Tag Archives: RX-8

Just the Tip

The Mazda RX-8 was a triumph when new. With an astonishing buttery-smooth rotary engine displacing just 1.3 litres yet making 240bhp, bizarre rear suicide doors, seating for four, and styling – to quote one famous Top Gear host – “busier than the Pope’s hat”, there was nothing else like it.

And then they got old, and that amazing engine… failed. A lot. Even well maintained RX-8s suffered from terrifying oil consumption and rotor tip wear leading to engine failure, but the poorly maintained ones (as older sports cars often are) died alarmingly quickly.

Values tanked, and now one of the most interesting cars of the ‘00s is worth absolutely nothing at all.

But we like weird, flawed, unreliable cars here at TLCB, and so we love today’s model; this fantastic Model Team Mazda RX-8 from previous bloggee Mihail Rakovskiy. Featuring a highly detailed interior, realistic drivetrain, a remarkably replicated exterior, and a working rotary engine, Mihail has captured Mazda’s mad ‘00s creation beautifully in Lego form.

Excellent presentation matches the build, and there’s lots more of the model to see at Mihail’s ‘Mazda RX-8’ album on Flickr. Take a tip from us and check it out via the link above.

Almost a Corona

Toyotas don’t always have the most fortunate names. There’s the ISIS, the BJ, and the perfectly-acceptable-until-recently Corona. Which is now a deadly virus. Oops. The name Corona actually means ‘crown’, just like Toyota’s Corolla, Camry, and, er… Crown.

It’s the Crown we have here, which means essentially the same thing as Corona, but doesn’t evoke the ongoing mass morbidity of the elderly. This Lego version of the Crown comes from Ralph Savelsberg of Flickr who has recreated the Japanese saloon in Tokyo Police specification, complete with authentic decals and the odd raising light-bar on the roof.

There’s more to see of Ralph’s Toyota Crown police car at his photostream via the link above, which has gotta be better than a Corona. Probably not a BJ though…