Tag Archives: firas abu-jaber

Turbo Twin

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The early years of turbocharging – characterised by  chronic lag and spiky handling – were dominated by a few companies; BMW, Porsche, and – more weirdly – Renault.

Weirdly, because Renault didn’t have a sports sedan or sports car to put a turbo into, so they put one into their dinky 5 supermini. And it was mega.

Mid-rear engined, rear-wheel-drive, and powered by a turbocharged 1.4 litre making 160bhp, the R5 Turbo was a smash hit, and now you can create one for yourself if you own another ‘80s turbocharged icon, LEGO’s excellent 10295 Porsche 911 set.

Featuring working steering, a detailed interior and engine, plus opening doors and hood, Firas Abu-Jaber’s Renault 5 Turbo alternate is the perfect turbocharged twin to the 10295 donor.

Building instructions are available and you can find a link to them, plus all of the superb imagery, at Firas’ photostream. Click the link above to boost on over, or here to learn more about how Firas does it.

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.

It’s Got a Crate V8, Mate

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Chevrolet’s third-generation Camaro was not just a huge visual departure from its ’70s predecessor, it had fuel injection, a hatchback, and was over 200kgs lighter than the second generation. All of which added up to a car that was faster, more agile, and more economical.

Except that first bit. Because even the 5.0 V8-engined Camaros made…. 145bhp. Chevrolet upped that with a new V8 engine a few years after the third-generation Camaro launched, but it still didn’t trouble 200bhp.

Which is rather different from what Chevrolet offers today, as in 2025 you can buy, brand new, a 1,000bhp crate engine. And put it in anything.

The guys at Hoonigan have done just that, dropping said 1,000bhp Chevrolet crate engine straight into a third-generation Camaro. And the resultant car is rather more lively than it was back in the early-’80s.

Cue previous bloggee and TLCB Master MOCer Firas Abu-Jaber, who has recreated Hoonigan’s wild third-generation Camaro in brick form, complete with that outrageous engine, working steering, opening doors and rear hatch, a detailed interior, and authentically replicated decals.

There’s much more of the model to see at Firas’ ‘Hoonigan Camaro’ album on Flickr, you can find instructions for Firas’ builds at his excellent ‘Bricks Garage’ website, and you can read his interview here at The Lego Car Blog via the first link in this post.

Take a look via the links above, whilst we try to figure out if a 1,000bhp Chevrolet crate motor will fit in the engine bay of the office Rover 200…

Speed in the ’50s

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The fastest cars in the world weren’t always million-pound Bugattis, Koenigseggs or Hennesseys. They used to be Jaguars.

Launched in 1954, the XK140 was an evolution of the equally gorgeous XK120, a car that held the production car top speed record for six years, even though it only cost relatively normal sports car money.

This beautiful replica of Jaguar’s fabulous mid-’50s sports car has been created by the hands of the legendary Firas Abu-Jaber, who has captured its graceful shape brilliantly in brick.

Ingenious building techniques, working steering, a life-like interior, and the finest presentation in the Lego Community make Firas’ Jaguar a jaw-dropping build, and there are more stunning images to see on Flickr.

Click these words to visit Firas’ ‘Jaguar XK140’ album for the complete gallery, plus you can find out about the man behind the model via his Master MOCers interview by clicking here.

My Other Car’s a Countach

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Is Lamborghini’s Countach just a bit too everyman for you? With fourteen times fewer units produced, the Bugatti EB110 is an altogether rarer machine, and now you can swap your all-too-common Countach for Bugatti’s briefly-made early-’90s supercar.

Yes, this spectacular recreation of the EB110 is built only using the pieces of the LEGO Icons 10337 Lamborghini Countach set, meaning if you own that frankly ordinary Italian supercar you can rebuild it into something far more exclusive.

Previous bloggee and TLCB Master MOCer Firas Abu-Jaber is its creator and you can find all the images of his stunning Bugatti EB110 10337 alternate on Flickr. Click these words to make the jump and end your automotive embarrassment.

Italian American

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Most Chevrolet Corvette owners would, we suspect, happily swap their American sports car for one wearing the prancing horse. But perhaps not this Corvette for this Ferrari.

The early-’60s ‘C1’ Chevrolet Corvette is one of America’s greatest cars. The Ferrari 308 is not one of Italy’s. Still, it looks good in Lego form, at least at the hands of Firas Abu-Jaber, who has used only the parts from the LEGO Icons 10321 Chevrolet Corvette set to create this superb 308 B-Model.

Less pretty, less powerful, and less reliable than the two-decade-older ‘Vette, the 308 still wears that famous prancing horse, and thus if you’d like to swap your American classic for an Italian one you can take a look at Firas’ photostream, where all of the excellent images of his 10321 alternate can be found.

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.

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.

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.

My Other Car’s a Porsche

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TLCB Team are not fans of BMW’s M-Division right now. From sticking ‘M’ badges on literally everything to this utter, utter abomination, who needs the ‘Ultimate Driving Machine’ when you could have a 2.7 ton SUV instead? Well, we’d rather prefer the former, but we need to take a look in BMW M’s back-catalogue to find it.

Fortunately there are plenty of gems to be found, and perhaps none more so than the very first car created by M-Division; the BMW M1.

Partly developed by Lamborghini, the BMW M1 featured a mid-mounted 3.5 litre inline-6, a wedge-shaped fibreglass body designed by Giorgetto Giugiaro, and engineering to take on Porsche in Group 4 homologated racing.

The M1 proved competitive, racing at Le Mans, in various GT series, and in BMW’s own ‘Procar Championship’, won in 1980 by Nikki Lauda and in ’81 by Nelson Picquet, who would both become three-time Formula 1 world champions.

This lovely recreation of BMW’s first M-car is the work of TLCB Master MOCer Firas Abu-Jaber, who has constructed it solely from the parts found within the 10295 Porsche 911 set. There are opening doors, front trunk and engine cover, working steering, plus a detailed engine and interior, and there’s lots more of Firas’ BMW B-Model to see at his ‘10295 BMW M1’ album on Flickr.

Click the link above to take a look, the one above that to view the 10295 set that Firas’ M1 is derived from, or here to see another wedgy-alternate built from that rather more round Porsche.

My Other Car’s a Porsche

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No, really. Because this amazing looking Lamborghini Murcielago is constructed only from the parts found within the excellent 10295 Creator Expert Porsche 911 set.

Built by Lego-building legend Firas Abu-Jaber, who must be some sort of wizard, the pieces from the resolutely curvy Porsche have somehow been re-purposed to recreate the almost entirely trapezoid mid-’00s Lamborghini.

Opening scissor doors, accurate pop-up air-vents, a removable roof panel, and an opening engine cover and front trunk all feature, and this incredible 10295 alternate is available to build yourself thanks to the building instructions released alongside the model.

The complete suite of top-quality imagery can be viewed at Firas’ ‘10295 Lamborghini Murcielago’ album on Flickr, where a link to building instructions can also be found (or click here to jump straight to Firas’ own excellent website store), plus you can read his interview as part of our Master MOCers Series to learn how he builds astonishing models like this one via the second link in the text above.

My Other Car is a Camaro

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Ford and Chevy people seem – as is so often the way – so be very separate communities. Which is a shame, because without the unnecessary tribalism, both products can be appreciated together.

Cue TLCB Master MOCer Firas Abu-Jaber, who has constructed this excellent Ford Mustang Shleby GT500 from only the parts found within the official LEGO 10304 Chevrolet Camaro Z28 set. Plus a set of more appropriate wheels in the image above.

Converting a Camaro into a Mustang may be considered sacrilege by certain quarters of the Chevrolet community, but fear not, Firas turned the 10265 Ford Mustang set into a Dodge Charger in the past too. See, there’s no bias here!

There’s more to see of Firas’ Camaro-based-Mustang B-Model at his ‘10304 Shelby GT500’ album on Flickr, and you can check out his previously-blogged Mustang-turned-Charger via the link in the text above if you’d rather see a Mustang taken apart than put together.

Snakey B

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We love alternate builds here at The Lego Car Blog, as creating many things from one set is at the very heart of what LEGO is all about.

TLCB Master MOCer Firas Abu-Jaber demonstrates this perfectly today, having created this brilliant B-Model from the parts found within the excellent 10295 Porsche 911 Turbo set.

Following his incredible Ford GT40 10295 alternate comes another iconic American supercar, the Dodge Viper, complete with opening doors, a detailed engine under the raising hood, and working steering too.

All the parts to create it can be found within the 10295 set, the complete image gallery can be found here, and you can find building instructions to turn your own 10295 Porsche 911 Turbo set into a Dodge Viper at Firas’ website by clicking here.

My Other Car’s a Porsche

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Usually found on cars that are very much at the other end of the vehicular spectrum from the Stuttgart product they’re referencing, it’s certainly never a trade-up from the Porsche that wears the ‘My Other Car’s a Porsche’ bumper sticker. Except today that is.

Yes, this glorious Ford GT40 is constructed entirely from the pieces found within the LEGO 10295 Porsche 911 set, and whilst there aren’t many cars cooler than a ’70s Porsche 911 Turbo, the Ford GT40 is surely one of them.

Lego 10295 Ford GT40 B-Model

Built by TLCB Master MOCer Firas Abu-Jaber, this wonderful 10295 alternate includes as many functions as its donor set, including opening doors, hood and engine cover, plus working steering and a detailed interior too.

Best of all, if you own the 10295 set and fancy trading up to a GT40, Firas has created building instructions too.

There’s much more of Firas’ superb 10295 B-Model to see at his ‘Ford GT40 Mk1’ album on Flickr, and you can find instructions to build it yourself (plus many more alternate models besides) at Firas’ ace website by clicking here.

My Other Car’s a Porsche

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LEGO’s excellent 10295 Creator Porsche 911 set has produced some wonderful alternates to date, and this might be our favourite so far.

The Chevrolet Corvette C3 was America’s answer to the Porsche 911 of the time, and is – at least in the eyes of this TLCB writer – still one of the best looking American cars ever made.

Capturing the C3 Corvette brilliantly, and using only the pieces from the 10295 Porsche 911 set to do so, is Lego-building legend and TLCB Master MOCer Firas Abu-Jaber.

Firas’ expertly presented creation recreates the iconic classic Corvette in T-bar form, with pop-up headlights, opening doors and hood, a superbly detailed engine bay and interior, and a removable targa roof.

It makes for one of the finest alternates from any set that we’ve seen yet, and best of all if you own the 10295 Porsche 911 set you can turn it into a Chevrolet Corvette C3 yourself, as Firas has produced building instructions too.

Head over to Firas’ ‘Corvette C3’ album on Flickr for the complete gallery, you can find the building instructions at his website here, and you can click here to read Firas’ interview in the Master MOCers series if you want to find out more about how he creates his amazing models such as this one.