McLaren P1, LaFerrari and Porsche 918 all go LEGO in 2015

We’re buying everything in the Speed Champions line.

Gah! Unbridled glee! The days of Ferrari having an exclusive hold on branded LEGO cars are officially over. Next year, you’ll be able to buy a minifig-scale McLaren P1, Porsche 918 Spyder, and LaFerrari. (Yes, we know about the Mini and VW stuff, but Maranello has been dominant.) We will take one of each, thank you.

These leaked images come courtesy of YouTube user just2good, so no prices yet, but the kits looks small enough that they should come in around 20 bucks. Again, we don’t care. Buying.

McLaren P1 (75909)

Is that a snowboard acting as the P1’s wing? Yes, yes it is.

LaFerrari (75899)

Some authentic Italian stubble on the LaFerrari test driver. Also: Why didn’t I think of making brick pylons?

All three cars have production-correct wheel designs, the 918’s being the coolest. And each car comes with a wrench, because, uh, why not?

There are also a few competition-inspired sets in the 2015 Speed Champions line, too: a sponsor-sticker-tastic 458 Italia GT2 (75908); a pair of 911 GT cars with podium, mechanics, and LEGO four-way (75912); a full pit-stop setup for the McLaren F1 team (75911); and (yet another) Ferrari F1 transporter (75913). I’m guessing the brick separators included in the F1 sets are in place of wheel guns.

Formula 1 Pit Stop — Formula One Pit Stop

We’ll forgive the similar look of the hypercars because there’s only so much you can do at minifig scale, and come on, minifig-scale hypercars! It’s nice to see few—if any—unique parts. The stickers differentiate them pretty well.

Formula 1 Pit Stop Lego — Formula 1 Pit Spot Lego

October 2, 2014 0

GT-R…. ’nuff said!

Caption is pretty clear IMO…

September 29, 2014 0

HONDA NSX SHAKEDOWN

We are rather excited about the coming of Honda’s new NSX. It’s been a long while since the S2000 came onto the market – the last time the noble brand pushed whole heartedly into the world of pure sports cars. It’s about time they picked up the challenge.Interesting to see then recently that the Honda (or is it Acura) NSX prototype lapped the 2.4-mile Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in Lexington, Ohio, just prior to the running of the Honda Indy 200.

Understandably a lot of energy from the USA has been directed at the project. It is, after all an absolute key market for all luxury items. And we reckon the USA will be THE make or break territory for the new launch.

Ted Klaus, Chief engineer of Honda R&D Americas, Inc. said: “With leadership from our R&D and manufacturing teams here in Ohio, we are developing a next generation sports car that will be equally at home on the street and on the race track, so it is natural for us to showcase the prototype vehicle here at Mid-Ohio. It is exciting for us to see the prototype running on track, reflecting the great progress we’re making toward the 2015 global launch of the NSX, as we engineer a new sports-car experience for customers around the world.”

…and something North American too…
…and something North American too…

Corporate guff aside it’s interesting to see how the Acura brand articulates all that new, greener supercar technology to the Americans. Will they sneer at the six cylinder setup of the Honda NSX? Targeting next-generation supercar dynamic capabilities with advanced environmental performance, the NSX will be powered by a mid-mounted, direct-injected V-6 engine mated to Honda’s Sport Hybrid SH-AWD® (Super Handling All-Wheel Drive) system. Sport Hybrid SH-AWD® is, apparently, an all-new, three-motor high-performance hybrid system that combines torque vectoring all-wheel drive with advanced hybrid efficiency through the use of three electric motors – one motor integrated with the V6 engine and its all-new dual-clutch transmission (DCT) driving the rear wheels, and two motors driving the front wheels. The system enables instant delivery of negative or positive torque to the front wheels during cornering to achieve a new level of driving performance unparalleled by current AWD systems.

Key to all this positioning is that the NSX will be assembled in Marysville Ohio – playing to the very prevelant ‘Made in America’ movement that is making a serious impact on the internal economy of the post powerful nation on the planet. Globally sourced, Japanese engineered – and made in America. A potentially very powerful statement.

September 25, 2014 0

GAS TURBINE TECHNOLOGY

Whilst scouring the web for images of Americana, I came across these amazing pictures of Graham hill-driven Turbine Indy car from around 1968 in the Life Photo Archive.

In the race to produce an alternative to the internally combusted, piston-and-crankshaft model of car propulsion, there have been many interesting experiments. The gas turbine was one of most audacious and surely the least fuel-efficient.

Gas turbines use combustion like normal car engines, but instead of crankshafts and pistons, gases forced over blades of the turbine rotate, creating the drive.

Among the most high profile early turbine experimenters were Colin Chapman of Lotus fame. Chapman introduced the Lotus 56B F1 car in 1971, powered by a Pratt & Whitney gas turbine.

Turbine powered cars, with no gearbox and incredible power, had achieved some success in American Indy oval racing, where the turbines could be opened up at a constant rate for long periods, but apparently problems with two-way turbo lag in the more dynamic F1 context, which required staccatto braking and acceleration for hours on end, forced Chapman to abandon the project before the car had raced in anger.

Turbine engine

I imagine that gas turbine’s one-dimensional power arc might even have an application on the razor-straight, grid like road system of contemporary America. Every vehicle I have driven in America, from taxi cab to bus to Hhotrod seems great at going forward, loudly, with as little effort as possible, but the bump and grind of a twisty road is another proposition entirely.

September 25, 2014 0

GOODWOOD & THE JOY OF HILLS

We love hill climbing. Simple format; there’s a track up a hill – you have to be quickest. Unlike gridded wheel-to-wheel racing, there are no tactics, no strategies available and no one to show you the way. It’s just a pure test of car and driver.

If Colorado’s Pikes Peak is the ultimate Hillclimb, then Goodwood’s Festival of Speed (coming up this weekend) is a delicious tongue tip taster of the form. Every year a huge variety of vehicles — from priceless vintage cars and the latest in cutting edge Hypercar exotica to Rod Millen’s Pike Peak slaying Celica (above & Below) — gather on the lawn of Lord March’s elegant Sussex Estate.

I was lucky enough to witness this monstrous missile setting its record time a few years ago. Sometimes a vehicle can be so powerful it’s a little frightening to be near it.

This was such a car.

Not sure if Rod Millen will be at Goodwood this weekend – but rest assured it’s the highlight of the petrolhead year. And you should be there.
http://youtu.be/81DeYYK8Dtc

September 24, 2014 0

MANX TT: TEN THINGS YOU (MIGHT NOT) KNOW

1. The Isle of Man TT began in 1907, after a law was cleared in 1904 that allowed roads to be closed for the Gordon Bennett car trials.

2. When the race first started practice sessions used to take place in the early morning with regular traffic. Charlie Collier and Rem Fowler were the two winners of the then two-class race (single and double).

3. The BBC started broadcasting the race live after the second world war.

Eric P Glasper ’72

4. The current course is 37.73 miles (six laps) which was adopted in 1920, though the original course (known as St. John’s course) was under half this at 15.6 miles. There was also a course called the Clypse Course for Sidecar, Ultra Lightweight and Lightweight race. It was first used in 1954 and was 10.79 miles long.

5. The TT route is scattered with memorials to the various riders who have been killed or injured during the gruelling race. In 1970 alone 6 riders were killed and in its history it has taken 223 lives.

6) In 1977 the race lost its world championship title, due to safety reasons, though continued as an opportunity for any road race enthusiasts to make their mark, including John Mc Guinness who took 15 wins, Phil “Hizzy” Hislop who took 11 and Phillip McCallen who took 11

Dunlop 1982

7 The ‘King of the Road’, Joey Dunlop OBE MBE is undoubtedly the most decorated rider that the TT has seen, with a total of 26 wins. His first win was in 1977 and he has gained titles such as: “7 Formula 1, 4 Senior, 3 Junior, 5 Lightweight and 5 UltraLightweight Races, plus the 1977 Jubilee Race and the 1980 Classic 1000”. He is also the only rider in history to have 3 hat-tricks to his name- “1985 F1, Senior and Junior, 1988 F1, Senior and Junior and in 2000 the Formula One, Lightweight and Ultra Lightweight.” In 2002 the 26th Milestone was renamed “Joey’s” in his memory.

8 The race was cancelled in 2001 due to a Britain-wide outbreak of Foot and Mouth disease.

9 The fastest ever lap was set by John McGuinness riding a 1000 HM Plant Honda in 2007 in the Senior TT, clocking 17m 21.99s at a speed of 130.354mph. This lap time also lead him to take the fastest race time of 1hr 11m 56.29s. In 2007, the centenary of the event all but 1 category for both lap and race records were shattered.

10 The 2009 race saw John McGuinness destroy his previous lap record in the Senior TT category riding a Honda CBR1000R with a time of 17’12.30 and an average speed of 131.578 mph.
2009 also saw the first zero-emissions race with 15 all-electric bikes.

Ducati 1977

September 24, 2014 0

We’re buying everything in the Speed Champions line.

McLaren P1 (75909)

LaFerrari (75899)

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