Tag Archives: 7-wide

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.

Superprofilé

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Bugatti aren’t just Veyrons and Chirons. A century ago they made some of most luxurious cars in the world, including this, the excellently named Type 50 T Ventoux Coupé Superprofilé. This 7-wide example comes from previous bloggee ER0L and you can jump back to peak 1930s long-named luxury 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.

Transiting

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It a Transit van double here at The Lego Car Blog today, with two rather different examples of Ford’s ubiquitous workhorse.

First up (above) is Versteinert‘s wonderful 7-wide 1970s face-lifted Mk1 Transit camper, wearing some slightly mismatched wheel-arch and sill repairs, a roof-rack loaded with adventure equipment, and being a thousand times cooler than the default Volkswagen Transporter. It joins several other Mk1 Transits in Versteinert’s photostream, and you can finn them all via the link above.

Four decades later, the Mk1’s great-grandson is here in the form of this 5-wide 2010s face-lifted Mk4 Transit crew-van (below) in ‘Abnormal Load Escort’ configuration. Make your own ‘Your Mom’ joke. Regular bloggee Ralph Savelsberg is its creator and there’s more to see of his excellent Transit, and the abnormal load it’s escorting, via the link above.

The Car You Always Promised Yourself

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Is there anything cooler than a bright yellow Mark 1 Ford Capri? No, of course not, and previous bloggee Versteinert had the coolest dad ever, because this is a replica of the exact car owned by his father in the ’70s.

Ford’s European coupe was offered in a bewildering array of trims and engine sizes, with Versteinert’s dad choosing a mid-range engine married to high specification, with his being 2000 GXL.

Capturing his father’s car in wonderful detail, Versteinert’s beautifully presented 7-wide model is packed with ingenious building techniques, and you can see it close up at his ‘Ford Capri’ album via the link.

And what of the Capri itself? Well after decades of hiatus, Ford have brought the Capri back as… an electric crossover. Because of course they have. It might be available in yellow, but we’ll take Versteinert’s dad’s Mark 1 2000 GXL any day.

Mind Your Manners

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This superbly-liveried rhubarb-and-custard DAF XG was discovered by one of our Elves on Flickr, and comes from regular bloggee Ralph Savelsberg (aka Mad Physicist), who has recreated one of the real trucks used British agricultural haulage firm ‘Manners’. Only mini-figure scale, Ralph’s DAF packs in detail that belies its small size, which is further enhanced by some lovely replica decals. There’s more to see at Ralph’s ‘DAF XG’ Flickr album and you can mind his manners via the link above.

Allelys’ Arocs

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We regularly feature ginormous trucks here at The Lego Car Blog. Because we’re five. But today’s is rather smaller, being just seven studs in width, yet packing in as much detail as models several times its size. Built by regular bloggee Ralph Savelsberg, this Mercedes-Benz Arocs replicates the real world trucks run by British heavy haulage firm Allelys, and you can see more of it, the trailer it pulls, and a few of Ralph’s other superb small-scale haulers via the link above.

Survive the Fire

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Ford’s Transit was an emphatic success when it launched in the 1960s. By the late ’70s almost every van on British and European roads was a Transit, with vans called ‘Transits’ regardless of their actual make and model.

But the Transit was also disposable. Built as a tool, rarely looked after, and thrown away afterwards, the attrition of the Transit was almost total. Almost.

In 1960s-70s Germany, the Transit Mk.1 was a popular fire response vehicle, carrying ladders on the roof, pumping equipment inside, and with a siren and an upturned plant-pot blue light mounted above the cab.

Unlike their invariably white workhorse brethren, Transits in the fire service were well looked after, meticulously maintained, and travelled relatively low mileage. They were also kept for decades, and thus by the time they retired they were the only surviving examples of the Mk1 left. Which means that today if you see a Ford Transit Mk1 in Germany, it’ll probably be red, and once have carried ladders on the roof.

Cue Versteinert‘s lovely 7-wide German fire service Ford Transit Mk1, constructed following his more humdrum version that appeared here last month. Beautiful attention to detail matches the presentation, and there’s more to see of his fantastic fire service Ford at his photostream.

Click the first link in the text above for one of the few Transit Mk1 survivors, or the second for one that almost certainly didn’t.

In Transit

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In the late ’60s Ford were massive in Britain. With dozens of models produced in dozens of factories, they were the best selling car brand by miles. But we’re not here for their cars today, we’re here for something much more important. The Transit.

Launched in 1965 and built not far from TLCB Towers, the Ford Transit immediately became the best-selling van in Europe, and with the Mark 1 in production for twenty years it became so ubiquitous that even today many Brits still call vans ‘Transit-Vans’ regardless of the make or model.

In fact the Mark 1 Transit’s dominance was so great that by the early ’70s London’s Metropolitan Police estimated that 95% of all bank raids used one, as of course did the police themselves.

The Transit’s legacy continues today, with the fourth generation being the best selling vehicle of any type in the UK, and since its release in America, its the best selling van there too.

But back to 1965, and this fantastic 7-wide Speed Champions homage to Ford’s most important post-war vehicle. Constructed by Flickr’s Versteinert it captures the classic van’s aesthetics beautifully, and Vernsteinert’s superbly presented model looks the best way to move stuff about in the late-’60s that we can think of. Of course in the late-’60s, the Transit was pretty much the only way to move stuff about.

There’s more to see at Vernsteinert’s photostream, and you can join every other ’60s van driver from florists to bank robbers via the link in the text above.

Just One More Thing…

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The famous words of TV detective ‘Columbo’, uttered just before his inevitable cracking of the case. Produced throughout the ’70s, and then again in the late ’80s through 1990s, Columbo was (and still is) a stable of American television, and often cited as one of the greatest TV characters ever created.

Perfectly matched to the Los Angeles homicide detective’s shambling crumpled appearance was his car, an old Peugeot 403 convertible, which was never washed and – like Columbo – very often smoking.

Just 500 or so 403 convertibles were made, making Columbo’s choice a very rare vehicle (contrary to the sedan, station wagon and pick-up variants, which were produced in their hundreds of thousands), with two or three units used in the production of the TV show.

This lovely recreation of the Peugeot 403 convertible comes from previous bloggee SvenJ., and captures Columbo’s car beautifully in 1:32 brick form. Several images are available and you can find them all at Sven’s Flickr album; click the link above to crack the case. Just one more thing…

Cyber Datsun

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In a seedy bleak cyberpunk future, you could do worse than a classic Datsun pick-up. Notoriously hardy, the Datsun 720 is the perfect tool for collecting disused electronics ready to harvest the internals. Or whatever it is these colourful characters are doing. Ids de Jong knows, and you can ask him at his photostream via the link above.

The Best 4×4+1

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LEGO’s 40650 Land Rover Classic Defender is a rather nice little 150-piece pocket-money set. But add just a single extra stud to the dimensions (and a few more advanced building techniques) and it can become something altogether more authentic. Cue SvenJ.‘s excellent 7-wide Land Rover Defender 90, which adds the Defender’s famous ‘barrel side’, triple-rear-window, posable steering, and a whole heap more interior and exterior detail. Building instructions are available and you can upgrade your own 40650 set via the link above.

Out Of Africa

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The most Germanic of German cars is – these days – African.

Nearly two million Mercedes-Benz W114 and W115s were built during the 1970s, with countless numbers registered as taxis across Germany.

Painted in mandatory primrose yellow, they covered hundreds of thousands of kilometres during their working lives, before – at the end of their service in Europe – being shipped to Africa to cover hundreds of thousands more, and where thousands of W114 and W115s are still in use today. It’s safe to assume taxi standards may not be quite as rigorous in their second countries of residence than they were in 1970s Germany.

Of course a sign on the roof is one of the many items that you don’t need in order to operate as a taxi in much of the world, thus battered W115s once owned by German businessmen in the ’70s are now also doing something far more important; keeping whole communities connected.

These two superb brick-built replicas of the car that continues to keep parts of Africa moving are the work of SvenJ. of Flickr, who has made free building instructions available so you can create his excellent Mercedes-Benz W115 too. There’s more of the model to see via at SvenJ.’s Flickr album, and you can head to 1970s Munich, or – more likely – central Africa today, via the link in the text above.

Gaseous Emissions

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A fart on a bus is a most unwelcome travelling companion. Although it is immensely funny if you cut one just before your stop. Anyway, here’s a bus powered by compressed natural gas, being a Gillig CNG. Emitting around 20% less CO2 than diesel equivalents, CNG buses run mostly on the same stuff that exits your body, with this one (the bus, not a fart) being formed by previous bloggee 1saac W. of Flickr. There’s more to see at 1saac’s photostream and can toot on over via the link above.

Bricking Bronco

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There’s a new Ford Bronco out. Which of course means a TLCB post saying ‘we’d prefer the old one’. But we would, so here it is, courtesy of TLCB regular 1saac W. Jump back to 1970 via the link.