How to build up a Car
The unmistakable feel of metal scraping skin : forces me to look down at my right hand. I see blood welling up from the middle knuckle of my index finger. I had thought that the space beside the transmission tunnel of Local Motors' Rally Fighter (think: a street-legal version of Mad Max's desert racer) could accommodate both my hand and a seat track. But it couldn't—at least not while I was trying to wrestle the seat into position and bolt it to the floor—and now I have a slice in my flesh. I turn to Mike Pisani, one of Local's R&D engineers, and explain that he must have ordered a batch of defective seats. There's no way these fit. He calmly nods toward the other three cars on the line. They all have seats. Which means that if there's a problem, it's not with the hardware but with the goon holding the wrench. Therein lies the beauty and the challenge for Local Motors and its customers: You can't just walk into a dealership a...