You Can Build This Open Source Car in an Hour

It takes about an hour to make Nigella Lawson’s lamb shank stew. In that same amount of time, you can put together the world’s first open source, build-your-own car. And if you’re the engineers that helped develop it, you cut that time to 41 minutes flat.
Now calling the OSVehicle Tabby a “car” might be a bit of a stretch, and that hour-long build time doesn’t include installing superfluous things like doors and body panels and a windshield. But you can drive it, although its roadworthiness might be called into question by the fuzz or the local DMV.
However, if you go with the upgraded Urban Tabby, you get just enough bodywork to make it street legal — at least in the U.K.
OSV is taking pre-orders for the Tabby starter kit, with both the two-seater or four-seater configurations going for €500. Add “optionals” like a battery pack (€698), electric powertrain (€1,520), and seats (€80), and you have an electric runabout that can top out around 50 mph for just under $4,000.
The ordering process seems simple enough. You select the options you want and the entire kit is shipped to your door.
OSV is also working on expanding the drivetrain options to include a choice of three electric motors (4, 8, and 15 kW), gas-electric hybrids (a 125cc engine partnered with a 15 kW motor) or traditional internal combustion engines ranging in size from 50 to 250 cc. And since it’s open source, OSV has forums that let you make recommendations, improve on designs, and upload ideas for the OSV community to test out.
http://www.wired.com/autopia/2014/02/open-source-vehicle/?cid=18110044#slide-id-152661