Tag Archives: supercar

Build-an-F40

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Ferrari may have built a surprisingly large number of F40s, but even with our big-time Lego Blogging Money, owning one is considerably out of reach. However this stunning Technic version is rather more attainable, and it features a working V8 engine, 5+R gearbox, independent suspension, opening clamshells, and pop-up headlights just like the real thing.

Eurobricks’ sebulba56 is the designer, and they’ve made building instructions available so you can create your own brick-built replica of Ferrari’s legendary 40th-birthday-present-to-itself too.

Full details can be found at the Eurobricks forum via the link above, where images of mechanical break-downs, a complete description, and a link to building instructions can all be found.

Life Begins at Forty

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Or so people in their 40s like to say. For Ferrari however, it’s very probably true, as – despite their amazing pre-1980s back-catalogue – the Maranello marque’s all-time high water mark came in 1987 with its fortieth birthday present to itself, the astonishing F40.

Pioneering twin-turbochargers, a kevlar and carbon-fibre body, and semi-flat under-tray, the F40 was the fastest, most powerful, and most expensive Ferrari yet, and the last to be personally approved by Enzo Ferrari himself before his death in 1988.

All of which means F40s are now worth around $1.5million, even though they are not – at least in supercar terms – rare cars, with over 1,300 produced during the model’s five year production run.

Unfortunately the result of such iconic status is that even TLCB’s executive team can’t afford one, despite the immense riches that blogging about Lego brings, but no matter because today we have the next best thing; Lachlan Cameron’s brilliant Technic Ferrari F40 replica.

Utilising the latest parts from the official LEGO Technic 42143 Ferrari Dayton SP3 set, Lachlan has faithfully recreated the definitive Ferrari in brick form, complete with a v8 engine and 5-speed gearbox, working steering and suspension, opening clamshells and doors, a highly detailed interior and engine bay, and pop-up headlights.

Accurate decals, chromed pieces, and printed tyres maximise the realism, and there’s lots more to see of this incredible creation at Lachlan’s ‘Ferrari F40’ album on Flickr and at the Eurobricks forum.

Join Ferrari’s fortieth birthday celebrations via the links in the text above, plus you can find out Lachlan builds amazing models like this via his interview here at The Lego car Blog; click these words to read more.

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.

LEGO Technic 42154 Ford GT | Set Preview

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Just before Christmas we posted here stating that TLCB Elves had been locked back in their cages for the festive break. Well that wasn’t entirely true…

Most of our workers were indeed locked back up of course. However, a few ‘lucky’ Elves were ‘asked’ to join a crack team of ‘volunteers’, selected for their guile, cunning, and ability to fit through The LEGO Company’s air-conditioning ducts, and sent on a special mission.

Today we can share the result of the aforementioned adventure, and what a result it is. This is the brand new for 2023 LEGO Technic 42154 Ford GT.

Marketed within LEGO’s ‘adult’ range of 18+ sets (which has everything to do with product positioning rather than building complexity), 42154 brings one of the most iconic recent real-world supercars to the Technic range, and it looks terrific!

Constructed from 1,466 pieces, 42154 captures the real Ford GT brilliantly, with a slew of panels available in this beautiful dark blue for the first time. Interestingly this is because LEGO have chosen to release 42154 as a road car, as opposed to the endurance racer specification chosen for the 42125 Ferrari 488 GTE AF Corse set. No doubt that 42154 looks superb as a road car, but we think it might have been nice to have the two sets as rival racers.

Like the 42125 Ferrari 488 GTE set, the 42154 Ford GT is packed with Technic functionality, including a working mid-mounted V6 engine, all-wheel suspension, functioning steering, opening doors, and a deployable rear wing, with the aesthetics enhanced via authentic decals and a pair of excellent racing stripes.

The new Technic 42154 Ford GT set will reach stores early this year, and will probably cost a bit too much, but nevertheless it looks to be a glorious addition to LEGO’s superb officially-licensed Technic line-up.

Our Elves’ mission has revealed the 2023 Technic range will include a few other officially-licensed sets too; stay tuned for the reveal of the rest of the H1 Technic line-up shortly!

Advantage

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We’re rounding out 2022 with exactly the sort of car that this crumbling ruin in the corner of the internet was created for; the mighty Aston Martin V12 Vantage GT3.

Built by previous bloggee Levihathan, this eye-catching Technic recreation of Aston Martin’s 2010s-2020s endurance racer captures the real deal brilliantly, with the aesthetics further enhanced by bespoke decals that add to the race-ready realism.

Inside, Levihathan’s V12 Vantage is just as impressive, with a working V12 piston engine underneath the opening hood, functioning steering and suspension, a detailed race interior, and a paddle-shift gearbox.

There’s much more of the build to see at Levihathan’s ‘Aston Martin Vantage V12 GT3’ album, and you can make the jump to all the imagery via the link in the text above.

Porsche Carrera GT | Picture Special

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Built for just two years in the mid-’00s, Porsche’s Carrera GT has become one of the most sought-after supercars of recent times. A 600bhp V10 – designed in secret for Porsche by the Footwork Formula 1 team in the early-’90s but never used – a six speed manual gearbox, and no driver aids make for one of the last truly analogue supercars, and one of the greatest vehicular sounds of all time.

This magnificent Technic tribute to the Carrera GT is the work of TLCB Master MOCer Lachlan Cameron, who has constructed it, its V10 engine, working suspension, an eight speed gearbox (two more than the real car), and deployable rear wing brilliantly in brick-form. Custom chrome pieces and superb outdoor photography add to the appeal, and there’s more to see of Lachlan’s incredible Carrera GT here, plus you can find out how he builds amazing creations like this one at his Master MOcers page by clicking here.

Honey I Shrunk the 8880!

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Like, really shrunk it. 1994’s 1,300 piece LEGO Technic 8880 Super Car is one of the all-time great sets, and therefore these days it’s worth about as much as Twitter. With all-wheel-drive, all-wheel-steering, all-wheel-suspension, pop-up head lights, a 4-speed gearbox and a V8 engine, it’s one of the most feature-packed LEGO sets ever produced. Suggested by a reader, this tiny homage to 8880 is, er… not. However -Brixe‘s ‘Micro Super Car’, at a fraction of the cost and using a fraction of the pieces, really does look like the iconic set. Only much, much smaller. Take a look at 8880 in miniature via the link 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…

Carbon Clam

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The Ferrari F40 was a technical marvel when it was revealed in 1987. The last car personally approved by Enzo Ferrari, the F40 deployed twin-turbo-chargers to produce around 500bhp from its relatively small 2.9 litre V8, featured electronically adjustable suspension, and became the first series-production car in the world to be built from composite materials; carbon fibre and kevlar.

Often overlooked, it’s the F40’s composite bodywork that is its most ground-breaking feature, and Darren Thew has recreated the complex opening front and rear carbon fibre clamshells brilliantly in Technic form.

Working steering, suspension, pop-up headlights, and a realistic V8 engine live underneath the huge opening pieces, and there’s more to see of Darren’s excellent Technic Ferrari F40 on Flickr.

Click the link above to take a look inside the clam.

High Five

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It’s not just Chrysler from an earlier post this week that went mad for a bit. The French have a history of going berserk, automotively speaking, with even Renualt – who currently manufacture nothing but boring crossovers – having moments of insanity. This is their best.

The Renault 5 was an excellent city car. Front-wheel-drive, well packaged, safely slow. Not a rally car then. But Renault wanted to go rallying, and thus they took their aforementioned econo-box, removed the engine, turbocharged it, and then put it back in where the rear seats used to be. And let it power the rear wheels instead.

The result was the Renault 5 Turbo, a wild mid-engined super-hatch designed to go rallying, with just under 5,000 across two generations also produced for the road. Road cars made a healthy-for-the-time 160bhp, but in rally trim the R5 Turbo could make almost 400bhp (from just 1.4 litres!), and won the Monte Carlo Rally at the first attempt in 1981.

The spectacular Technic model pictured here is a recreation of the road going R5 Turbo, as built by TLCB Master MOCer Lachlan Cameron (aka Lox Lego). Featuring remote control drive and steering, LED lights, working suspension, opening doors, front trunk and tailgate, and – of course – a mid-mounted engine, Lachlan’s creation captures Renault’s moment of madness brilliantly, and there’s a whole lot more of it to see at his ‘Renault Turbo R5’ album on Flickr.

Click the second link above to make the jump to all the images, and the first to read how Lachlan creates his amazing models like this one.

Ride of the Valkyries*

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The economic outlook, driven largely by worldwide energy price inflation, is looking increasingly bleak. A global recession is not unlikely, but – if you’re rich enough – such events can have no effect whatsoever. They might even make you richer.

Thus whilst normal cars for us plebs are certain to become more expensive (and sales will slow accordingly), we expect the production of ultra-limited hypercars to continue unabated. Which is fine by us, because dream cars, within reach of only a few, provide inspiration for the many.

Cue Jeroen Ottens, who has recreated Aston Martin’s sold-out 2023 $3m Valkyrie hybrid hypercar, rising to $3.5m if you’re one of the lucky 25 who’ve placed a deposit for the track version.

Designed in conjunction with Red Bull Advanced Technologies (back when Red Bull and Aston Martin weren’t fighting) and powered by a Cosworth V12 with a Rimac hybrid system, the Valkyrie will be the highest revving and most powerful naturally-aspirated road car ever built.

It also features some wild aerodynamics, which Jeroen has replicated brilliantly in brick from. Accurate venturi channels necessitate pushrod in-board suspension, whilst the mid-mounted V12 connected to an eight-speed gearbox sits within one of the tightest engine bays we’ve ever seen.

Working steering via a brick-built yoke plus an opening engine cover and butterfly doors complete the technical features, and you can recreate Jeroen’s expertly-engineered creation for yourself as building instructions are available. Click these links to Flickr and Eurobricks to ride out the coming recession like the super rich with your very own Aston Martin Valkyrie.

*Today’s title song. We’re feeling very cultured. (Normal service of Your Mom jokes and poo references will resume shortly).

Pagani Huayra | Picture Special

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This is the Pagani Huayra, an AMG V12-engined, limited production hypercar built by Pagani between 2011 and 2021, and reserved only for the quite fantastically wealthy.

Despite the sizeable riches that accumulate from blogging about Lego, even we can’t afford a real Huayra, thus the version we have here today is more suitable for our budget.

Built by langko, this incredible Technic recreation of the iconic Italian hypercar captures the real deal as perfectly as is possible from plastic bricks, with the astounding looks matched by an astonishing breadth of working features.

There are no motors, with langko instead deploying their considerable talents to create a benchmark Technic ‘Supercar’, complete with a working V12 engine, all-wheel cantilever suspension, a 7-speed sequential gearbox, functioning steering with connected aero flaps, an adjustable nose-lift, opening gull-wing doors, front and rear clamshells, and luggage compartments, plus adjustable seats inside a spectacularly detailed interior.

It’s one of the finest Technic Supercars we’ve seen yet, and doubtless one of the most impressive creations of 2022 so far, with much more to see at the Eurobricks forum and the full gallery of stunning images available to view on Bricksafe. Join us in taking a closer look via the links.

A Super Car

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Technic Supercars are one of our very favourite things in the Lego Community, and despite LEGO’s foray into officially-licensed replicas of real-world vehicles, we do still like seeing interpretations of the fictional Technic Supercars that used to be LEGO’s flagships.

Cue this rather lovely example by IA Creations, whose fictional supercar nods to several real-world counterparts as well as LEGO’s own past flagship sets, and includes a wealth of Technic functionality.

Working suspension, opening doors, front trunk and engine cover, LED lights, and a V8 engine all feature, with IA going a step further by including full remote control drive and steering, plus an electronically deployed rear spoiler, courtesy of four Power Functions motors and a BuWizz 2.0 bluetooth battery brick.

It’s a fantastic build and one of which you can see more at both Eurobricks, where a link to building instructions can be found, and Bricksafe, where over forty high quality images are available.

Click the links above to see more of IA Creations’ super car.

Alright M8

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This rather excellent Technic Supercar is a BMW M8 Competition, BMW’s 600bhp, twin-turbo V8, all-wheel-drive flagship.

Constructed by IA creations, this recreation of BMW’s super coupe includes a wealth of Technic functionality, with both traditional mechanical ‘supercar’ elements and motorised remote control.

A working V8 engine, all-wheel-drive, steering, and double-wishbone suspension take care of the former, whilst a BuWizz bluetooth battery powers twin drive motors, servo steering, and three sets of LEDs for the head and tail lights, enabling programmable bluetooth remote control.

It’s a fantastically well engineered creation and one that you can build for yourself too, as IA has made instructions available. Head to the Eurobricks forum for full details, plus you can find the complete image gallery of IA BMW M8 Competition on Bricksafe.

Finally, you can win an awesome BuWizz 3.0 Pro like the one powering IA’s magnificent M8 by entering TLCB and BrickNerd’s Festival of Mundanity competition! This M8 Competition is definitely much too interesting of course, but a grey 320d… that could do very well indeed!

Acceptable in the ’80s

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And the 2020s it seems, as the once fairly unfashionable Ferrari Testarossa is now a bonafide millionaires’ toy, worth much much more than the entire contents TLCB office car park.

This one comes from Technic-building legend Lachlan Cameron (aka LoxLego), whose Technic recreation of the ’80s supercar includes a full remote control drivetrain, LED lights, custom (and really rather accurate) wheels, working suspension, a flat-12 engine, pop-up headlights, and opening doors, front trunk and engine cover.

There’s much more of the build to see at the Eurobricks discussion forum and on Flickr, plus you can read Lachlan’s interview here at TLCB in the Master MOCers series by clicking here.

*Today’s title song.