When industrial designer Joey Ruiter began designing the Reboot Buggy, he didn’t draw from the well of easygoing dune buggies from the ‘60s or their more radical and capable descendants. Instead, he was inspired by “horseless carriages of the late 19th century,” according to a 2013 feature in Wired.
Now, six years later, the built-from-scratch off-roader is available to purchase. Since its inception, the Reboot Buggy has gone through a variety of changes, but Ruiter’s original idea, as he explains in the video below, was to create a vehicle from the ground up that could both go 150 mph over rocks, as well as drive up to a swanky hotel and get valeted.
The final product narrowly misses the first mark, with an alleged top speed of 140 mph, which is achieved with a Chevy V8 engine that puts out 470 HP. As for the styling: on one hand it looks like a minimalist take on a Mad Max jalopy, on the other it resembles a child’s RC car with the body torn off. So sure, you could valet the beast, but it will turn more heads than a Koenigsegg, and not necessarily for the right reasons.
The most outlandish claim, though, is not its sand-dune capabilities (if you rolled this topless buggy it would mean almost certain death) or the caveat that you’re going 140 mph seated in a literal box — it’s the claim that this is “street legal.” We’re not about to cite specific rules of the road, but you can bet you’d get to know your local PD intimately rolling around town in this.
If none of this has deterred you yet, the Reboot Buggy is going for $107,844, including an enclosed trailer and ramps. Bring your own helmet.
All images via The Arsenale
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