Tag Archives: 1960s

Classic Muscle

Your Dad’s browsing history contains this post’s title, but for very different reasons. Anyhoo, these two lovely classic muscle cars by previous bloggee Jonathan Elliott were discovered on Flickr today and they’re a superb accompaniment to LEGO’s own Speed Champions sets. Jonathan’s grey 1960s Ford Mustang Fastback and red Chevrolet Corvette capture the iconic shapes of their real-world counterparts beautifully, both being instantly recognisable even at this small scale. There’s more to see of each classic muscle car at Jonathan’s photostream – click the link above to take a look.

Jaguar Jigsaw

2 Replies

Jaguar’s iconic E-Type was described by Enzo Ferrari as the most beautiful car in the world. We’d have to agree (in its early form at least), but that sure does make it a tricky thing to build from rectangular plastic bricks.

Flickr’s Lennart C has given it a go though, and he’s made as good a job of the classic Jaguar’s incredible curves as we’ve seen at this scale. Lennart has deployed some magnificently complicated techniques to create his E-Type Coupe, with the roof in particular boggling our minds here at The Lego Car Blog. It’s a great build underneath too, with the front clamshell opening to reveal a superbly replicated Jaguar straight-6 engine.

There’s more of Lennart’s excellent E-Type to see at his photostream – make the jump to Flickr via the link above to view all the photos.

American Classics – Picture Special

Leave a reply

Ralph Savelsberg, aka Mad Physicist, is one of the most prolific bloggees here at TLCB. One of our Master MOCers and a writer for the The Brothers Brick (everybody boo!), Ralph has been building stunning Miniland scale vehicles for years, and years, and years. His creations number in the hundreds, but until now he’s had no-where to put them. Finally though, a few are getting a home!

This brilliant classic car workshop, inspired by some of the workshop-builders that have appeared here in recent times, contains everything you’d expect to find in a modern repair facility, plus of course, some wonderful classic American cars. Six of the eight vehicles have appeared here at TLCB in some form or another, with the Ford F150 pick-up and a Hudson Hornet making their debuts today (we think!).

Amongst the classics are a Pontiac Bonneville, Ford Fairlane Crown Victoria Skyliner, Buick Riviera, Chevrolet Impala, Chevrolet 3100 Stepside pick-up, and the aforementioned Hudson, all expertly recreated in miniature. There are also two dreadful modern pick-ups; a ’90s Ford F150, and if that wasn’t bad enough there’s the simply awful (but superbly replicated) Dodge Ram too.

We’ll stick with the classics, and there’s more to see of each beautiful ’50s-’60s slice of Americana via the links above to the respective articles here at The Lego Car Blog, and you can see more photos of the complete workshop via Ralph’s Flickr photostream – click here and enjoy!

Three Champions

4 Replies

It’s a bumper haul today at The Lego Car Blog as we have not one, not two, but three superb models to show you. Newcomer Simon Przepiorka recently uploaded a trio of brilliant Speed Champions-style creations to Flickr and is here making his TLCB debut with all three!

First up is the wonderful Datsun 240Z pictured in the image above in a retina-searing orange and in the first image in a cool white. Measuring just eight studs wide Simon’s gorgeous recreation of one of Japan’s most iconic sports cars not only looks superbly accurate, it features a plethora of opening panels too, including the doors, tailgate and hood – all of which reveal further detailing within.

Simon’s second creation is another icon from Nissan, this excellent R34 Skyline GTR. One of the most accurate Lego R34s we’ve seen in any scale, Simon’s model includes opening doors, trunk and hood, with a detailed interior and the GTR’s beautifully replicated RB26DETT engine neatly constructed in Lego too.

Simon’s third and final Speed Champions model is another classic, this stunning Chevrolet Camaro SS, again complete with opening everything and with a miniature V8 engine under the hood.

All three creations are well worth a closer look and you can do just that at each model’s Flickr album. Click this link for the Datsun 240Z, this one for the Nissan Skyline GTR, and this one for the Chevrolet Camaro SS.

Thunderbirds are GO(NE)!

Leave a reply

Poor Alan Tracy. Left alone in space to man the Thunderbird 5 space station, in love with the beautiful Tin-Tin who’s back on earth, and having given up a career as a championship-winner racing driver, the youngest of the Tracy brothers seems to have got the bum deal. Well, apart from John of course, who has to wear lilac.

Still, Alan does get one perk, and it’s a good one – for he gets to pilot the insane Thunderbird 3 space rocket. Pictured here blasting off from Tracy Island, it appears that Alan and his brothers are abandoning earth for good. Maybe they’ve had enough of Donald Trump. Whatever the reason, it’s a spectacular scene containing some absolutely stellar building techniques, both in the wonderful recreation of Thunderbird 3 and the superb Tracy Island buildings and scenery.

Monstrophonic of Flickr is the brains behind it and there’s more to see of his jaw-dropping creation at his photostream. Click the link above to start the famous countdown. 5… 4… 3… 2… 1… Thunderbirds are GO!

Antelopean Apparition

Leave a reply

We haven’t seen the ghostly US drama ‘Supernatural’ because, well… it sounds a bit shit. Besides, Buffy did it all 8 years before and she’s really pretty. Anyhoo, whilst we don’t really care much for the show, we do care very much for this, the brilliantly menacing ’67 Chevrolet Impala used throughout the programme.

This stunning Technic replica of the Supernatural Impala comes from car-building legend and TLCB Master MOCer Sheepo, who has returned from the dead after two years away from his bricks.

Powered by two XL motors, with a Servo motor controlling a two-speed semi-automatic gearbox, a medium motor driving the steering, and another the auto-opening trunk lid, Sheepo’s creation is packed with spooky automated functions that bring it to life.

The Impala also features working door locks, a detailed V8 engine, double wishbone front and live-axle rear suspension, and a fully detailed interior.

A complete gallery of images is available to view at Sheepo’s excellent website, which also includes a video of the model in action. Head over to sheepo.es by clicking here for the build’s full details, or visit the Eurobricks discussion by clicking here.

Mötley Crüe

1 Reply

Volkswagen’s T1 camper gets all the glory. Bought by surfer types, middle-class hippies who don’t understand irony, and people who would like others to think that they’re a surfer or middle-class hippy, the VW camper has become one of world’s most popular cult vehicles.

However it was the working varieties of the Volkswagen Transporter that allowed the camper to exist at all. Utility versions such as microbuses, panel vans, and this T1 crew cab made up of the bulk of production, and are now enjoying something of a resurgence in popularity thanks to the iconic camper which they spawned. Strange how things go in circles huh?

This lovely Volkswagen Transporter crew cab comes from serial bloggee Senator Chinchilla, and there’s no surfboard or fake-rust patina in sight! Everything opens and there’s more to see at the Senator’s photostream – click here to take a look.

*Today’s title song, selected because the band has Crew in the title. Sort of.

The Clerk

Leave a reply

Ford’s humble Anglia has enjoyed something of a resurgence thanks to Harry Potter, but it was a neat classic car before J.K Rowling included it her books. Before that of course it was a rather neat modern car, with some pretty distinctive styling for the time. Whilst not a Jaguar, a Singer or a Humber, the little Ford was still a respectable middle-manager-y sort of car, driven by clerks, accountants and bank manager-types throughout the 1960s.

This lovely 5-wide mini-figure scale version of Ford’s popular European sedan comes from regular bloggee _Tyler of Flickr and it’s both built and photographed beautifully. There’s more to see at _Tyler’s photostream – click the link above to make the jump.

Piazza Italia

Leave a reply

This might be the most Italian thing we’ve ever seen. This beautiful scene complete with two of Italy’s most iconic vehicles, the Vespa scooter and the Fiat 500, comes from the very Italian-sounding Gabriele Zannotti and the, er… Greek-sounding Zeto Vince. Whatever, this could only be more Italian with the addition of a pretty girl, and there’s more to see of this excellent collaboration at Gabriele Zannotti’s photostream – click here to take a look.

Meyers Manx

Leave a reply

Flickr’s Pixel Fox has appeared here several times with his ever-growing assortment of off-road vehicles. His latest are these, a pair of wonderful Meyers Manx beach buggies.

Designed by a Californian boat-builder named Bruce F. Meyers in the 1960s the Manx took a shortened Volkswagen Beetle chassis and running-gear and added a custom glass-fibre body. Around 6,000 Manxes were built between 1965 and ’71 and the design dominated dune racing, despite the lowly Beetle engine power.

The B. F. Meyers & Co. company disbanded in 1971, by which point a wave of imitators had arisen. However the Meyers original is still held as the definition of the beach buggy and after several decades out of production a new Manx company formed in 1999, meaning you can still buy Meyers’ 1965 design today.

Pixel Fox’s lovely mini-figure scale Meyers Manxes capture the real car brilliantly and there’s more to see of the Manx and his other excellent off-road vehicles at his photostream via the link above.

Black on Black

Leave a reply

A double post today, as two previous bloggees appear here with a pair of black mini-figure scale classics. First up (above) is _Tyler‘s glorious 5-wide Ford Anglia 100E in police specification, complete with a brilliantly authentic 1950s British police officer.

Today’s second black classic comes from Jonathan Elliot who has built a lovely 6-wide ‘anonymous black sedan’ from a similar era. Smart techniques abound on both models and there’s more to see of each via the links above.

Rent-a-Ride*

2 Replies

Back in the 1960s a rather special deal was done. Hertz, recognising the interest in Ford’s new muscle car, signed a deal with Ford, who provided the company with 1,000 specially-painted Mustang GT350s. The cars joined the rental fleet and immediately gave both companies marketing gold, allowing almost anyone to drive the hottest car in America for a day.

After the rental arrangement concluded the cars were refurbished (hopefully very throughly!) and sold on as the Mustang GT350-H. Some of these cars survive complete with their iconic black and gold liveries, and they look gloriously cool in today’s world of white and sliver.

This spectacular replica of one of the original 1,000 Hertz Mustangs comes from previous bloggee Pawel Kmiec (better known as Sariel) and it captures the famous livery beautifully.

Sariel’s GT350-H isn’t just beautiful on the outside either, as underneath the removable bodywork sits a fully remote controlled drivetrain, with twin Power Functions drive, remote steering, plus a working V8 piston engine and front and rear suspension.

There’s lots more of Pawel’s brilliant Ford Mustang GT350-H to see on Flickr at his photo album, you can read our interview with him as part of the ‘Become a Professional’ series by clicking here, and you watch the model in action via the excellent YouTube video below.

YouTube Video

*Something about your Mom.

Eagle Weslake Mk1 | Picture Special

Leave a reply

The UK and US have a long and successful racing history. The AC Cobra, the Ford GT40, Lola, Chevrolet-McLaren and many more all prove that Anglo-American collaboration can produce an incredible racing car. The Anglo-American Racing Eagle Weslake Mk1 however, did not.

Built by American Formula 1 driver Dan Gurney the Eagle Weslake Mk1 wowed crowds when it debuted at the start of the 1966 season. The car initially raced with Dan at the wheel powered by a Coventry-Climax four-cylinder engine, until it’s purpose-built Gurney-Westlake V12 was ready for the ’67 season.

Often cited as the most beautiful Formula 1 car ever built, if the newly-engined V12-powered Mk1 went as well as it looked it would be a championship winner.

It didn’t.

Despite obvious speed allowing the Mk1 to qualify at or near the front of the grid almost all season, chronic fragility of the Gurney-Weslake V12 engine meant the car retired from every race bar two. The two races in which it did finish were both podiums though, proving the speed was there and making Dan Gurney one of only three drivers ever to win a Formula 1 Grand Prix in a car of their own making.

However the Eagle-Weslake’s statistics don’t make for great reading. Of the 26 races the Mk1 started the car finished just six, and in three of those it was powered by the old Coventry-Climax engine. By the end of 1968 Anglo-American Racing closed its doors and Gurney returned to the ‘states under the All American Racing banner to continue competing in domestic championships.

Nevertheless the Gurney-Weslake Mk1 was a race-winner and thus deserves its place in the Formula 1 Hall of Fame. TLCB Master MOCer Luca Rusconi (aka RoscoPC) has recreated the Mk1 in spectacular detail, as he continues to upload his huge back-catalogue of historic racing cars to Flickr.

First built in 2013 (when it appeared here) Luca’s model has been beautifully re-photgraphed, and it features working suspension, functioning steering, and an accurate replica of the unreliable Gurney-Weslake V12 engine. A whole host of stunning images are available to view at Luca’s Eagle-Weslake Flickr album – click here to take a look.

Pukka Porsche

Leave a reply

Is it us or is Porsche’s original 911 becoming increasingly pretty the older it gets? Now looking wonderfully simple, the original Porsche 911 was launched in the early 1960s with an air-cooled 2-litre flat-6 making around 130bhp. By the 1980s 911s were producing almost three times as much power, and they were almost all crap, making the 1960s original the perfect example of ‘less is more’.

The beautiful 1960s 911 pictured here comes from Flickr’s klingen_guru and it captures the original car brilliantly. Opening doors, front trunk and engine cover reveal wonderfully detailed internals to match the accurate exterior and you can see all the photos at klingen’s photostream. Click the link above to make the jump.

The Dazzling Knight

3 Replies

Kapow!! Batman wasn’t always dark and moody. There was a time when he was kitsch, flamboyant, and – let’s face it – more than a little bit camp, and this was certainly reflected in his choice of wheels.

Built by hot rodding legend George Barris the outlandish 1966 Batmobile was based on the 1955 Ford Futura concept car that Barris bought from the Ford Motor Company for the nominal sum of $1. In just three weeks he turned the old concept into what would become one of the most famous TV vehicles of all time, complete with turbo-electric drive (whatever that is), a Bat-scope (ditto), a mobile phone, reverse rocket thrusters, and a remote tracking system.

Flickr’s Ralph Savelsberg hasn’t managed to built that lot, but his Lego recreation of Barris’ masterpiece pays tribute to the Dark Knight’s gaudier days in superb style. You can see more of Ralph’s brilliant replica of the 1966 Batmobile, complete with Batman and Robin figures, over at his photostream – click the link above to light the Bat Signal.

The Lego Car Blog

The Best LEGO Cars on the Web! | LEGO News, Reviews & MOCs | Cars, Trucks, Sci-Fi, Aircraft & More

Tag Archives: 1960s

Classic Muscle

Like this:

Jaguar Jigsaw

Like this:

American Classics – Picture Special

Like this:

Three Champions

Like this:

Thunderbirds are GO(NE)!

Like this:

Antelopean Apparition

Like this:

Mötley Crüe

Like this:

The Clerk

Like this:

Piazza Italia

Like this:

Meyers Manx

Like this:

Black on Black

Like this:

Rent-a-Ride*

Like this:

Eagle Weslake Mk1 | Picture Special

Like this:

Pukka Porsche

Like this:

The Dazzling Knight

Like this:

Spread the Word

Like this:

Spread the Word

Like this:

Spread the Word

Like this:

Spread the Word

Like this:

Spread the Word

Like this:

Spread the Word

Like this:

Spread the Word

Like this:

Spread the Word

Like this:

Spread the Word

Like this:

Spread the Word

Like this:

Spread the Word

Like this:

Spread the Word

Like this:

Spread the Word

Like this:

Spread the Word

Like this:

Spread the Word

Like this: