Tag Archives: Classic Race Cars

Lotus 43 – BRM H16 | Picture Special

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Lego Lotus 43 BRM H16

Race car building legend Luca Rusconi (aka RoscoPC) has been building his stunning historic racing cars for the best part of a decade. He’s recently uploaded another one of his glorious creations to Flickr (where we hope many more will follow), and thus we’re able to publish it here. It’s also one of the weirder racing cars in Luca’s garage, although it might not look remarkable at first glance.

Any classic racing fan will know of the incredible performances of the Lotus F1 team. Led by Colin Chapman, and powered by the legendary Cosworth DFV engine, the partnership delivered four Driver and five Constructor World Championship titles. However, before the DFV was ready Chapman needed an engine to put into his new 43 Formula 1 car for the 1966 season. He turned to previous Championship Winners BRM, and their unique P75 H16 engine.

Lego Lotus 43 BRM H16

Yup, H16. Basically two Flat-8 engines stacked on top of one another, yet only 3 litres in capacity. Unfortunately the unusual design was unusual for a reason – reliability. Or lack of it.

Heavy, extremely complicated, and constantly breaking, the BRM engine in Chapman’s Lotus 43 caused it to retire from every race bar one during the 1966 season. However, that one finish was a race win at the United States Grand Prix at Watkins Glen, showing that when it worked, the Lotus 43 was quick. Really Quick.

The following year in ’67 the new Cosworth DFV 3 litre V8 engine was ready, Ford added their sponsorship to it (in a stroke of marketing genius), and the year after that the DFV starting a Championship Winning streak that went unbroken for seven years.

Lego BRM H16 Engine

BRM’s mental P75 H16 engine was quickly forgotten, although the team continued to produce Formula 1 cars until the late 1970s, and Lotus forged on with a Cosworth partnership that was to become one of the most successful ever seen in the sport.

However, we think the Lotus 43 BRM H16 deserves a little recognition. It was a race winner after all, and for a brief moment two of Britain’s greatest F1 teams combined to produce something, well…  a little bit crap.

RoscoPC’s homage to that disastrous partnership pictured here was first built in 2010 and is now available to view in wonderful detail on Flickr. It features working steering, suspension, beautiful detailing, and – of course – a recreation of one of the maddest engines ever seen in Formula 1.

You can see all of the images of Luca’s incredible Lotus 43 build at his photostream via the link above, and if you’re curious to know what an H16 Formula 1 engine sounds like, click here…

Lego Lotus 43 BRM H16

The Killer Years

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Lego Ferrari 126C F1 Car Villeneuve

Formula 1 is – whilst not without its risks – relatively safe today. For almost all of the sport’s history however, it was a insanely dangerous place to be. Even as late as the 1980s Formula 1 drivers (and others involved in F1 trackside) were dying on a regular basis. This car belongs to one such driver, the hugely popular Gilles Villeneuve, who was tragically killed at Zolder in Belgium after just 5 years in the sport.

Gilles joined Formula 1 after winning the Formula Atlantic championship in both the US and Canada in 1976, debuting with McLaren in ’77 before World Champions Ferrari took him on for the ’78 season. In May of 1982 Gilles collided with the back of Jochen Mass’ car during qualifying, with Mass on a slow lap and Gilles on a fast one. Both drivers saw each other at the last moment, both took evasive action, and both moved to the right…

The Ferrari disintegrated, and Gilles, still strapped into his seat, exited the car and hit the catch fencing, fatally breaking his neck. Formula 1 had lost one of it’s most loved drivers.

Lego Ferrari 126C2

Gilles is now remembered at his home track in Canada, renamed in his honour, and both at Zolder in Belgium and San Marino in Italy, each with a corner named after him. Yesterday marks 35 years since Gilles’ death, and race car building legend Luca Rusconi aka RoscoPC has paid tribute by uploading his incredible recreation of Gilles’ 1982 Ferrari 126C2 Formula 1 car to Flickr, 5 years after he first designed it.

Luca’s model is one of the most spectacular Lego recreations of a classic Formula 1 car that you will ever see, and its beauty lies as much within as it does on the surface, with working suspension complete with anti-roll bars, a 6-cylinder engine and full remote control drive and steering.

There’s more to see of Gilles Villeneuve’s Ferrari 126C2 at Luca’s Flickr gallery – click here to make the trip.

Lego Ferrari 126C F1 Car Villeneuve

Scuderia Ferrari – Picture Special

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Lego Scuderia Ferrari

We may only be four months into the year, but we’re pretty sure we’ve found our favourite creation of 2017 already…

This breathtakingly beautiful scene comes from Michel Van den Heuvel aka Start Bricking on Flickr, and it is -of course – Scuderia Ferrari’s 1950s workshop, recreated wonderfully in mini-figure scale.

Lego Scuderia Ferrari

Inside Michel has taken care of every detail, from tools to trophies, rubber to race cars, nothing is missing, and it’s all been thoughtfully replicated in miniature from our favourite Danish plastic.

Outside the workshop and underneath some stunning brick-built lettering are a trio of historic Scuderia Ferrari Formula 1 racing cars, complete with a superb Fiat team transporter ready to take the cars to their next race.

Michel hasn’t stopped with Formula 1 either, as Ferrari’s legendary endurance racers and sports cars have also been exquisitely recreated in Lego form.

Lego Scuderia Ferrari

There’s a whole lot more to see of Michel’s incredible build at his Flickr photostream by clicking here, and if anyone from LEGO is reading this; please make this an official set. You know you want to!

Lego Scuderia Ferrari

Plan B

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Lego Peugeot 205 Turbo 16

We rarely feature digital creations here at TLCB. Today though we’re going to break our own rule, because this virtual Peugeot 205 Turbo 16 Group B rally car is an absolute delight.

Built in the mid-1980s to race in the World Rally Championship, Peugeot’s monster mid-engined all-wheel-drive 205s won the final two Group B World Championships in ’85 and ’86, before the formula was banned.

This wonderful recreation of one of the most fearsome WRC cars ever is the work of newcomer Fabrice Larcheveque, who has replicated Peugeot Sport’s famous 1980s livery brilliantly in digital form, and has absolutely nailed the car that wears it too.

Fabrice has built several other iconic cars in LEGO’s Speed Champions style and you can see more of these, plus the Peugeot 205 Turbo 16 featured here, via MOCpages, plus you can also vote for the Peugeot to become the next officially-licensed car in the Speed Champions range via LEGO Ideas.

Lego Peugeot 205 Turbo 16

A Bit Hairy

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Lego 67 Hurst "Hairy" Oldsmobile

We have a sneaking suspicion that a few of TLCB Elves may have worked for Oldsmobile in a previous life, as this is so their kind of car.

Built to showcase the durability of the company’s new FWD transaxle, two Hurst ‘Hairy’ Oldsmobile Cutlasses were created in 1967, each fitted with two 1,200bhp supercharged V8s, with one engine powering the front wheels and the second powering the rears.

Lego Oldsmobile Cutlass Hairy Hurst

The result was a car capable of all-wheel-drive burnouts and eleven second quarter miles, but also one with prodigious torque-steer and minimal visibility, which led to one of the two Hairy Hursts being destroyed in a demonstration run.

This glorious recreation of the monstrous drag-racer comes from Flickr’s Tim Inman, who – due to LEGO’s limited range of golden pieces – has had to use hundreds of studded tiles to create the Oldsmobile’s bodywork.

There’s more to see at Tim’s photostream – click the link in the text above to make the jump.

Lego Hurst "Hairy" Oldsmobile

Brick Built Brabham

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Lego Brabham BT24

This is a Brabham BT24, and it won the 1967 Formula 1 Constructor’s Championship. However, it was not the fastest car of the season – that honour went to Lotus – but it was much more reliable, and thus its consistency meant that it took the overall championship ahead of the faster Lotus design.

This neat mini-figure scale recreation of the championship-winning Brabham is the work of Pixel Junkie of Flickr, and it contains some wonderfully inventive parts usage. See more at Pixel’s photostream via the link above.

An Mg Racing Car

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honda-f1

Not a product of the Morris Garages car builders but a Formula 1 racing car with a body made from lightweight magnesium. This car is yet another fascinating piece of auto-racing history from Greg_998 on Flickr. In the late 1960s Honda saved 80kg from the weight of their previous F1 car by giving its body a magnesium shell, instead of an aluminium one.

This author fondly remembers setting fire to strips of magnesium in chemistry lessons, something which is now probably banned under Elf & Safety. Magnesium burns at roughly 3,100°C, making it great for things such as distress flares, sparklers on bonfire night and those things that Boy Scouts start fires with. Tragically these properties make it an incredibly dangerous material to have built a car from if it crashes and catches fire. You can see more images of this unusual car and read a full history by following this link to Greg’s Photostream.

To Finish First…

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Lego Nissan R89C

…First you must finish. Unfortunately for Nissan their strikingly designed 1989 R89C Group C racer was uncharacteristically un-Japanese when it came to reliability, with all three Le Mans entries retiring before the race was over. Sadly the R89C fared little better in the World Sports Car and Japan Sports Prototype Championships, suffering from chassis and engine issues throughout the season.

The R89C is not exactly a legend of endurance racing then, but just look at it! Making almost 1,000bhp from its twin-turbo 3.5litre V8 engine the R89C packed quite a punch when it was working too.

This gorgeous Model Team replica of the classic Nissan racing car is the work of Alexander Paschoaletto and he’s recreated the R89C’s magical shape (and Nissan’s famous late ’80s – early ’90s livery) beautifully in brick form. You can see more of his build on both Flickr and MOCpages – click on the links to take the trip to ’89.

Lego Nissan R89C

The Killer Years – Historic F1 Picture Special

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Lego Lotus Ford 72D JPS

Every so often we receive a suggestion here at TLCB that makes the whole office stop what it’s doing (which today seemed to mostly be Google-imaging attractive Rio Olympics athletes) to gaze in wonder at the creation/s found. This was definitely one of those moments.

Lego Ferrari 640 Formula 1

These incredible Model Team classic Formula 1 replicas have all been built by newcomer Idihnab Szalab from Hungary, and he’s uploaded all four to MOCpages in one go. Each is an exquisitely detailed creation that perfectly captures one of the Formula 1’s most famous and iconic cars in Lego form.

Lego Williams-Honda FW11

From top to bottom Idihnab has built; the dominant 1972-75 Lotus-Ford 72D in John Player Special livery, Ferrari’s 1989 640, the double World Championship-winning 1986-87 Williams-Honda FW11, and lastly the beautiful Lotus-Ford 72C from 1970-71 in magnificent Gold Leaf livery.

Lego Lotus Ford 72C Gold Leaf

We can’t recommend paying Idihnab’s MOCpage a visit enough – click here to view all four incredible creations and to step back in time to Formula 1’s greatest era.

Rotary Renown

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Lego Mazda 787B Rotary Le Mans

This remarkable car is Mazda’s 1991 Group C Le Mans winning 787B, to this day the only Japanese car ever to win the famous 24 hour race and the only non-reciprocating engine powered car to do so too. This stunning replica of Mazda’s greatest triumph is the work of TLCB favourite Greg998, and he’s recreated the 900bhp carbon-composite monster in jaw-dropping detail.

Underneath the brilliantly recreated bodywork – complete with Mazda’s tricky ’91 livery and period-correct decals – Greg’s 787B features working steering, all-wheel suspension, working headlights, and a Lego version of Mazda’s unique (and mental) 4-rotor engine. There’s lots more to see on Flickr, Eurobricks and MOCpages – click the links to see full details and imagery.

Group C Finale

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Lego Nissan R92CP Racing Car

In the 1980s the World Rally Championship was at its most spectacular. Space-framed, wildly unstable and sometimes downright dangerous all-wheel-drive monsters raced through the world’s forests and deserts as part of the lethal Group B experimental class. Not to be outdone World Endurance Racing mirrored the WRC’s turbo-charged excess with its own ludicrous Group C class, where cars like this incredible Nissan R92CP produced over 1,200bhp in qualifying specification.

Like WRC’s Group B, the Group C endurance class was axed after a few short years, but the cars it created have lived on much longer in racing legend. Previous bloggee Greg998 has an impressive catalogue of historic racing cars and his latest is one of the final Group C greats. His stunning 1992 Nissan R92CP is available to view on MOCpages, Eurobricks or Flickr.

Black Widow

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Lego Porsche 936 Black Widow

Greg998 is becoming a regular here at TLCB with his superb classic racing cars. His latest, this brilliant 1976 Martini-Porsche 936 ‘Black Widow’ was suggested to us by a reader, and you can see more of it and his other builds on Flickr.

Tricolore

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Lego Indy 50o Race Car

Sometimes it’s the simplest of creations that please the most, and Angka Utama‘s Indy 500 racer is quite possibly our favourite car of the year so far – we adore it. There’s more to see of his beautifully simple classic racer on Flickr – click the link above to make the jump.

A Tiny Turbo

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Lego Renault 5 Turbo

Nope, not an annoyingly generic 4-wide Lego creation, but Renault’s remarkable early ’80s R5 Turbo.

Downsized turbocharged engines are all the rage now, but Renault had the formula nailed more than thirty years ago. The little R5 was powered by a dinky 1.4 litre motor, one that in rally-tune kicked out over 200BHP. America couldn’t get that much power from a V8 four times the size…

The downside of all that power from such a small engine was chronic fragility, and the road-going R5 Turbo quickly gained a reputation for not working a lot of the time – which meant that it nicely set the tone for the next three decades of French automotive production.

However, unreliable though it was, the R5 Turbo is still regarded as one of the greatest motoring achievements of the 1980s, winning four WRC events and pioneering turbo-charging for the masses.

This brilliantly-built Model Team recreation of the 1982 Tour de Corsa winning rally R5 Turbo comes from MOCpages’ REGIS Michel, with Power Functions remote control drive, working lights, and some of the nicest decal-work* we’ve blogged. There’s more to see at his MOCpage via the link above.

*This particularly excited our Elves for some reason.

Flunder

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Lego Porsche 908/02 LH Flunder

With the news today that the Volkswagen Group has made a spectacular blunder the Elves were duly sent out to find a MOC that we could relate to the story. Unfortunately the Elves are idiots, so this 1970 Porsche 908/02 ‘Flunder’ is as close as they got. Still, it’s only one letter away and to be fair to them here at TLCB Towers they do hear a lot of words beginning with ‘F’…

Anyway, back to Volkswagen. Today’s news that the company have rigged the NOX emissions of their diesel vehicles in order to bypass air quality laws is one heck of a blunder. Actually, it’s not even a blunder. It’s a thoroughly despicable, bordering on evil, business decision to put profit ahead of peoples’ well-being. The NOX levels emitted by the affected Volkswagen Group vehicles are up to 40 times the legal limit, directly damaging the lung tissue of those that breathe it, and causing a variety of respiratory diseases and even biological mutations. Yup, we’re going to stick with ‘evil’.*

So far Porsche, a subsidiary of the Volkswagen Group, are unaffected by the scandal – although only because they don’t yet use the group’s 4-cylinder diesel engines.

The glorious 1970 Porsche 908/02 ‘Flunder’ pictured above comes from a time when emissions could legally be quietly ignored, being powered by a three-litre flat-8 engine making just under 400bhp (and it still emitted less NOX than a modern VW diesel). The 908 raced alongside the bigger 917, being favoured on twisty tracks where the 917 was too cumbersome, and the example above raced at Le Mans in 1970 in the hands of Rudi Lins and Helmut Marko.

Previous bloggee Greg 998 is the builder and you can see more of his beautiful 908 on both MOCpages and Flickr.

Lego Porsche 908 Flunder

*TLCB – somewhat unbelievably – predicted this back in March(!). We’re still awaiting a call requesting our services from the investigators at the Environmental Protection Agency. We’re sure it’ll be any day now…