If you're a full-grown adult who misses the days of playing with Legos, this may be the car for you.
The OSVehicle Tabby is a build-it-yourself ride you can order online. The pieces to the car are shipped to customers, and, based on the video (above), they look fairly easy to assemble with basic tools. Plus, it doesn't look like you'll need to weld anything together or have much mechanical knowledge of engines or motors.
However, the base-model Tabby is a "car" in only the strictest sense of the word. A distinct lack of body panels, lights or even a windshield, means the Tabby is far from street legal.
According to the manufacturer, the Tabby is the first production-ready “open source” vehicle, and the company estimates a customer can build the car in approximately an hour. As the promo video shows, pros can cut the build time down to 41 minutes.
OSVehicle: TABBY Timelapse from OSVehicle on Vimeo.
A Tabby assembly set -- complete with four wheels, two seats and the appropriate electric powertrain and battery pack -- can be purchased for a little more than $4,200 via the company's website.
If you want your Tabby to be street legal then you can order the Urban Tabby model. (Wired notes the vehicle is currently only road legal in the United Kingdom.) The design plans for the Urban Tabby will be available for consumers to download and even improve upon. The company notes that, compared to the cost of the basic chassis, the Urban Tabby can nearly double in price once it's been fitted with a body.
OSVehicle plans to offer three powertrain choices for the Tabby: an electric motor, gas engine and gasoline-electric hybrid. The most powerful of each of these powertrains will help the Tabby reach speeds of around 50 mph, according to the company.
Overall, the vehicle appears to be a unique way to bring inexpensive transit to the do-it-yourself crowd. It also looks like the perfect project for those who have yet to master the art of welding, but have graduated past building Legos.
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