Tag Archives: 1970s

Dodgy Camping

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Yoga-practicing, vegan-dieting, top-knot-wearing bus / camper life douchebags are everywhere. Well, as long as everywhere has good WiFi, so they can upload their latest ‘adventure’ to their followers. Urgh.

We try to avoid such content of course, but so too would we steer clear of the owner of this battered ’70s Dodge B100 van and Shasta trailer. Decidedly un-Instagram friendly, we suspect its inhabitant’s diet would be more road-kill than ethnic-peace-crisps, and healing crystals would be swapped for actual, um… actual crystal.

Which leads neatly on to today’s second dodgy camper, a Dodge-based ’77 Winnebago that’s almost guaranteed to be a meth lab. An update to his previously blogged ‘Minnie Winnie’, 1saac W. is the builder of both recreational vehicles, and you can head to the abandoned parking lot on the edge of town to check them out via the link above.

The Ultimate Driving Machine

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At the time of writing, everything BMW makes (and it’s a rather long list) is a very expensive, very heavy, overly powerful, visual assault. BMW’s tagline might still be “The Ultimate Driving Machine”, but their cars sure aren’t.

Which is why today we’re travelling back to the late-’60s to early-’70s, when BMW made joyous cars such as this, the fantastic 02-Series.

This one is a two-door 2002, being powered by BMW’s then-new ‘M10’ engine making between 100 and 120bhp. It was a peach of an engine too, becoming one of the first to offer fuel injection and turbocharging, and in production for a quarter of a century. It was also developed into BMW’s 1980s F1 engine, making an unbelievable 1,400bhp in qualifying trim…

But back the 2002, and this lovely Speed Champions scale example comes from The G Brix of Flickr, who’s captured the sporty compact sedan beautifully in brick form. There’s more to see at G’s photostream, and you can jump back to when BMW did indeed make “The Ultimate Driving Machine” (and not whatever this is supposed to be) via the link above.

Trail Blazin’

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Here in the crumbling edifice that is TLCB Towers, surrounded by mythical Elves and perpetual piles of spam comments, sometimes we just want to escape into the wilderness…

Cue this splendid mid-’70s Chevrolet ‘K5’ Blazer constructed by damjan97PL / damianPLE. On lifted suspension and running oversize tyres, Damian’s Chevy looks the perfect tool to make a break from the office.

Which is what Damian has done himself, photographing his creation on location at a lovely looking riverbank. Working steering and opening doors accompany the functioning suspension, building instructions are available, and three’s more to see at both Eurobricks and Bricksafe.

Take a look via the links above whilst this writer tries to sneak out of the office before any of his colleagues have read this post…

Magnum Force

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‘Magnum Force’ is the title of the 1973 sequel to ‘Dirty Harry’, with Clint Eastwood reprising the role of Harry Callahan – and the movie named after an energy drink. Or a signature wrestling move. Or a condom. Or a gun. Probably the last one.

Anyway, as well as Eastwood, ‘Magnum Force’ also starred the 1972 Ford Custom 500, with this neat 6-wide example coming from previous bloggee Sseven Bricks of Flickr.

Some clever techniques recreate the 500’s details, and you can jump back to early ’70s San Fransisco (where everyone seems to die – including the Ford) at Sseven’s photostream via the link above.

Plus Twenty-Four

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You own LEGO’s excellent 10295 Porsche 911 set, but what if you want something… racier? Firas Abu-Jaber has the answer.

Constructed only from the parts of the official LEGO 911 set, Firas has recreated one of Porsche’s wildest 911-based racers, the Le Mans, Sebring, Daytona and 1000km of Nurburgring winning 935.

With opening doors, hood and engine cover, working steering, a detailed engine and interior, and enough parts left over for a very appropriate trophy cabinet, Firas’ 935 is an excellent way to recycle your 10295 pieces, with building instructions available to assist.

There’s much more to see at Firas’ ‘Porsche 935’ album on Flickr, and you can add twenty-four to your 911 via the link above.

Romanian Renault

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Crappy communist cars such as this, this and this weren’t just made out of old Fiats. No, because there was an exception! Dacias were made out of old Renaults. 

Based on the Renault 12, Dacia produced the 1310 from 1979 until 1999, before Renault took over the company from the Romanian state and, well… just continued making it for another seven years. Small revisions to the design were made over that lengthy production run, although all were somewhat ungainly, with the 1980s example pictured here looking particularly tragic.

Still, when you’re part of a communist dictatorship choice is somewhat limited, and thus over two million Dacia 1310s were sold.

This superb replica of the 1310 is the work of previous (but newly named) bloggee blockostalgia, who has done a tremendous job of recreating the humble Romanian people’s car in brick form. Everything opens, there’s a detailed interior and engine bay, and presentation is top shelf. Literally.

There’s lots more of block’s delightful Dacia to see on Flickr via the link above, and if you’re wondering what became of the brand after Renault’s take-over… well they now make the best selling car in all of Europe.

Alpine Past

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Alpine are back from the dead, with new production cars, a re-badged Renault Formula 1 Team, and re-badged Oreca Le Mans Hypercars. Which is nice and all, but they were cooler the first time round. Particularly when they built this; the 1978 Le Mans-winning Renault Alpine A442B.

Only two manufacturers competed for outright victory in ’78, but with the other being Porsche and Alpine’s Didier Pironi and Jean-Pierre Jaussaud completing a record distance over the twenty-four hours, the victory was still an immense achievement.

This fantastic Speed Champions recreation of the ’78 race winner comes from Flickr’s SFH_Bricks, whose catalogue of classic Le Mans racers is both extensive and beautifully constructed.

A wonderfully accurate livery adds to the realism (which TLCB Elves like too for some reason…) and you can see more of SFH’s glorious Renault Alpine A442B at his album of the same name via the link above.

Le Mans Matra

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Matra. The greatest car manufacturer most have never heard of. Formula 1 World Champions, three-time Le Mans Winners, and creators of hugely influential production-car successes like this, segment-pioneering inventions like this, and colossal failures like this.

That last one bankrupted the company, which disappeared forever in 2003, so we’ll jump back to 1972 when Matra where on top of not just their game, but everyone else’s, taking the first of three Le Mans wins in a row.

They did so with this, the wild Matra Simca MS670, which won the race by eleven laps in the hands Henri Pescarolo and Graham Hill, with another MS670 in second. This superb Speed Champions recreation of Matra’s ’72 endurance racer is the work of SFH_Bricks of Flickr, who has added it to his ever-growing roster of Le Mans cars.

Authentic decals and fantastic presentation make SFH’s MS670 a worthy homage to the oft-forgotten champions, and you can take a closer look at his brilliant build via the link above.

Vice ‘Vette

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Things are not always what they seem. And not just in today’s terrifying world of AI, but in decades past too. Because the ‘Ferraris’ used in the famous TV series ‘Miami Vice’ were not actually Ferraris at all, but Chevrolet C3 Corvettes.

Cunning modifications transformed the then-ageing Stingrays into prancing horses, but we think we actually prefer the ‘Vettes to the Italian supercars they became. This one comes from previous bloggee Sseven Bricks and there’s more to see of his Speed Champions C3 on Flickr. Click the link above to take a look.

Gotham is Burning

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I know… Isn’t it beautiful?

Arthur Fleck, riding in a 1977 Dodge Monaco police car, stares out of the window in wonder at the disorder he has sparked.

Flickr’s _Tiler has captured the moment that down-trodden Arthur became ‘The Joker’, and there’s more to see of the Dodge Monaco in which it occurred via the link above.

Arabian Nights

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Truck drivers travel a looong way. Few however, travelled quite so far as those on the overland haulage route from Europe to the Middle East.

Crossing more than a dozen countries and over 4,000 miles, trucks such as this ‘Rynart’-operated Scania LB141 journeyed from Holland to Saudi Arabia (and back again) in the late-’70s and early-’80s, before the existence of most highways, and long before Google Maps and sat-nav. We’re guessing they probably weren’t transporting vegetables or milk…

This astonishingly life-like recreation of one of the trucks to travel that epic route has been constructed by Dennis Bosman (aka legotrucks), who has replicated the Scania LB141, trailer, and ‘Rynart, Holland – Saudi Arabia Express’ livery in stunning detail.

Fantastic presentation matches the phenomenal build, and you can join Dennis on the long road from Europe to the Middle East at his ‘Scania LB141 “Rynart” album on Flickr, plus you can check out how he creates spectacular models just like this one via his Master MOCers interview here at TLCB.

Recovering the Satellites*

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Plymouth is now consigned to history, a relic of automotive past, never again to see a new wheel turned. The wild bewinged NASCARs, early-’00s oddities, sentient killers, and of course ‘Cudas will likely endure, but the unglamorous sedans, minivans, and station wagons are already all-but-erased from American roads.

Previous bloggee _Tiler hasn’t forgotten them though, and has created this stellar early-’70s Plymouth Satellite in starkly-white Police patrol form. Beautiful detailing is matched by the outstanding presentation, and you can jump back to when Plymouths were common across America via the link above, or click here to enter the brick-built Plymouth rabbit-hole.

*Today’s title song.

A Grand Ending

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After two decades mucking about in cars, and a global audience of millions, Clarkson, Hammond and May have finally hung up their driving gloves. Well, May has. The others probably didn’t wear them.

Their final episode of ‘The Grand Tour’ – Amazon’s monstrously expensive continuation of BBC Top Gear – aired last year, in which the team returned to the location of their first ever road-trip adventure, undertaken some twenty years earlier.

A 1970s Lancia Montecarlo, Triumph Stag, and Ford Capri starred alongside the human trio, likely also completing their last ever drive, such is the nature of television production.

They live on in Lego form though, courtesy of NV_Carmocs (photographed by Studworks), who has recreated each car beautifully in Speed Champions scale. Accurate registration plates, 3D-printed wheels, and a brick-built animal skull on the Lancia enhance the accuracy, and NV_Carmocs has made building instructions available too, should you wish to relive ‘The Grand Tour’s last adventure at home. Have One for the Road via the link above.

The Seventies Were Cool (II)

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Despite not even being a sperm at the time, this TLCB Writer is of the opinion that seventies cars were all vastly better than anything made today. A point proven by the Ford Capri, which was once a superb coupe for everyone, and is now an insipid electric crossover for people trying to pay less company car tax.

This splendid ’70s Ford Capri RS2600 comes Versteinert, whose yellow Mk1 Capri appeared here earlier in the year, and who has now updated his original model into the high power twin-headlight derivative of Ford’s classic European coupe.

Immaculately presented, there’s more to see of Versteinert’s beautiful RS2600 on Flickr, and you can jump back to when the Capri badge wan’t on the boot of a tragic electric crossover via the link above.

The Seventies Were Cool (I)

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Today, Lancia make just one car; an electric / hybrid supermini based on a Peugeot with as much dynamic ability as your Mom. And she’s really fat.

But back in the ’70s Lancia had rather more verve, with a range of dynamic drivers cars capped by this, the wild rally-engineered and Ferrari-engined Stratos.

This lovely 1:16 brick-built example comes from previous bloggee danielsmocs, and includes opening doors, front and rear clamshells, a detailed engine and interior, plus working pop-up headlights.

There’s more to see at the Eurobricks forum and you can jump back to when Lancias were cool via the link above.