Tag Archives: Hybrid

Technic 42156 Peugeot 9X8 24H Le Mans Hybrid Hypercar | Set Preview

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LEGO’s extensive catalogue of officially-licensed vehicle sets has brought many amazing real-world racers to bedroom floors, including the 42141 McLaren Formula 1 Car, 42125 Ferrari 488 GTE AF Corse, and the 42096 Porsche 911 RSR.

Today we can reveal that LEGO are not only bringing another real-world racer to the Technic range, but a whole new manufacturer too! This is the brand new 1:10 scale, 1,775-piece 42156 Peugeot 9X8 24H Le Mans Hybrid Hypercar.

Yes, we finally have a top-tier Le Mans Hypercar in brick form, although with LEGO also having licenses with rival teams Toyota, Ferrari, BMW, Porsche, and Ferrari, hopefully we could see the whole Le Mans grid in time.

The Peugeot 9X8 entered the championship this year, looking to challenge the dominance of Toyota at the front of the field, and combines a V6 engine with a Hybrid KER system and four-wheel drive.

The new LEGO 42156 set aims to recreate the functions of the real Peugeot 9X8, with working steering and suspension, a V6 piston engine, 7-speed transmission, and – mysteriously – replicating ‘the low emission hybrid powertrain system’, although we’re not sure what that means.

The set also features glow-in-the-dark headlights and a myriad of authentic decals, and is expected to cost around £170 / $200 when it reaches stores in time for the 2023 24 Heures du Mans race this summer, in which Peugeot Sport might get a little extra support from LEGO fans…

Pure Garbage

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…is something the content of this website is routinely called in the comments. Which is mostly correct of course. Today’s creation can handle it though, being this brilliant Technic garbage truck (or ‘bin lorry’ where this writer is from).

Constructed by previous bloggee Thirdwigg (aka Wigboldy), the model is absolutely packed with working functions, the first of which has nothing to do with its garbage processing ability at all.

Thirdwigg has created a ‘Hybrid’ drivetrain for the truck, with the wheels turning either a traditional piston engine under the tilting cab, a brick-built ‘electric’ motor, or a combination of both, with a switchable differential doing the job of the power-control-unit that features on real-world Hybrid powertrains.

It’s a superb replication of the system used by many new vehicles, heavy trucks and buses included, and one we think could appear in all sorts of Technic models going forward, particularly as Thirdwigg has made building instructions for his design available.

Away from the trick powertrain and a wealth of Technic functionality continues, with four-wheel steering, a working bin lifting mechanism, a two stage cycle for garbage extraction, a linear actuator driven extractor plate, and an opening rear hopper, all of which are controlled via hand-powered mechanisms thanks to conveniently placed knob-gears though-out the model.

Over a dozen top quality images are available to view at Thirdwigg’s ‘Hybrid Garbage Truck’ album on Flickr, where a link to the aforementioned building instructions can also be found, plus you can watch all of the model’s working features in action via an excellent YouTube video.

Click the links above to take out the garbage, whilst we get back to writing it.

Ferrari LaFerrari | Picture Special

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You might think Japan has the stupidest car names. The Isuzu Mysterious Utility Wizard, the Daihatsu Naked, the Mazda Bongo Friendee, and (most ironically) the Mitsubishi Carisma – to name a few – are all incredibly daft, but the most ludicrous car name of all is surely the Ferrari The Ferrari.

The Ferrari LaFerrari is stupid only in name though, as in all other respects the Ferrari Ferrari Ferrari is one of the greatest hypercars of the modern age.

The first production car to feature an F1 kinetic energy recovery system, the LaFerrariFerrari produced 950bhp from its combination of a 6.3 litre V12 and an electric motor, whilst – somewhat superfluously – improving fuel economy over past V12 Ferraris by around 40%.

This jaw-dropping Technic replica of the Ferrari FerrariLaFerrari comes from T Lego of Eurobricks, who has recreated the 2013 hybrid hypercar in astonishing detail.

An unbelievably accurate exterior, complete with opening butterfly doors, engine cover and  front trunk, hides a modular chassis equipped with a V12 engine hooked up to an 8-speed sequential paddle-shift gearbox, dynamic suspension with nose-lift connected to the working steering, a deployable spoiler and aero flaps, and bespoke 3D-printed wheels.

It’s an incredible Technic creation and one you can take a complete in-depth look at via the Eurobricks forum, where a wealth of incredible imagery and full build details can be found. Click the link above to check out T Lego’s amazing model of the car so good that Ferrari named it twice.

Ghost Protocol

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Swedish hypercar manufacturer Koenigsegg have the coolest logo of any car brand. No prancing horse, raging bull, leaping cat, or angry snake here, because Koenigsegg use a ghost.

The spooky symbol isn’t some nod to the occult, but rather has its heritage in the building in which the cars are built; an ex-Swedish Air Force hanger, the squadron of whose jets were adorned with a little ghost motif.

Koenigsegg’s 2010s hypercar, the 1,500bhp plug-in hybrid Regera, took the ghosting a little further, with the addition of the $280,000 ‘Ghost Pack’. We thought this might be neon-lighting and a spectral paint job, but it in fact consisted of additional aerodynamic pieces to increase downforce by around 20%, meaning this is one ghost that definitely won’t leave the ground.

This spectacular brick-built replica of the Regera Ghost Pack by Flickr’s 3D supercarBricks uses a few 3D-printed parts to maximise the accuracy of those aero-enhancing extras, plus features opening clamshells, a wild orange interior, and opening scissor doors too.

It’s also – unlike every other image that purportedly captures a ghost – photographed beautifully, and there’s much more to see at 3D’s photostream. Click the link above to ghost on over.

Rim Job

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This is a Porsche 918 Spyder, a mid-2010s plug-in hybrid hypercar powered by the combination of a 4.6 litre V8 and two electric motors for a total output of 875bhp. And 12 miles of electric range. Which we suspect most 918 owners use about as much as the Brothers Brick do the gym.

Pointless green virtue signalling aside, the Porsche 918 is a seriously impressive car, as is this superb Model Team recreation by Flickr’s 3D supercarBricks, who has captured the 918 brilliantly in brick from.

3D’s 918 model includes an opening front trunk, removable engine cover, and some excellent 3D-printed rims, which accurately portray the items fitted to the real car and further enhance the model’s realism.

A wealth of imagery is available to view, and you can take a closer look at the both 918 and the 3D-printed rims upon which it rolls via the link in the text above.

Super Thursday

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Technic Supercars have long been the pinnacle of the Technic line-up. Containing working steering, suspension, engine and gearbox, they’re as close as it’s possible to get to the engineering of real-world cars in Lego form.

They’re also a favourite build amongst advanced Lego car designers, and we’ve featured dozens of incredible Technic Supercars here at The Lego Car Blog over the years. Two more take their places in the Archives today, each being a fantastic example of the Technic Supercar form.

The first, in a rather splendid orange, is IA creations‘ ‘Apricus V8’, a fictional super sports car in the mould of the Dodge Viper, McLaren-Mercedes SLS and various Aston Martins according to the builder.

The slick bodywork certainly captures the aesthetic of the real-world cars that inspired the build, and under it lies a complete Technic Supercar chassis, with working steering, adjustable double-wishbone suspension, a paddle-shift sequential gearbox, and a V8 engine. There’s also a deployable rear wing, plus opening doors, hood and trunk, and there’s more to see of IA creations’ superb supercar concept on Eurobricks via the link above.

Our second Technic supercar comes from previous bloggee Pvdb, and replicates one of the greatest hypercars of recent times; the McLaren P1.

Launched in 2013, and sold out within two months, the P1 was McLaren’s first Hybrid hypercar, with over 900bhp and an electric-only range of… er, 6 miles. But still, that wasn’t exactly the point of the electric motor, which added 180bhp to the twin-turbo V8’s already substantial 737.

Constructed in 1:10 scale, Pvdb’s McLaren includes steering, adjustable suspension (complete with a ‘track’ model that also deploys the rear spoiler), scissor doors, and an eight-speed gearbox (one more than the real thing!), authentically operated via steering wheel paddles.

It’s a masterclass in Technic Supercars one of which can see more at the Eurobricks forum. Click the link above to take a closer look, and if you’re thinking of having a go at Technic Supercar building yourself, we might just have a competition later in the year that’ll be of interest…

The Ferrari The Ferrari

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Almost a decade on, the Ferrari LaFerrari is still the stupidest name ever given to a car. And yes, we have heard of the Mazda Bongo Friendee.

Powered by a 6.3 litre V12 with Hybrid KERS producing almost 1,000bhp, the Ferrari The Ferrari did have the performance to back up being named twice though.

This stunning 1:16 Model Team replica of the Ferrari The LaFerrari Ferrari is the work of previous bloggee Noah_L, and features opening butterfly doors, front trunk and engine cover, along with some of the finest presentation you’ll see anywhere in the online Lego community.

Noah has made building instructions available too, so you can recreate your own spectacular Ferrari LaFerrari The Ferrari model at home. Click on the link above to find the complete image gallery, along with build details and the link to building instructions.

Another McLaren

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McLaren have launched so many near-identical models over the last few years that we’d forgotten about this one. Which is ridiculous, as the P1 was the brand’s flagship hybrid hypercar  from 2013 to 2015.

Powered by McLaren’s familiar 3.8 litre twin- turbo V8 plus a 180bhp electric motor, the P1 produced a huge >900bhp and could reach a limited top speed of 217mph. It could also drive as a pure EV for… 6 miles. Which is pretty pointless.

Still, better that than no miles right? Er… no, probably not. Which might be one of the reasons we forgot about it.

Still, previous bloggee 3D supercarBricks has remembered the P1, recreating it superbly complete with opening butterfly doors and a deployable rear spoiler.

There’s more to see at 3D’s photostream via the link, and you can check out LEGO’s rather larger version of a recent McLaren by clicking here. It might well be different McLaren model, but they all look the same to us…

Longer than Expected*

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McLaren seem to have a new limited run special edition every week, which means this TLCB Writer has all but lost interest in them. However there is one limited run special edition McLaren that is worth noticing; the, 3-seater, 5 metre long hybrid Speedtail.

Powered by the same 4.0 litre as most other McLarens, the Speedtail also features a parallel ‘self charging’ Hybrid set-up, much like the far more humdrum Toyota hybrids tootling about cities in their millions. Except the Speedtail’s hybrid system delivers over 1,000bhp.

It also looks like nothing else on the road, in part thanks to its enormous length*, which is greater even than a Range Rover.

Capturing this remarkable car in 8-wide Speed Champions form is The G Brix of Flickr, who has done such an excellent job this could be an official LEGO set, with space for three mini-figures inside, and front wheel covers that remain fixed even as the wheels behind them spin, just like the real car.

There’s more to see of G’s McLaren Speedtail on Flickr, click the link above to make the jump.

*That’s what she said.

Stradale

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Lego Technic Ferrari SF90 Stradale

Most plug-in hybrids are a tax-dodging con. Including this one.

The Ferrari SF90 Stradale’s 8kw/h battery gives an an electric range of… 16 miles. So with the heater and the radio on, that’ll be less than 10. Probably a lot less.

So an EV it isn’t, but the three electric motors with which the Stradale is equipped do boost power from 780bhp to 1,000bhp, and that is a very good thing indeed. They also mean that Ferrari can keep making supercars even when new car electrification becomes mandatory, which – in the case of TLCB’s home nation – isn’t far away at all.

Until then tax dodges like the SF90 allow V8’s to keep rumbling for a little while longer, and there’s more to see of this stellar Technic Supercar recreation of the Stradale courtesy of Lukas Rs (aka F1Moc) on Flickr.

Click the link above to visit Lukas’ ‘Ferrari SF90 Stradale’ album. Just make sure you turn the heater and radio off.

Gemera

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The Koenigsegg Gemera – the brand’s first four-seater – hasn’t been released yet, but has already generated a fair bit of interest thanks to a 2.0 three-cylinder engine that is supposed to make a scarcely believable 600bhp. Of course we’re in the age of electrification now though, so that’s not all the Gemera has, with three electric motors boosting the total power to a claimed 1,600bhp.

Normally at this point we’d lose interest, as we do with every hypercar concept proclaiming ridiculous performance figures, however Koenigsegg do have a habit of building what they say they will, making the Gemera concept really very interesting indeed.

We have a while to wait until we learn how realistic Koenigsegg are being, so until then here’s a Speed Champions version of the wild 1,600bhp hyper-sedan from previous bloggee Gerald Cacas, who has captured the 2020 concept car beautifully, even matching its real world colour scheme.

There’s more to see of Gerald’s model at his Koenigsegg Gemera album on Flickr – click the link above to make the jump.

The Other Prius

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The Prius isn’t the only compact hybrid car from the early 2010s. Based on the same underpinnings, sister firm Lexus released the CT200h back in 2011, a luxury take on the fuel-efficient self-charging hybrid formula. If ‘luxury’ just means having a slightly nicer interior.

The CT200h was memorable only for using Kylie Minogue to promote it, but it worked for previous bloggee Lasse Deleuran who owns a CT in real life and has chosen to recreate it in Miniland scale complete with his roof box and bike rack.

The little Lexus might be a bland box, but don’t underestimate the complexity of replicating it successfully in Lego form. Lasse’s recreation of his own CT200h is almost unfathomably complicated, capturing the car’s shape to near perfection through a multitude of clever building techniques. Our heads hurt just looking at that front fender.

Everything opens too, revealing that slightly nicer interior and even more monumentally complicated brickwork, from the stepped roof to the ingenious tilt applied to the side windows to ensure the model’s proportions accurately reflect those of the real car.

It’s one of the most thoroughly engineered and brilliantly realistic replicas that we’ve ever featured and there’s more of Lasse’s masterpiece to see at his photostream. Click the link above to join us gazing in awe at a Lexus CT200h, which is a sentence that no-one has ever said before.

You Say Tomato, I Say Yamato

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This is a Toyota Quick Delivery Hybrid, as used by Japan’s ‘Yamato’ delivery company. Plus there are some monks for some reason*.

Built by TLCB regular Ralph Savelsberg, the Quick Delivery (it does what it says on the tin we suppose!) is not our usual fodder, but it’s a most excellent build. Ralph’s trademark blend of superb techniques have allowed him to recreate the odd asymmetric Toyota brilliantly, including its sliding cab doors and a fully racked cargo area.

There’s more to see of Ralph’s Yamato-liveried Toyota Quick Delivery Hybrid on Flickr via the link above, you can hear today’s title song by clicking these words, and you can find out what that *asterisk is referring to by clicking here.

Pole Star

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The name your Mom went by when your Dad met her. You know, before she put on all that weight. Polestar is also the name of Sweden’s coolest new car company, and Volvo’s in-house tuning arm, who launch their new minimalistic-titled ‘1’ later this year. Built in China (as Chinese giant Geely own Volvo these days), the ‘1’ is powered by a 2.0 turbocharged and supercharged in-line four plus a pair of electric motors (yup, it’s a Hybrid), and is expected to produce a combined 600bhp.

We can also expect an astronomical price-tag before more normal (and all electric) Polestars follow, with just 1,500 units of the ‘1’ planned for production. Make that 1,501, because Davanchi M of MOCpages (and a previous ‘Featured TFOL’ here at TLCB, back when that was a thing) has decided to build one more. It’s not just any ‘1’ either, as he’s chosen the insane Khyzyl Saleem edition from the latest ‘Need for Speed’ video game to recreate in Lego form.

With some considerable aero, yellow paint, and a rear wing(s) that resemble a park bench, the Khyzyl Saleem edition somehow makes the standard ‘1’ look rather ordinary. It basically looks like it’s been designed by our Elves. It’s also available on LEGO Ideas should you like it as much as they do and you can find a link to Ideas and all the images at Davanchi’s MOCpage by clicking here.

School Run Mom

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Lego Lexus RX450H

The Lexus RX450h may sound like it’s named after a photocopier, but it is in fact one of America’s best selling luxury SUVs. Because how else is little Cody supposed to get to school? Still, at least the RX450h is a hybrid, so Cody’s Mom won’t be poisoning the other kids outside the school gates as she wafts up silently in electric mode. Although she might run them over if they don’t hear it coming…

Lego Lexus RX450H

The Lexus RX isn’t really a TLCB sort of car, but nevertheless it looks absolutely stunning in Model Team form thanks to previous bloggee dgustafsson1317 of Flickr. A superbly accurate model, dgustafsson’s creation recreates the big SUV’s rather complex shape beautifully thanks to some ingenious parts usage that is further enhanced by custom badging and wheels.

Lego Lexus RX450H

The model also includes working suspension, drive and steering that are remotely controlled via bluetooth, and LED headlights. There’s a whole lot more to see of dgustafsson’s incredible Lexus RX450h at his Flickr album – click the link above to waft up to school gates. Just don’t run over any kids.