Reboot Buggy: Art, Minimalism, and Off-Road Meet in a Street-Legal Vehicle

Not sure what you’re looking at in that lead image? Don’t worry — we’re not entirely sure either. It’s a 4×4 that goes beyond stripped down or *blank* “kart.” It’s called the Reboot Buggy, and this is the least amount of equipment you need to go off-roading. It’s designed and built to be a functional automotive work of art.

It’s called the Reboot Buggy, and it’s the work of industrial designer Joey Ruiter. Ruiter wanted to strip down the “excess” of modern off-roaders, and with the exception of enough front lights to land a 737, he has accomplished exactly that.

Reboot Buggy Is Off-Roading With the Least

The idea behind this artwork is a sort of raw mechanical purity. Function absolutely over form.

It is little more than a chassis. The driver’s seat is in a plexiglass box, all but exposed to the world. The roof is open, but clear shields protect you from both sides.

In that sort-of-cabin, you’ll find a single-piece aluminum dash with digital gauges. The bucket seats have four-point harnesses to help keep you firmly in place. As we said, there is function in this off-roader.

It goes far beyond anything like an Ariel Nomad or any Meyers Manx dune buggy. This is the bare minimum.

The buggy might be brutalist minimalism, but the engine is far from the least you’ll need. It’s a 6.3L V8 pumping out 400 horsepower and sending it to the tires via a three-speed automatic.

That power goes to the rear wheels only, because the Reboot Buggy relies on just two of the 40-inch Yokohama tires to keep it going. The brakes, in case you’re wondering, come from a Ford Explorer.

Yes, You Can Drive This on the Road

There isn’t much bodywork, but there is plenty of frame. It holds the long-travel suspension, the fuel cell, and everything else, too.

We have no idea how, but this work of art is street-legal. It has a Michigan title. It might be street-legal, but it hasn’t been driven all that much. There are only 1,300 miles on the odometer in the 12 years since the Buggy was built.

Like all works of art, there is a story behind it. In this case, Ruiter had plenty to say.

I thought I knew a lot about cars until I built one from scratch. But a self-education is sometimes the best way to learn. This was an investigation for me. I wanted to go back to the space when the drive was enough. I wondered what it would be like to reimagine the automotive story.

The horse is just a horse, it isn’t designed for humans to ride. We did that to the horse. What if the car was just a car? What would it want? How would it be designed?

— Joey Ruiter

The Reboot Buggy Has Been in Real Museums

The vehicle has been displayed in multiple exhibits, including at the Petersen Automotive Museum. So, if anyone questions whether you really need another off-roader, you can tell them with a straight face that this one is a work of art. Who doesn’t need more art?

Joey has other artwork, including a sedan that splits in the middle instead of having doors. He has designs as simple as a basic chair and a bicycle so small that the pedals are attached to the rear axle.

The Reboot Buggy seems more practical than those, but only slightly. You might not take it off-road all that often, but, for once, you don’t have to feel guilty. After all, it’s a work of art. You can just grab a drink, walk out to the garage, and admire it.

Admire it just like you would the Mona Lisa or Scream, or any other multimillion-dollar work of art. Only this one isn’t seven or eight figures. It’s listed for $74,900 on Fourbie Exchange. And unlike anything from DaVinci, it has one heck of a rumble.

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