the now colder, snowy-er and more blustery climate of this city.

I posted three pictures below all taken from my quaint little porch.

Monday: Cold? Yes!

Tuesday: My favorite bit of winter. Snowy but SUNNY. The sun is reflected in the snow. The downside of this beautiful sunny day is that the snow begins to melt, and forms sheets of ice on the road, and HUGE icicles.

Today, Wednesday: The snow has come again, and it shows no sign of stopping. And I will no longer refer to the giant spikes of ice on my roof as icicles; they are now known as "frozen liabilities". I am not looking forward to knocking down this 5 foot multi-pronged weapon off of the roof. I'm trying to decide weather I will stand on the banister and knock the frozen liabilities with a broom, or if I will throw a football from a safe distance.

Thankfully, I am permitted to work from the safe haven of my apartment - which is much more comfortable on the inside than you might guess if judging by the booby-trapped porch.

Now my point: If you are designing a car for Chicago, it is important to remember the polarizing weather: we have some of the fiercest winters in the U.S., but we also have fantastic summers. We play volleyball on the beach, and we have cook outs in the parks. But if you design a car for Chicago and it is not usable in the snow, then it will be out of commission for about 20-25% of the year.

So, the competition has finally begun! Submissions will be accepted from now until Tuesday, January 20th (23:59, -5GMT). I know you can design something exciting for this city while accommodating the weather, and people of different income levels.

Hitting the Ground Running

The Chicago Competition will not officially accept submissions until tonight at midnight (or tomorrow, however you look at it). But, to my great happy surprise, there are many outstanding Chicago inspired designs already developing in Checkup.

Usually we have a few designs in Checkup before competition launch. But there are MANY in checkup already. Why is it? Is it because more people are inspired? Because it has been longer since the last competition? Perhaps because you found out about the Chicago Competition a bit earlier? I sure would like to know so we can keep moving forward in this fashion!

Though you can see all of these designs on the site, I wanted to post some here to share. Such an array, and I can see Chicago in each of these designs:

Mihai's Devil

Luci_ued's Electric Muscle

Mahdi's Chicago Concept

BrianM's Chicago Concept

Designova's Chica-GO

Dannyxxboi's CC Concept

Vling's Chicago Concept

Chicago Today

Weather in Chicago today is: BLUSTERY!


This is the view from my back porch - just took the picture about 20 minutes ago. The snow is only coming down slowly now, but it was swirling earlier this morning. For the next couple of weeks, I'll try to give you a view of this city from a personal perspective: from weather, to nights on the town, to local headlines (our Governor is in BIG trouble), you'll be in the know.

For a true look at Chicago now, you should check out this blog. My friend Dana writes this blog and she knows EVERYTHING about the goings on here. From posh new restaurants to best-kept-secrets, Dana has the scoop.

Actually, the entire Chicago Examiner crew may be able to give you a very well-rounded view of the city! Check out the entire list, and don't forget to reference Jennifer's blog for a dose of Chicago Style (and some deals & steals which may or may not interest you!).

Do you want to see more? Have questions? Feel free to ask!

My Friend, Tom O. Rascoll of Chicago

As promised, the CHICAGO Competition details have been posted and this time, with a little something extra.

Our friend, Tom O. Rascoll, has set up an LM Profile and shared his story with all of us. This is a place to gain an insider's perspective on the "City of Big Shoulders" and as ask all the questions you want.

I will continue to post Chicago inspiration in my blog all week - so check in often! Here are a few sketches from Tom's profile. To see them in full view, you have to go here.

Updates to "The Wall"

Happy New Year to all of you! In the spirit of new beginnings and fresh starts, we are freshening up the Local Motors "Wall", and changing the rules a bit. In order to keep the page dynamic, we will no longer limit the number of nominated images to the Wall page. Now, we will feature all of the top-rated and nominated designs in one spread. Eventually this page will become quite large, and will show the history of Local Motors' top rated designs and designers.

We wanted to celebrate the designs created by our community each day. The competitions are one way to do recognize and celebrate outstanding work. But since the competitions only happen once a month, we needed another way to recognize fantastic designers. After all, you guys are here for the fun, the collaboration, and for the competition; but Local Motors has also become a place for designers to see and be seen. For this reason, we are expanding the scope of The Wall.

We're also reordering The Wall. Now each new top-rated design will appear in the top left of the page; and it will remain on the page indefinitely. Every time a new design makes it to The Wall, it will appear at the top of the page for a moment in the spot light, and then it will move down. This way the page will remain fresh, our community members will receive the recognition each of them deserve, and perhaps everyone will feel an added inspiration to keep on sketchin' for hopes of making it to The Wall.

Well, that's the only update I have for now. I hope everyone is having a wonderful holiday. Keep on Sketchin', and be sure to let Tim know if you like the new changes!

Introducing Tom O. Rascoll of Chicago

Today, the Chicago Competition will be announced. In little more than one hour, you will have the requirements. For the first time, we are able to reference a personal story for our competition: Tom O. Rascoll.


Do not hesitate to stop by Tom's profile to leave him a message, or ask him a question! That's what he's here for. Can't wait to see what you'll do for the Windy City!

Local Motors Chicago

Aha. You are probably expecting this post to be about the Chicago competition. Well, it's not. This post is a short story told in pictures. Ben-J, Aurel., and Paris Skylight of the LM Community all visited Ajcronk and I in Chicago for New Years.

Aurel behind the camera. Ben and I picked him up from the airport at the O'Hare Blueline station. We're picking out change to get a train ticket and head back to our place for the New Years Eve, EVE party.

A quick shot of a first for our French friends: Jello Shots. Oh the things we take for granted. Aurel thought these were disgusting, but insisted on participating since he had never had one before.

After a few cocktails and amazing appetizers (my friend/favorite chef, Joe helped prepare all the food), we headed out to a Korean Karaoke joint. There were about 25 of us squeezed into a little room with a giant TV and an endless songbook.

Another first!! The morning after karaoke, New Years Eve Day, Ben and Aurel had their first doughnut. I thought they were joking when they said they'd never had one.

New Years Eve Night, on the Chicago El Train before dinner.

Our friends Dana and Andrew threw a fantastic party. Ben and Aurel both brought wonderful bottles of champagne to ring in the new year.

And for now, that's all I'm posting. Share some of your pictures and I'll think of sharing more :)