Tag Archives: Classic Car

Yeah Baby!

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Is there anything more British than a Jaguar E-Type bedecked in Union Flag? OK, maybe tea. Or politely queuing. Or pilfering far-off countries’ antiquities. Or football hooliganism. But other than those things a Jaguar E-Type bedecked in a Union Flag is bloody well right up there.

Famously driven by Austin Powers (“women want him, and men want to be him”), the “Shaguar” first appeared in the International Man of Mystery’s 1997 debut, and has been recreated superbly in brick form – including the patriotic paint job – by published Lego author Peter Blackert (aka Lego911).

Building instructions are available with more to see on Flickr. Take a look via the link above whilst we go and politely queue for a tea.

Dedicated Follower of Fashion*

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American automotive design was at its most outrageous by the late ’50s. Increasingly wild shapes, jet engine tail lights, and tail-fins half the length of the car were redrawn every two years, with manufacturers reusing the same (often rather tired) underpinnings underneath constantly new fashion-conscious exteriors. ’50s American cars had lifecycles as short as LEGO sets…

Of course there’s probably a metaphor there somewhere about what actually matters being what’s on the inside, as by the ’70s the wheels were starting to come off, but in 1959 no-one was thinking that far ahead. In fact no-one thought further than the next 24 months.

Today’s creation epitomises this time; the fabulously extravagant 1959 Dodge Coronet. The fourth generation car we have here lasted from just 1957 to 1959 (with its predecessors each lasting no more than two years also), measured nearly 6 meters long, and was powered by a range of six and eight cylinder engines, some of which dated from the 1920s.

This lovely 8-wide Speed Champions recreation of the ’59 Coronet comes from previous bloggee SFH_Bricks, who has added it to his ever growing roster of classic automotive Americana. With so many short-lived designs crammed into America’s golden age, SFH has no shortage of real-world cars to replicate, and you can check out this wonderful Dodge and much more besides via the link in the text above.

*Today’s title song.

My Other Car’s a Chevy

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In the 1960s, General Motors were phenomenally adept at spinning different cars from the same platform. Chevrolet, Buick, Oldsmobile, Cadillac, and Pontiac were all successful brands in their own right, being positioned, marketed, and priced to separate segments of the U.S auto market, but all sharing considerable commonality underneath.

Pontiac were priced towards the lower end of GM’s portfolio, but that didn’t mean that they didn’t produce fast, desirable products. This is one of them, the fabulous first generation Pontiac GTO, which shared its componentry with the mid-’60s Chevrolet Malibu, Buick Skylark Grand Prix, and Oldsmobile 442.

Built by Master MOCer Firas Abu-Jaber, this wonderful recreation of the Pontiac GTO also shares its parts with a Chevrolet, being constructed solely from the pieces found within the excellent LEGO 10304 Icons Chevrolet Camaro Z28 set.

Using 1,322 of the Camaro’s 1,456 parts, Firas’ GTO looks so good you’d be hard-pressed to know it’s an alternate. Working steering, opening doors, hood and trunk, plus a detailed interior and engine bay all feature, as per the donor set, with the model presented absolutely beautifully.

There’s lots more of Firas’ incredible Pontiac GTO to see at his album of the same name, plus you can find out how he creates models such as this one at his Master MOCers interview here at TLCB, accessible via the first link in the text above.

Muppety Relations

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Kermit and Miss Piggy might be the world’s most famous puppet-based couple, but the mechanics of their relationship are probably not something upon which to ponder too deeply. Cue this green pig, as however nightmarish the offspring of a frog and a pig might be, in car form the result is fantastic.

Previous bloggee PleaseYesPlease is the builder behind this stunning Speed Champions modified Porsche 911 Carrera 3.2, which – even in American-safety-bumper form – looks the business.

Stretched tyres and a little window stickerage aren’t strictly purist, but then we started this post with an amphibian-swine sex metaphor, so don’t go looking to us for formality.

There’s more to see of Please’s gloriously green Porsche 911 at the link above, plus you can find every time their works have appeared here to date via this bonus link.

Summer of ’59

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As uninspired, dreary and monotonous as American cars have been since the late-’90s, they were spectacular, inventive, and pioneering in the late-’50s. Tail-fins, chrome, and delightful shapes abounded during America’s automotive golden years, with two high watermarks being Chevrolet’s gorgeous C1 Corvette and iconic Impala.

Recreating these icons of Americana is SFH_Bricks, who has begun a new series building the most famous ’50s cars in Speed Champions scale. Joining his previously blogged Cadillac El Dorado, the Corvette and Impala pictured here capture each classic Chevrolet beautifully in miniature (with the pieces used for the Impala’s tail-lights in particular perfectly formed for the task).

There’s more to see of SFH’s wonderfully presented classic Chevrolet Corvette and Impala models (including details on building instructions) on Flickr via the links, where we’re sure a fleet of ’50s American classic will be sure to join them.

The Road to El Dorado

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This is a 1953 Cadillac Eldorado, a humungous (at 5.6 meters long / 2.3 tons) and humungously expensive 2-door luxury convertible, that – in first generation guise – lasted just one year and 500 units.

With unique sheet metal from the Cadillac upon which it was based, the first generation Eldorado was an ultra-exclusive automobile, and included such luxuries as air-conditioning (a $7,000 option at today’s prices), power windows, a heater, and that mark of unrestrained decadence; windscreen washers.

This lovely Lego recreation of Cadillac’s high-watermark comes from previous bloggee SFH_Bricks, who has captured it beautifully in brick form. Ingenious building techniques and top-notch presentation abound, and there’s more to see of SFH’s magnificent ’53 Eldorado via Flickr. Click the link above to take a closer look.

Nights in White Sedan*

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Exquisitely presented, this gorgeous 5-wide ’50s sedan comes from regular bloggee 1saac W., whose inspired parts choice and stunning photography show that you really don’t need a million pieces to build something utterly beautiful. Lipstick tail-lights, an ice-skate hood ornament, and wispy smoke c-pillars are just a few of the brilliant brick decisions that have created this fantastic classic, and there’s much more to see at 1saac’s photostream. Click the link above take a closer look.

*Today’s title song. Nearly.

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…

LEGO Icons 10337 Lamborghini Countach 5000 Quattrovalvole | Set Preview

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The Walkman, the Rubik’s Cube, Breakdancing, the Synthesiser, Big Hair, and Cocaine could all all lay claim to being the most 1980s thing. Here at TLCB however, we think it could well be a white Lamborghini Countach 5000 Quatrovalvole.

The Countach was actually born a decade earlier, but by the ’80s had morphed into an outrageous caricature of itself, perfectly encapsulating the Decade of Excess.

It’s also perhaps the most Lamborghini of Lamborghinis, and therefore the ideal choice to recreate in LEGO form. On sale from next month, LEGO have done just that, with the brand new Icons 10337 Lamborghini Countach 5000 Quattrovalvole.

Constructed from just over 1,500 pieces, the new set includes the Countach’s scissor doors, V12 engine, deep-dish wheels (although we’re not quite sure the rear tyres on the real thing were twice as wide as the fronts), a detailed interior, plus opening front trunk and engine cover, and – to our eyes – it looks absolutely terrific!

Sales begin via lego.com next month, when you can get your hands on the new 10337 Lamborghini Countach 5000 Quatrovalvole set for around $180 / £160. Rubik’s Cube and Cocaine optional.

Stud Bug

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In contrast to this site’s bodged operation and shoe-string budget, TLCB usually publishes models at the exotic end of the vehicular scale. Sleek, powerful, rare… the cars we feature are the opposite of both this site and the cars found in our office carpark. But not today!

Yup, this time we have a vehicle that is far more befitting of our social status, being cheap, common, and rather dumpy, it’s the humble Volkswagen Beetle, a car built in its millions to transport the masses.

Better yet this is a deeply uncool unmodified one, as 99% of those on the world’s roads are,  driven not by hipsters on their way to a trendy festival, but by ordinary workers to ordinary places.

It comes from gaehno of Brickshelf, and not only does it look fantastic – constructed as it is in traditional studs-up fashion using basic System pieces – it’s also packed with brilliant Technic functionality.

A working flat-four-cylinder engine is mated to a four-speed gearbox, there’s functioning steering, a working parking brake, switchable windscreen wipers that operate as the model drives, opening and lockable doors, front trunk and engine cover, adjustable seats, folding sun visors, and even an opening glovebox.

There’s more of the model to see at gaehno’s Brickshelf gallery, and you can take a look at one of the world’s least glamorous cars, built in a beautifully unglamorous way, via the link in the text above.

My Other Car’s a Camaro

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LEGO’s 10304 Icons Chevrolet Camaro Z28 set has proven a hugely popular source of alternative builds. Half-a-dozen have already reside in our archives, including a Porsche 911, Pontiac Firebird, and even a Golf GTI.

Today we’re adding another, as TLCB Master MOCer Firas Abu-Jaber has turned the ’70s American 2-door coupe into, well… a Japanese one.

Launching two years after the Camaro, the Datsun 240Z ‘Fairlady’ took the US by storm, offering good performance, reliability, and relative efficiency, all for just $200 more than an MGB.

This brilliant 1:13 replica of Japan’s most successful ’70s sports car recreates the 240Z solely from the parts found within the 10304 Chevrolet Camaro set, and includes a detailed engine under the raising hood, a realistic interior behind opening doors, an opening tailgate, and working steering too.

There’s lots more of this 10304 alternate to see at Firas’ ‘Fairlady 240Z’ album on Flickr, where full details (including a link to instructions) can be found. Switch your Camaro for a 240Z via the link above, plus you can read the builder’s interview here at The Lego Car Blog via the Master MOCers third link in this post’s text.

Definitely Not a Supercar

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The Lego Car Blog isn’t just about hypercars and monster trucks. Nope, we also deal in crummy ’70s French hatchbacks!

This one is a Peugeot 104, first released in 1972 and surviving until 1988, by which point over one-and-a-half-million had been produced.

Fewer than a dozen survive on the roads in TLCB’s home market though, so we doubt we’ll ever see one. Fortunately(?) however, today we can revisit cheap French motoring (that isn’t a Citroen 2CV or Renault 4) courtesy of previous bloggee Levihathan, who has recreated the Peugeot 104 in Technic form.

Working steering, a 4-cylinder piston engine, rear-wheel-drive, front and rear suspension, plus opening doors, hood and hatchback all feature, which ironically classifies the build as a Technic ‘Supercar’, which we love!

You can check out Levihathan’s Technic recreation of France’s peak small car of the ’70s at their ‘Peugeot 104z’ album on Flickr, and we’ll probably be back with a monster truck or something soon.

Incredibile

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It’s been twenty years since Disney Pixar’s best ever movie premiered in cinemas. Pre-dating the Marvel Cinematic Universe, all but the first Spiderman film, and about 76 other subsequent superhero movies because Hollywood was too unimaginative to make anything else, ‘The Incredibles’ perfectly captured the zeitgeist.

Depicting a forgotten genre of superheroes, forced into hiding, and waiting for the world to need them once more, Pixar’s beautiful retro aesthetic paid homage to the comics books of the past, whilst simultaneously pushing the boundaries of digital animation.

Recreating Mr. Incredible’s ‘Incredibile’ from Pixar’s movie masterpiece, Flickr’s SFH_Bricks has reproduced the movie’s iconic car superbly in brick form, and you can create it for yourself as he’s also produced building instructions.

There’s more to see at SFH’s ‘Incredibile’ album, and you can jump back to the greatest heroes of the 2000’s via the link above.

Did You Drive Your Car Tonight Mr. Belfort?

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It’s the late-’80s, and the Lamborghini’s wild V12-engined Countach is some fifteen years old. Marcello Gandini’s superbly clean lines have been hidden beneath a mountain of plastic, the engine is up to 5.2 litres and equipped with four valves per cylinder, and – in the U.S – hideous mandatory low-speed impact bumpers have been glued on.

Precisely nothing has been done to make the car less terrible to drive over the last decade-and-a-half however, and thus the Countach remains very much not a car for the novice driver. Or one high on quaaludes trying to get home from the country club.

Cue perhaps the greatest movie scene of all time, and one Lamborghini Countach on which the low-speed impact bumpers weren’t quite enough.

Flickr’s ZetoVince is the owner of this fantastic Model Team replica, and there’s more to see of his wonderfully-presented creation at his photostream. Click the link above to try to make it the less-than-a-mile back home from the country club, without a scratch on yourself or the car…

My Other Car’s a Camaro

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Bored of your handlebar moustache, wearing leather jackets, and chewing a toothpick in an alley? Then it’s time to cease your Camaro ownership and switch to something far smaller, much lighter, and altogether more classy. Yes this superb Volkswagen Golf GTI Mk1 by TLCB Master MOCer Firas Abu-Jaber has been constructed only from the pieces found within the official LEGO Icons 10304 Chevrolet Camaro Z28, yet appears completely unconstrained by the set parts source.

Like the set that donated its parts, Firas’ Golf GTI alternate includes working steering, opening doors, hood, and trunk, plus a detailed interior and engine, and you can take a closer look via Firas’ photostream by clicking these words. Or you can keep growing that moustache.