Welcome to the “Strati,” the world’s first 3-D printed car. Developed and built by Phoenix-based Local Motors, this 2-passenger roadster has
the looks of a dune buggy, and the technology you’d expect from a sci-fi novel.
The Daily News Autos ventured to Brooklyn, New York, to see this car first-hand and get a ride in a vehicle that could reshape how cars are designed, built, bought, sold, and then recycled…only to be re-designed and rebuilt all over again!

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“This is about simplification and streamlining,” explains Jay Rogers, co-founder and CEO of Local Motors. Rogers was present to give us a tour of the Strati and explain, exactly, 3-D printing tech brings to the automotive world. “All this material you’re looking at,” he says, pointing to the car, “is about $3,500 dollars.”
Built of carbon fiber-reinforced thermoplastic, the Strati tips the scales at about 1,800 lbs. For comparisons sake, a 2014 Mazda Miata has a curb-weight of 2,480 lbs. – but also a degree of safety, performance and refinement that is miles beyond this 3-D prototype, of course.

NICK KURCZEWSKI
The entire body of the Strati is built up, layer after layer, by a 3-D printer. The rough edges can be sanded away for a smoother finish.

NICK KURCZEWSKI
The battery pack and electric motor are positioned behind the cockpit of the Strati.

NICK KURCZEWSKI
The cabin of a Strati includes two bright-red leather seats, a steering wheel, and a small digital display. That's about it!
The Strati’s entire body and four fenders are printed, with the build process presently taking 44 hours. Local Motors hopes to trim this time to 24 hours by the time it brings the car to production. The structure could have been built as one entire piece but, as Jay Rogers colorfully points out “people like to hit fenders.” That why each fender is bolted to the body/chassis structure.
It doesn’t take an engineering degree to realize the Strati is not exactly ready for the cut-and-thrust of everyday driving. There are no seatbelts or airbags, and no roof or side windows.

NICK KURCZEWSKI
The rear of the Strati incorporates a subtle lip spoiler - though we're not sure it's needed on an EV with a top speed of 50 mph.

NICK KURCZEWSKI
The Local Motors Strati weighs approximately 1,800 lbs.

BRIAN LEON
Without airbags, side windows, a roof, or any type of ventilation (other than endless open-air refreshment), the Local Motors Strati is a very, very basic little car.
At its thinnest point, the thermoplastic platform is about 0.6-inches thick. At the strongest areas, like the central backbone of the car, the material is a couple of inches in overall thickness. “This car was made by a machine that a human didn’t touch at all, period,” says Jay Rogers, proudly.
Rapping our knuckles on the body – which looks “like black cake frosting,” according to Autos contributor Brian Leon – the chassis and fenders have a very solid feel to them. The structure doesn’t feel like some hollow plastic toy, or a flimsy backyard-built hotrod.

John "Jay" B. Rogers, co-founder and CEO of Local Motors, poses in the 2-seat "Strati" in Brooklyn, New York.

BRIAN LEON
The Local Motors Strati was due in New York City for an early-morning appearance on the Today show, not to mention our tour and ride-along.

BRIAN LEON
Local Motors has stated a vehicle similar to the Strati will be on sale within a year.
Granted, it’s not pretty, but the prototypes ridged edges can be smoothed over with human-powered grinding and sanding. Paint can also be applied to the body-work, though this negates the Strati’s near 100-percent recyclability.
You can’t print engines, suspension parts, gearboxes or tires, however. So that means the mechanical bits of the Strati had to come from somewhere else. In this case, the powertrain comes from the Renault Twizy, a quirky tandem-seat electric car not sold in the U.S.
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