 | This article needs additional or more specific images .(January 2024) |
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| Subject | Real-life cars |
|---|---|
| Licensed from | Various vehicle manufacturers |
| Availability | 2015–Present |
| Total sets | 64 [1] |
| Official website | |
Lego Speed Champions (stylized as LEGO Speed Champions) is an auto racing-inspired theme of Lego building sets first released in 2015. [2] It features classic and modern styles from well-known car brands. [3]
The Lego Speed Champions product line focuses on classic and modern styles from well-known car brands. The series featured Ferrari, McLaren, and Porsche models in its initial release. [4] [5] Each set was designed by Lego Design Manager Chris Stamp. The theme later added Audi, Bugatti, Chevrolet, Dodge, Ford, Jaguar, Mercedes-AMG, Lamborghini, Koenigsegg, Nissan, Pagani, Toyota, Aston Martin, and Lotus. The line features as the center of a 2019 expansion for the open world racing video game Forza Horizon 4 . [6] [7]
In 2022, The Lego Group stated that the theme is an 18+ (18 years and older) theme that does not carry the 18+ label. [8]
In April 2022, The Lego Group built a life-size replica of the 1970 Ferrari 512 M containing 78,496 Lego pieces. [9] The Lego Group also built a life-size replica of the Ferrari F40 containing 358,000 Lego pieces and placed in front of Legoland California. [10]
Initially launched in 2015 at a 6 wide scale, LEGO Speed Champions was focused on reaching older LEGO builders, bringing real cars into the hands of kids and fans. Craig Callum explains the initial Speed Champions concept "I was part of the team that kick-started the Speed Champions. There are a lot of car geeks working at LEGO, and there were lots of cars within various existing lines, but we thought that something was missing. We wanted to create something authentic, that would work for ‘older’ LEGO builders. The primary focus is always on what works for kids, but there’s a bigger story to tell sometimes, too." [11] The line was “Designed for children, but with grown-ups fans in mind too, we know these models will be closely scrutinized for authenticity.” [12]
The line was later developed into a larger scale allowing more detail and changing it's approach to an older target audience. During the development process of the Lego Speed Champions theme, Lego Design Manager Chris Stamp discussed the concept of the Lego Speed Champions theme and explained, "Absolutely. The enlarged scale has allowed us to develop a new strategy, which essentially is to forget the age on the box! We want to offer unique building experiences that educate younger builders and are appreciated by older builders simultaneously. That is how we approach each model because there is no age limit on being a car enthusiast, so we can cover older and modern subjects. We focus exclusively on vehicle fans, of any age." and continued, "Also, the small size of Speed Champions cars does not mean they must be easy to build. We have seen the range described as ‘mini Creator Expert’ and that is honestly how we approach every set. We include as much detail as possible and always target the utmost accuracy, hopefully giving people a Creator Expert or 18+ experience, at a much lower price point than those themes. Something I have observed is the different fan expectations and reception for larger models, like Modular Buildings or UCS sets, relative to smaller models. My goal is always narrowing the gap between those sets of different scales and conveying the same experience as much larger sets, at a tenth of the size." [13]
Chris Stamp discussed a 1x2 tile without printing and explained, "We tried that, but the headlights looked too narrow with red tiles, and we always prioritize attention to detail. Also, when we are developing the elements, we do not always know the quality of the final print, so there is sometimes a disconnect between how we intend the product to be and the production capability." and continued, "Actually, there was a slight change to the cockpit printing between 2020 and 2021, where small gaps appeared along the creases of the elements. Production introduced those gaps because of the need to guarantee a certain level of quality. I have not spotted any discussion about that online, but it is something we are examining internally." [14]
Chris Stamp discussed the introduction of movie-inspired cars and explained, "Looking back through the development and direction of Speed Champions, we have already expanded to include vehicles other than supercars, including the John Cooper Works buggy, Lamborghini Urus, and the Ford Bronco Dakar racer. Fundamentally, the theme’s identity is collectible, IP-driven, eight-stud-side vehicles which are all in scale when displayed together. There are really no limits on what we can do, as long as they satisfy those flexible parameters." and continued, "On a personal level, I am a huge movie fan, so I have been moving towards creating these vehicles for the last three years. Also, not everyone who likes cars is interested in racing, so introducing some recognizable film vehicles felt completely natural to me. Broadening the appeal of the theme, without losing what we have already built, is never a bad thing." [15] [16]
The Lego Speed Champions theme was launched on 1 March 2015. The Lego Group announced a partnership with Ferrari, McLaren, Mercedes, and Porsche. As part of the marketing campaign, The Lego Group released six sets based on racing cars. Each set featured different racing cars such as Ferrari, McLaren, Mercedes, and Porsche. The sets were designed primarily for children 7 to 14 years old. [17] [18] [19]
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In 2015, The Lego Group released seven iconic sets in the new Speed Champions line: the LaFerrari, McLaren P1, Porsche 918 Spyder, Ferrari 458 Italia GT2, F14 T & Scuderia Ferrari Truck, Porsche 911 GT Finish Line, and the McLaren Mercedes Pit Stop. Seven sets - nine vehicles including the Ferrari transport truck and the two Porsche 911 GTs in the Finish Line set.
In 2016, the theme was all about muscle cars, with the Ford Mustang, Chevrolet Corvette, and Chevy Camaro. It also included a Ford Model A Hotrod and F-150 Raptor, as well as LMP race cars from Audi and Porsche. [20] [21] [22] [23]
In 2017, The Lego Speed Champions theme returned to Formula 1 cars from Ferrari and the championship-winning Mercedes AMG Petronas team. [24]
In 2018, the theme featured more Ferrari and Porsche Race cars, including the Nurburgring Lap Record holding car, the Porsche 919 Hybrid. The line also included a 1967 Ford Mustang. However, no new brands were added. [25] [26]
For 2019 the theme returned, with a new focus on including new brands into the collection: Dodge and Mini. [27]
The 2020 sets include a Lamborghini Huracan Super Trofeo and Nissan GTR Nismo as well as introduced electric vehicles with Formula E and Jaguar. [28] [29] [30] [31] Prices also increased with the shift in scale. [32] [33]
In January 2020 a polybag set was released of the Lamborghini Huracan Super Trofeo. [34] 2 more sets followed in early 2021, McLaren Elva [35] and Aston Martin Valkyrie AMR Pro. [36]
In June 2021, 6 Lego Speed Champions sets were delayed until Summer, causing speculation amongst fans that the theme had been canceled. Featuring in the range are a 1970 Dodge Charger T/A, Top Fuel Dragster, Toyota Supra, Corvette C8.R, and Koenigsegg Jesko. [37] [38] [39]
In March 2022, 5 new sets of Ferrari 512 M, Lotus Evija, Lamborghini Countach, Mercedes-AMG F1 W12 E Performance, Mercedes-AMG Project One, Aston Martin Valkyrie AMR Pro, and Aston Martin Vantage GT3 expanded the collection. [40] [41] [42] [43] [44]
In June 2022, 2 new sets of James Bond's Aston Martin DB5 based on the James Bond franchise and Dominic Toretto’s 1970 Dodge Charger R/T based on the Fast & Furious franchise were be released on 1 August 2022. [45] [46] James Bond's Aston Martin DB5 set consists of 298 pieces and 1 minifigure of James Bond. [47] Also included multiple license plates to swap. [48] [49] [50] [51] Aston Martin DB5 set doesn't include gadgets. [52] Dominic Toretto's 1970 Dodge Charger R/T set consists of 345 pieces and 1 minifigure of Dominic Toretto. [53] [54] [55] [56] [57] Chris Stamp commented on the 'Iconic Movie and TV Vehicles' a new sub-theme by stating, "To be honest, it’s just an extension of the overall LEGO Speed Champions theme and by that I mean an 8-module wide IP vehicle collection. I don’t want to exclude any vehicles. Although, I tend to think it is essentially a vehicle collection - but that’s not all it could be! If the fans like these iconic movie and TV vehicles and the sets are well received, then we will probably add more to the collection." [58] [59]
In January 2023, one new set named Brian O'Conner's 2 Fast 2 Furious Nissan Skyline GTR (R34) based on the 2 Fast 2 Furious film released. [60] [61] [62] The set consists of 319 pieces and 1 minifigure of Brian O'Conner. [63] [64] Chris Stamp commented on the 2 Fast 2 Furious Nissan Skyline GTR (R34) set by stating, “I want to stress that the movie and television Speed Champions series is not becoming the Fast & Furious series! We want to choose the most iconic subjects and there probably could be three or four from Fast and Furious, but it was just incidental that two of our first three movie cars are from the same franchise. Universal was brilliant to work with and it is also the 20th anniversary of 2 Fast 2 Furious in 2023, so the Nissan Skyline was the perfect choice.” [65] Chris Stamp also announced Speed Champions sets would include printed seats and explained, “We’re including decorated seats like we did on the [76902 McLaren Elva] because the racing seat is quite iconic to this car.” and continued, “When you see Brian in the car it’s not just the exterior that’s all blue and grey, but it’s also the interior, so we’ve tried to capture that as well.” [66]
In January 2023, four new sets named Ferrari 812 Competizione, Pagani Utopia, Porsche 963 and McLaren Solus GT & McLaren F1 LM were announced to be released on 1 March 2023. Chris Stamp discussed a Plate Special 1 x 1 x ⅔ Half Circle with Stud on Side and explained, “This is an element that was on our bucket list for a couple of years now,” and continued, “We don’t actually have anything like this unless you put an Erling [1×1 headlight brick] sideways on its back. This new brick allows you to get a stud on the side at two plates high in a 1×1 module space." [67] [68] Chris Stamp discussed about Chassis 6x12x1 1/3 and Mudguard 2x4x2 and explained, "These two elements combined allow us to make the cars even lower down and closer to the wheels like you can see with the Pagani. I think this is a real game changer for LEGO Speed Champions. I'm really excited about what people think and how they react to that." [69] [70] [71]
Before the release of the McLaren Solus GT and McLaren F1 LM double pack, The Lego Group celebrated 60 years of McLaren Automotive and engineer Bruce McLaren founded McLaren. McLaren chief designer Goran Ozbolt stated, “As 2023 marks the 60th anniversary of McLaren and our founder’s passion to create the ultimate supercars, we felt this was the perfect opportunity to come together with the LEGO Group and celebrate some of the iconic McLaren road cars whose designs were born of that vision,” and continued, "Together with LEGO Speed Champions, we have created our first ever McLaren double pack which features the iconic McLaren F1 LM and our latest track focussed hypercar, the Solus GT of which only 25 will be sold to customers and which was originally created as a video game concept car. Whatever age you are, you can have fun building and exploring the cars and through that I hope we can inspire future designers and engineers who will help us look to the next 60 years and beyond.” Chris Stamp stated, "We aim to inspire LEGO vehicle fans of all ages with new and unique building experiences, every time we expand the Speed Champions Collection. This launch is another great example of this long-standing partnership.” [72] [73]
| Year | Name | Pieces | Set # | Photo |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | LaFerrari | 164 | 75899 | |
| 2015 | Ferrari 458 Italia GT2 | 153 | 75908 |  |
| 2015 | Mclaren P1 | 168 | 75909 | |
| 2015 | Porsche 918 Spyder | 151 | 75910 | |
| 2015 | Mclaren Mercedes Pit Stop | 332 | 75911 | |
| 2015 | Porsche 911 GT Finish Line | 551 | 75912 | |
| 2015 | F14 T & Scuderia Ferrari Truck | 884 | 75913 | |
| 2016 | Chevrolet Corvette Z06 | 173 | 75870 | |
| 2016 | Ford Mustang GT | 185 | 75871 | |
| 2016 | Audi R18 e-tron quattro | 166 | 75872 | |
| 2016 | Audi R8 LMS ultra | 175 | 75873 | |
| 2016 | Chevrolet Camaro Drag Race | 445 | 75874 | |
| 2016 | Ford F-150 Raptor & Model A Hot Rod | 664 | 75875 | |
| 2016 | Porsche 919 Hybrid and 917K Pit Lane | 732 | 75876 | |
| 2017 | Mercedes-AMG GT3 | 196 | 75877 | |
| 2017 | Bugatti Chiron | 181 | 75878 | |
| 2017 | Scuderia Ferrari SF16-H | 184 | 75879 | |
| 2017 | McLaren 720S | 161 | 75880 | |
| 2017 | 2016 Ford GT & 1966 Ford GT40 | 366 | 75881 | |
| 2017 | Ferrari FXX K & Development Center | 494 | 75882 | |
| 2017 | MERCEDES AMG PETRONAS Formula One Team | 941 | 75883 | |
| 2018 | 1968 Ford Mustang Fastback | 183 | 75884 | |
| 2018 | Ford Fiesta M-Sport WRC | 203 | 75885 | |
| 2018 | Ferrari 488 GT3 Scuderia Corsa | 179 | 75886 | |
| 2018 | Porsche 919 Hybrid | 163 | 75887 | |
| 2018 | Porsche 911 RSR and 911 Turbo 3.0 | 391 | 75888 | |
| 2018 | Ferrari Ultimate Garage | 841 | 75889 | |
| 2019 | Ferrari F40 Competizione | 198 | 75890 | |
| 2019 | Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 Race Car | 198 | 75891 | |
| 2019 | McLaren Senna | 219 | 75892 | |
| 2019 | 2018 Dodge Challenger SRT Demon and 1970 Dodge Charger R/T | 478 | 75893 | |
| 2019 | 1967 Mini Cooper S Rally and 2018 MINI John Cooper Works Buggy | 481 | 75894 | |
| 2019 | 1974 Porsche 911 Turbo 3.0 | 180 | 75895 | |
| 2020 | Ferrari F8 Tributo | 275 | 76895 | |
| 2020 | Nissan GT-R NISMO | 298 | 76896 | |
| 2020 | 1985 Audi Sport quattro S1 | 250 | 76897 | |
| 2020 | Formula E Panasonic Jaguar Racing GEN2 car & Jaguar I-PACE eTROPHY | 565 | 76898 | |
| 2020 | Lamborghini Urus ST-X & Lamborghini Huracán Super Trofeo EVO | 663 | 76899 | |
| 2021 | Koenigsegg Jesko | 280 | 76900 | |
| 2021 | Toyota GR Supra | 299 | 76901 | |
| 2021 | McLaren Elva | 263 | 76902 | |
| 2021 | Chevrolet Corvette C8.R Race Car and 1969 Chevrolet Corvette | 512 | 76903 | |
| 2021 | Mopar Dodge//SRT Top Fuel Dragster and 1970 Dodge Challenger T/A | 627 | 76904 | |
| 2021 | Ford GT Heritage Edition and Bronco R | 660 | 76905 | |
| 2022 | 1970 Ferrari 512 M | 291 | 76906 | |
| 2022 | Lotus Evija | 247 | 76907 | |
| 2022 | Lamborghini Countach | 262 | 76908 | |
| 2022 | Mercedes-AMG F1 W12 E Performance & Mercedes-AMG Project One | 564 | 76909 |  |
| 2022 | Aston Martin Valkyrie AMR Pro and Aston Martin Vantage GT3 | 592 | 76910 | |
| 2022 | 007 Aston Martin DB5 | 289 | 76911 | |
| 2022 | Fast & Furious 1970 Dodge Charger R/T | 345 | 76912 | |
| 2023 | 2 Fast 2 Furious Nissan Skyline GT-R (R34) | 261 | 76917 | |
| 2023 | Ferrari 812 Competizione | 319 | 76914 | |
| 2023 | Pagani Utopia | 249 | 76915 |  |
| 2023 | Porsche 963 | 280 | 76916 | |
| 2023 | McLaren Solus GT & McLaren F1 LM | 581 | 76918 | |
| 2024 | 2023 McLaren Formula 1 Race Car | 245 | 76919 | |
| 2024 | Ford Mustang Dark Horse Sports Car | 344 | 76920 | |
| 2024 | Audi S1 e-tron quattro Race Car | 274 | 76921 | |
| 2024 | BMW M4 GT3 & BMW M Hybrid V8 Race Cars | 676 | 76922 | |
| 2024 | McLaren Formula 1 Race Car | 245 | 76919 |
The product line was accompanied by a series of animated short films that were released on YouTube.
It was announced at E3 2019 that The Lego Group and Playground Games had partnered together to add a new expansion pack to Forza Horizon 4 featuring several cars from the line and a new location made out of Lego bricks. The expansion pack was released on June 13, 2019. [77] [78] [79]
Announced June 2023, 2K Games unveiled a downloadable content pack, Drive Pass Season 1 for Lego 2K Drive was released on 28 June 2023. It adds the 1970 Dodge Charger R/T and the Nissan Skyline GT-R as playable. It includes Bricklandia's Fast Crew, sisters Rita and Lita Malachi, pilot Doug and resident techie Ronnie (aka CoNfL8t). [80] [81]
In 2020, The Lego Group reported that the Lego Technic, Lego Star Wars, Lego Classic, Lego Disney, Lego Harry Potter, and Lego Speed Champions, "The strong results are due to our incredible team," and that these themes had helped to push revenue for the first half of 2020 grew 7% to DKK 15.7 billion compared with the same period in 2019. [82]
A supercar, also known as an exotic car, is a type of automobile generally described as a street-legal, luxury superlative performance sports car, both in terms of power, speed, and handling. The term 'supercar' is therefore frequently used for low-bodied sportscars with powerful, rear mid-mounted engines. Since the 2000s, the term hypercar has also come into use for the most high-end performance cars.
Lego Technic is a line of Lego interconnecting plastic rods and parts. The purpose of this series is to create advanced models of working vehicles and machines, compared to the simpler brick-building properties of normal Lego.
Shooting-brake is a car body style which originated in the 1890s from horse-drawn carriage origins. The first automotive shooting brakes were manufactured in the early 1900s in the United Kingdom. The vehicle style became popular in England during the 1920s and 1930s, and was produced by vehicle manufacturers or as conversions by coachbuilders. The term was used in Britain interchangeably with "estate car" from the 1930s but has not been in general use for many years and has been more or less superseded by the latter term.
The Aston Martin DB5 is a British grand tourer (GT) produced by Aston Martin and designed by Italian coachbuilder Carrozzeria Touring Superleggera. Originally produced from 1963 to 1965, the DB5 was an evolution of the final series of DB4. The "DB" designation is from the initials of David Brown who built up the company from 1947 onwards.
Automobile was an American automobile magazine published by the Motor Trend Group. A group of former employees of Car and Driver led by David E. Davis founded Automobile in 1986 with support from Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation, using the credo No Boring Cars.Automobile distinguished itself as more of a lifestyle magazine than the other automotive publications, an editorial theme that Davis greatly expanded upon from his tenure as the editor of Car and Driver, though it was a sister publication to Motor Trend.
The Geneva International Motor Show is an annual auto show held in March in the Swiss city of Geneva.
Evo is a British automobile magazine dedicated to performance cars, from hot hatches to supercars.
Lego Harry Potter is a Lego theme based on the film series of the same name and the eponymous novels by British author J. K. Rowling. It is licensed from Warner Bros. Lego models of important scenes, vehicles and characters were made for the first six films and all of the published books. The first sets appeared in 2001, to coincide with the release of the first film, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone. Subsequent sets were released alongside the new films, until Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. The line then went dormant for three years, with sets being released in 2010 and 2011. In 2018, it was announced that more sets based on the Harry Potter franchise would be released, including new sets based on Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them and its sequel, Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald.
Lego City is a theme under which Lego building sets are released based on city life, with the models depicting city and emergency services, airport, train, construction, and civilian services. Legoland Town is one of the three original themes that Lego produced upon its launch of the Lego minifigure in 1978 along with Castle and Space. The Town brand was briefly replaced with Lego World City in 2003 and 2004 before it was simply rebranded as Lego City in 2005.
Lego Creator is a Lego theme for generic models. Creator sets have few specialized bricks to create buildings, creatures, vehicles, and robots. Some sets featured instructions for three different possible builds from the bricks included and most sets in recent years have used the 3-in-1 label. Creator is also a parent theme to Lego Icons, a Lego subtheme for adolescents and adults featuring advanced building techniques and large piece counts, mostly known for Modular Buildings and detailed vehicles. Creator also has had several other subthemes such as X-Pods and mosaics.
Lego Racers was a Lego product line with the first wave of sets being released in 2001. The range was first introduced in 2001 named after the Lego Racers video game series with the first wave of sets being based on the Xalax segment of Lego Racers 2. The earlier sets were designed more as racing car toys than construction toy, and included a launcher element that could be used to propel the vehicles. Over time the theme developed and became more in line with the style of other Lego products, while still encouraging a racing form of gameplay. The theme also included licensed models of real-life high-speed cars, such as a Lamborghini Gallardo and a Ferrari FXX. The product line was discontinued in 2013 after 12 years. A spiritual successor Lego Speed Champions was released in 2015, with a similar premise.
Lego Minifigures are a 2010 Lego theme based on a set of collectible Lego minifigures. Each figure is an original character with new clothing and facial designs, and many contain previously unseen accessories. Each series usually contains 16 different minifigures; however, some series contain as few as 9 minifigures, while others contain up to 22. Since 2021, the number of different minifigures for a series is set to 12. In 2023, the Disney 100-anniversary series came out, bringing the total number of figures to 18, although it was once again reduced to 12 with the second Marvel series. This series also introduced paper boxes, instead of the plastic bags, making it no longer possible to feel up the pieces for each figure.
Lego Ninjago is a Lego theme that was created in 2011 and a flagship brand of The Lego Group. It is the first theme to be based on ninja since the discontinuation of the Lego Ninja theme in 2000. It was produced to coincide with the animated television series Ninjago, which was superseded in 2023 by a new series titled Ninjago: Dragons Rising.
Lego Super Heroes is a theme and product range of the Lego construction toy, introduced in 2011, owned by The Lego Group and licensed from DC Entertainment, Marvel Entertainment, Warner Bros., The Walt Disney Company and Pixar.
Lego Icons is a series of Lego construction toys aimed at a demographic of adolescents and adults. Beginning in 2000 without an established logo or icon, Icons features models such as aircraft, sculptures, and world buildings, selling as exclusives with numerous specialized elements and complex building techniques. Icons is considered a challenge to both the target audience and Lego designers. All Icons sets are classified into specified sub-themes; however, the entirety of Icons is classified as a sub-theme of Lego Creator.
Lego Cars is a Lego theme based on the Disney·Pixar's Cars film franchise created by John Lasseter, Joe Ranft and Jorgen Klubien. It was licensed from The Walt Disney Company and Pixar. The theme was first introduced in 2010 for Duplo Cars sub-theme based on the Cars film was released as part of the Duplo theme. In 2011, Lego Cars 2 sub-theme based on the Cars 2 film was released as part of the Lego System and Duplo theme. In 2017, Lego Juniors Cars 3 sub-theme based on the Cars 3 film was released as part of the Lego Juniors and Duplo theme.
The Milano Monza Open-Air Motor Show (MIMO) is an annual auto show first held in June 2021 in Milan and Monza, Italy.
Lego BrickHeadz is a Lego theme that recreates iconic characters from themes like DC Comics, Marvel Comics, Star Wars and Disney as buildable characters. The theme was first introduced in 2016.
