A lot of designers and engineers have tried to reinvent the automobile. An especially purist approach comes from Grand Rapids, Michigan–based design firm JRuiter, and it’s called the Reboot Buggy—which first appeared on Autoblog. Founder and lead designer of JRuiter, Joey Ruiter and his staff have invested nine months of dedicated work to produce a vehicle that’s been stripped down to the bare essentials, yet is more fascinating than most cars we have gotten our hands on in recent memory.
Ruiter’s intellectual approach to the Reboot Buggy commands respect from lovers of the automobile: he wanted to create a vehicle without a user-centered philosophy. “We let it do what it wanted to do,” Ruiter tells us, “and that is why its components are placed where they are.” The Buggy may not be the best appliance to transport us from A to B in comfort and luxury, but “neither was the horse,” the designer says.
The appearance of the Reboot Buggy evokes memories of the automobile’s infancy. But instead of fitting it with a wheezing four-banger—or worse, something smaller—Ruiter chose a very contemporary, high-performance powertrain: The Buggy is equipped with a mid-mounted 6.2-liter V-8 GM crate engine and a three-speed Turbo-Hydramatic transmission. It’s actually geared to top out at 140 mph, and even at this early stage, it has already been pushed beyond 80 mph—off-road. That’s plenty fast in a vehicle that makes the driver feel its every movement, if you ask us.
At 14 feet long, 59 inches tall, and 92 inches wide, the Reboot Buggy’s dimensions lend it a stubby appearance. Lacking a roof, it is “just for the sun,” as Ruiter says. It’s fitted with a roll bar, and, according to Ruiter, it’s somehow street legal. He says that the Buggy could be tailored to a customer’s liking, and that a small production run is possible. Pricing hasn’t been determined yet, but Ruiter is “open to proposals.”
Prototype Drive: Mercedes-Benz G63 AMG 6×6
Instrumented Test: 2013 Ford F-150 SVT Raptor SuperCab
Comparison Test: 2012 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Rubicon vs. 2012 Mercedes-Benz G550
For enthusiasts who are tired of dull and play-it-safe automotive appliances, the Reboot Buggy bears promise. And more may be around the corner. “We want to team up to develop our city-car concept,” Ruiter says. “The Reboot Buggy was an exercise starting from the beginning, going back to the start of it all. The city-car project takes what we’ve learned and pushes what it means to be an automobile even further.” If the design firm’s city car is anywhere near as awesome as the Reboot Buggy, we desperately hope someone with deep-enough pockets gives Ruiter a call. Like, yesterday.