It’s that time of year again, when the guard dogs at The LEGO Company’s HQ get the chance of an early Christmas treat in the form of Elf-based snacks. Fortunately our Elves are sneaky creatures with a zest for life, and thus some do make it back here to TLCB Towers with only a few bite marks. And the new LEGO Technic sets of course – otherwise they get catapulted back over the premier wall for another one-on-one with a German Shepherd.

No re-catapulting was required for today’s survivor though, as it returned with this; the brand new for 2021 LEGO Technic 42125 Ferrari 488 GTE AF Corse #51 set. Constructed from nearly 1,700 pieces 42125 is a hefty model, with all of the Technic Supercar perquisites you’d expect, including working steering, a V8 piston engine, and all-wheel independent suspension.

It’s also the first Technic set to replicate not just a real-world car, but a real-world racing version of a real-world car, with the #51 AF Corse 488 competing in the GTE World Endurance Championship including Le Mans, where it finished first in class in 2019 and second in 2020.

A wealth of stickers accurately recreate the AF Corse #51 livery (and the headlights…), and whilst the car does include a few System pieces for enhanced detail it does look a little more Technic-y than some other recent sets. Whether that’s a good thing or not will depend very much on your thoughts on what a Technic set should be.

Expect the new 42125 Ferrari 488 GTE AF CORSE set to cost around $170/£170 when it reaches stores in 2021, sitting at the top of the new LEGO Technic line-up and returning Ferrari (LEGO’s longest standing automotive partner) to the Technic range.

Does 42125 pave the way for the other Le Mans GTE racing cars to become official LEGO sets? With every recent GTE manufacturer (Porsche, Aston Martin, Ford, BMW, and Chevrolet) already in partnership with LEGO, we sure hope so!