If you’re seven, or a TLCB Elf, then this post is for you. This is Tim Inman‘s Chevy Nova, only it isn’t quite as per the cars that left the Chevrolet factory in 1963. Inspired by the German DTM racing series, Tim has outfitted his Nova with a wild aero package consisting of flared arches, ground-effect skirts, a front splitter, rear diffuser, and the biggest rear wing we’ve ever seen. There’s more to see of Tim’s Super Nova on Flickr and you can join the rather weird DTM race via the link.
Italy and Germany have a long rivalry. Two of the best football teams in Europe, they’ve met 35 times, with Italy winning 15 of those encounters to Germany’s 8. They’ve fought on the track since Formula 1’s beginning (and even before that), with Mercedes-Benz and Auto Union battling Alfa Romeo and later Ferrari for dominance. Oh, and they fought against one another in World War 2, but only after Italy overthrew racism and changed sides.
Recently though, all the victories have been German. Mercedes-Benz have annihilated Ferrari in Formula 1, Italy haven’t beaten Germany in their last four soccer matches, and Ducati are now owned by Volkswagen.
However, go back to the mid-’90s and you’ll find a remarkable story of Italian dominance in Germany’s own back yard; the Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters (DTM).
In 1993 Alfa Romeo decided to take their new 155 V6 to DTM, building an all-wheel-drive 11,000rpm Class 1 Touring Car to take on the domestic German teams from Audi, BMW, Mercedes-Benz, and Opel. The car proved unstoppable, with Nicola Larini winning a record eleven of the twenty-two races and teammate Alessandro Nannini another two, taking Alfa Romeo to a dominant manufacturer’s title.
This incredible replica of the ’93 championship-winning Alfa Romeo 155 V6 Ti comes from previous bloggee Zeta Racing of Flickr, who has recreated both the car and its iconic livery in stunning detail.
Underneath that beautifully stickered exterior Zeta has accurately constructed the 155’s drivetrain, including a jaw-dropping V6 engine, all-wheel-drive system, working suspension, gearbox, and a suite of Power Functions motors to control it all remotely.
A spectacularly detailed interior is included behind the four opening doors, with a bucket seat and racing harnesses, a full roll cage, and even the 155’s fire suppression system replicated in bricks.
Zeta Racing’s creation is a work of art (as any Alfa Romeo should be) and there’s a huge gallery of images available to view at his photostream on Flickr. Click the link above to remember a time when the Italians beat the Germans at their own game, and here to see (and hear!) the 155 DTM’s 11,500rpm V6 in action way back in ’93.
This stunning Mercedes-Benz AMG C63 DTM racing car was discovered on Eurobricks, and it’s one of the most original Technic Supercars we’ve published in ages. Underneath the brilliant bodywork, complete with wonderfully authentic decals, is a wealth of superb mechanical engineering, including a paddle-shift operated 4-speed gearbox, a miniaturised working V8 engine, independent suspension on all wheels, and working steering.
Builder Brunojj1 hasn’t stopped there though as he’s constructed a matching AMG C63, replacing the mechanical goodies with a Power Functions remote control drivetrain and LED lights. Drive is delivered by a combination of an XL Motor and an L Motor, geared to match one another, with a Servo powering the steering. There’s loads more to see of both models, including a of each, at the Eurobricks discussion forum. Click the link above to join the race.
Only the toughest, most elite* of TLCB Elves is sent foraging in MOCpages nowadays. “Bonk, Smash, Thud” isn’t just the noise of MOCpages breaking again, it’s also the sound of malnourished Elves collapsing with hunger. It’s hard to find good Lego vehicles and get Smarties to eat when the site crashes for so long, so relatively regularly. MOCpages has been the spiritual Lego home for many top quality builders over many years. Sadly, more and more builders have become inactive there and fled to other websites. However, there are still gems to found on the ‘pages.
A case in point are the cars built by Rene Scheruebl. Rene’s latest vehicles are in the Lego Speed Champions, 6-wide scale. They include a Mercedes 190 Evo, an Audi 200 V8 and the BMW M3 Sport Evolution featured here. Building these cars must require very steady hands, as they all feature tiny decals and neatly painted stripes. Whilst the techniques might offend purists, the results are impressive and well worth a visit to Rene’s MOCpages account; if the website happens to be working…
*Fattest actually. The low chance of meal tokens is a good way to sneakily put them on a diet.
DTM, Germany’s touring car championship is, along with Australia’s V8 Supercar Series, the absolute pinnacle of saloon car racing. No, NASCAR doesn’t count.
The racing cars of DTM make big power, create huge downforce, and – whilst they have almost nothing in common with anything you can buy for road use, aesthetically they closely resemble their real-world counterparts.
This spectacular machine is a replica of BMW’s current entry in the series; the mighty M4 DTM Coupe. Underneath the incredible (and very yellow) bodywork is a fully suspended chassis powered by four XL Power Functions motors, a servo motor for steering with Ackermann geometry, LED lights, and two re-chargable batteries.
It’s been built by BrunoJJ and it’s one of the best Technic racing cars we’ve featured this year. Suggested to us by a reader, there’s a huge gallery of images to view on Brickshelf, plus a Eurobricks forum with more details and close-up shots available here.
This incredible creation, suggested to us by a reader via the Feedback and Submission Suggestions page, is a Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters (DTM) racing car. DTM is Germany’s Touring Car Championship, in which the world’s top drivers – including names from both LeMans and F1 – compete across Germany and Europe in 500bhp V8 ‘silhouette’ monsters. Only a handful of car manufactures take part, but the grids are huge, the action frantic and the crashes… m.a.s.s.i.v.e.
This amazing recreation of Audi’s 2013 RS5 DTM racer is the work of Eurobricks and Brickshelf regular Lipko. Underneath the spectacular aero-bodywork Lipko has perfectly engineered a monocoque chassis with integrated roll cage, working independent pushrod suspension, and a V8 engine complete with four speed gearbox. You can see all of this in detail too, as Lipko has made chassis images and the engineering details available. Click on either of the links above to see more, and then get lost in YouTube’s extensive DTM library…
