Formula 1 – po-faced, over regulated, and completely devoid of originality – needs a kick in the ass. TLCB debutant Gamabomb may have the answer. Or maybe not, but it’s fun to imagine! This is his ‘Ferrari SF48-0’ built for the Mecha Racing League, and it’s a wonderfully pointless thing. More like this please interwebs! Check it out on Flickr at the link above.

This neat 7-wide Ford GT in racing and road iterations was suggested by a reader, and it features the most ingenious use for LEGO’s mini-figure flippers that we’ve ever seen. There’s a few other clever techniques at work too – check them out courtesy of Zeto Vince’s photostream here.

This incredible-looking vehicle is a 1980s Porsche 962C, one of the most dominant racing cars in the history of Sports, GT and Endurance racing. Built by previous bloggee Tamás Juhász aka mbmc this remarkable 1:8 replica is very probably the finest Technic racing car that we’ve featured here this year.

Underneath the beautifully replicated bodywork is one of the most brilliantly engineered chassis that we’ve come across. Each wheel is fully independently suspended (although that sentence really doesn’t do justice to just how incredible the suspension set-up on this model is), there’s working steering with Ackerman geometry, a functioning four-speed gearbox complete with gear indicator in the cockpit and – most impressively of all – an automatic clutch.

There are also working pneumatic brakes operated via the brake pedal in the cockpit, plus possibly the finest Technic engine that we’ve ever seen. It’s a twin-turbo flat-six, as per the real 962C, and you really need to click the links above to see it!

Tamás has published an extensive gallery to both Eurobricks and Flickr, and as his Porsche 962C also features opening doors and a removable engine cover for better access, the engine and chassis shots are really worth your clicks. You can see all of the spectacular imagery via the links in the text above – it’s where most of TLCB Office have been all afternoon.

This glorious Porsche 911 wide-body racer is part of the current LEGO ReBrick competition. Built by previous bloggee jorgeopesi it’s true Technic supercar, featuring working suspension, a flat-6 engine, all-wheel-drive and all-wheel-steering, and it looks… well it looks like that. Bloody brilliant. There’s more to see at the jorgeopesi’s Rebrick page – click the link above to see more on ReBrick, or here for the Brickshelf gallery.

The second part of today’s Porsche pairing comes from newcomer Jacob Lockett and is also built for LEGO’s ReBrick Porsche competition. Jacob has chosen to recreate one of Porsche’s rarest and most interesting cars, the mid ’60s flat-4 engined 904. Despite only having four cylinders and a two litre capacity, the 904 made almost 200bhp, and that was way back in 1964! Even today that’s a good figure for a two litre 4-cylinder. Jacob’s Technic recreation features working suspension, functioning steering, and a replica flat-4 piston engine. There’s more to see via ReBrick – click the link above to make the jump.

Every so often we receive a suggestion here at TLCB that makes the whole office stop what it’s doing (which today seemed to mostly be Google-imaging attractive Rio Olympics athletes) to gaze in wonder at the creation/s found. This was definitely one of those moments.

These incredible Model Team classic Formula 1 replicas have all been built by newcomer Idihnab Szalab from Hungary, and he’s uploaded all four to MOCpages in one go. Each is an exquisitely detailed creation that perfectly captures one of the Formula 1’s most famous and iconic cars in Lego form.

From top to bottom Idihnab has built; the dominant 1972-75 Lotus-Ford 72D in John Player Special livery, Ferrari’s 1989 640, the double World Championship-winning 1986-87 Williams-Honda FW11, and lastly the beautiful Lotus-Ford 72C from 1970-71 in magnificent Gold Leaf livery.

We can’t recommend paying Idihnab’s MOCpage a visit enough – click here to view all four incredible creations and to step back in time to Formula 1’s greatest era.

Curse that Bananarama creation that we blogged here earlier in the week. We managed to avoid posting any lyrics, but that infernal song has been stuck in our heads for days*. And it’s a cover! Of all the songs Bananarama could have picked to plagiarise…

Anyway, that reminder of everything that was wrong with 1980s music bundled up into one abhorrent noise does lead nicely onto today’s creation. Because it really ain’t what you do, it’s the way that do you it.

Tommy ñ‘s micro-scale racing car may only be made from a few pieces, but it’s a startlingly effective design. Tommy has also photographed his model beautifully – as you can see above – and the result demonstrates wonderfully how you don’t need a million pieces to create something that could appear here.

You can check out more of Tommy’s micro-scale racing car, and his other small-scale vehicles, at his Flickr photostream – click the link above to make the jump.

*Because we’re suffering you have to too.

Not a product of the Morris Garages car builders but a Formula 1 racing car with a body made from lightweight magnesium. This car is yet another fascinating piece of auto-racing history from Greg_998 on Flickr. In the late 1960s Honda saved 80kg from the weight of their previous F-1 car by giving its body a magnesium shell, instead of an aluminium one.

This author fondly remembers setting fire to strips of magnesium in chemistry lessons, something which is now probably banned under Elf & Safety. Magnesium burns at roughly 3,100°C, making it great for things such as distress flares, sparklers on bonfire night and those things that Boy Scouts start fires with. Tragically these properties make it an incredibly dangerous material to have built a car from if it crashes and catches fire. You can see more images of this unusual car and read a full history by following this link to Greg’s Photostream.

Red has produced a monster-sized vintage racing car. Loosely based on a 1932 Alfa Romeo, this car has the aerodynamic streamlining that was all the fashion at the time smooth built in bricks. It also features working steering and an engine that uses so many ray-guns as greebles that it could almost be part of sci-fi SHIPtember.

Red has included multiple views in his uploads but we really liked the straight profile shots, which are an unusual way to present a MOC. Click this link to Flickr to more views and under the bonnet or click this link to hear the song that we stole today’s title from. Meanwhile, here’s the left profile:

Only the toughest, most elite* of TLCB Elves is sent foraging in MOCpages nowadays.  “Bonk, Smash, Thud” isn’t just the noise of MOCpages breaking again, it’s also the sound of malnourished Elves collapsing with hunger.  It’s hard to find good Lego vehicles and get Smarties to eat when the site crashes for so long, so relatively regularly.  MOCpages has been the spiritual Lego home for many top quality builders over many years.  Sadly, more and more builders have become inactive there and fled to other websites.  However, there are still gems to found on the ‘pages.

A case in point are the cars built by Rene Scheruebl.  Rene’s latest vehicles are in the Lego Speed Champions, 6-wide scale.  They include a Mercedes 190 Evo, an Audi 200 V8 and the BMW M3 Sport Evolution featured here.  Building these cars must require very steady hands, as they all feature tiny decals and neatly painted stripes.  Whilst the techniques might offend purists, the results are impressive and well worth a visit to Rene’s MOCpages account; if the website happens to be working…

*Fattest actually.  The low chance of meal tokens is a good way to sneakily put them on a diet.

The finest brick-built livery ever? If not it’s a sure top three. This brilliant Iveco Scuderia Ferrari transporter from the 2008 F1 season is the work of Ryan Link of Flickr, and it has some of the most intricate brick-work we’ve ever seen. The whole truck opens up too, with a double-deck car ramp, sliding tool storage and a flip-up awning. See more via the link above.

Flickr’s Manuel Nascimento has appeared here at The Lego Car Blog before with his utterly spellbinding Lego Technic Porsche 919 Le Mans LMP1 racer. This is his latest iteration of the race winning hybrid endurance car, now updated to 2016 specification.

Pictured here alongside the 2015 edition, Manuel’s update retains the full Power Functions remote control drive and steering, LED lights and working functions of the earlier model, but updates the bodywork and livery to match the 2016 race-winner.

There’s more to see of Manuel’s incredible creation at his Flickr album, where you can also find a link to a video demonstrating the Porsche 919 LMP1’s features.

Lego Porsche building legend Malte Dorowski continues his run of incredible Stuttgart supercars. This, his latest, is one of the most fearsome; the Porsche 911 RSR, and Malte has built and photographed his Lego replica absolutely beautifully.

Some of the finest Lego models of any type, Malte’s Porsches are really worth a closer look, and you can do so on Flickr at the link above, where you can also find a link to Malte’s LEGO Ideas page where he hopes his Porsche design will gain enough support to become an official LEGO set. And we do too.

This stunning Mercedes-Benz AMG C63 DTM racing car was discovered on Eurobricks, and it’s one of the most original Technic Supercars we’ve published in ages. Underneath the brilliant bodywork, complete with wonderfully authentic decals, is a wealth of superb mechanical engineering, including a paddle-shift operated 4-speed gearbox, a miniaturised working V8 engine, independent suspension on all wheels, and working steering.

Builder Brunojj1 hasn’t stopped there though as he’s constructed a matching AMG C63, replacing the mechanical goodies with a Power Functions remote control drivetrain and LED lights. Drive is delivered by a combination of an XL Motor and an L Motor, geared to match one another, with a Servo powering the steering. There’s loads more to see of both models, including a of each, at the Eurobricks discussion forum. Click the link above to join the race.

The money theme continues today with this, newcomer Dugald Cameron’s incredible Aston Martin Vantage GT3 racer. Constructed from many of the parts in LEGO’s 42056 Porsche 911 GT3 set (and putting them to considerably better use), Dugald’s GT3 is a seriously beautiful build. Plus it’s orange, and we like orange.

Underneath that retina-searing bodywork is a full remote control drivetrain, with two XL Motors powering the wheels, a Servo controlling the steering (and linked the steering wheel), plus a Medium Motor driving the sequential transmission. A V12 piston engine sits up front, whilst a mechanically adjustable rear wing is mounted at the back, and the cockpit in-between features a fully adjustable driving position with a tilting steering wheel, pedals with feedback, and a sliding racing seat.

The suspension on all four corners is fully independent, with torsion and sway bars, plus a trick air-jack system powered by an on-board compressors is fitted to allow for quick pit stops.

The complete model is one of the most impressive we’ve seen this year, and the entire build process has been catalogued on both Eurobricks and Flickr, showing both the steps taken to create the Vantage GT3 and the brilliant engineering within it.

You can see the full gallery of images at the Aston Martin Vantage GT3 Flickr album, and you can read about the build process by flicking through the Eurobricks discussion that charted it by clicking here.

This is an ultra-rare Ferrari F40 GT, built from 1991-92 to take Ferrari back into endurance racing. Just seven GT’s were built, each featuring a stripped-out interior, fixed perspex headlights (replacing the pop-up units fitted to the road car) and an engine upgrade to the tune of near 600bhp. That upgrade actually included a restrictor to limit the power produced by the twin-turbo V8 in order for it to meet national championship regulations, the full-fat LM version was rumoured to produce over 900bhp in qualifying trim…

This superb recreation of the 1991 Shell-liveried racer comes from Flickr’s Nuno Taborda, and much like the real F40 GT it’s based on the production version, in this case LEGO’s excellent 10248 Creator set. Nuno has upgraded the set’s bodywork and interior to GT specification, and re-liveried the car in Shell’s iconic white, red and yellow sponsorship.

There’s lots more to see of Nuno’s 10248 modification at his Flickr photostream – click the link above to go GT racing circa 1991.

After a few years in some decidedly un-Ferrari-esque positions, Scuderia Ferrari are now back at the sharp end of Formula 1. Whether or not you’re a fan of the prancing horse, it is most definitely a Good Thing that F1 finally has a challenger to Mercedes-AMG.

This is the car that has returned Ferrari to the top step of the podium, the beautiful SF70H. With the aero rules relaxed a bit this year F1’s designers finally have a bit more freedom to create some interesting shapes, in doing so adding variety both to the grid and to the race results. The door has barely shut behind Bernie Ecclestone on his way out and the sport is already more interesting.

This wonderful Lego replica of the 2017 Scuderia Ferrari Formula 1 car comes from previous bloggee Noah_L, one half of the duo ‘LegoBuilders’, and he’s recreated the complicated aero-channelling shape beautifully in brick form. The car also features removable front and rear wings and engine cover, under which is an accurate V6-Hybrid power-plant.

There’s are lots more stunning images to see at the Ferrari SF70H album at Noah’s photostream – make the jump via the link in the text above – and you can see the model on MOCpages by clicking here.

As detailed in yesterday’s post, Ferrari are back on top after a few years in middle of the F1 pack, but there was a time when they barely won anything. And not because they had a bad car either.

Ferrari (and everyone else’s) woe was due to the utter dominance of one car, the pioneering Lotus 79, the first car to make full use of ground effect aerodynamics.

The first Formula 1 car designed using computer design aids, Lotus took downforce to an entirely new level, with the 79 producing 30% more of it than even their own car from the previous year. The suction generated by the 79 at speed was so strong that early cars suffered chassis fatigue and had to be strengthened to allow them to cope with race distances.

The strengthening worked, and the cars went even faster in setting. Upon the 79’s debut at the 1978 Belgium Grand Prix Mario Andretti took pole by over a second, and won the race ahead of the next Lotus in second place by ten seconds, with Ferrari in third almost half a minute behind. In fact, so fast were the new Lotuses that Ferrari could only win if the 79s retired.

Lotus finished the season with 50% more points than the next nearest team, securing the 79’s position amongst Formula 1’s most dominant ever designs.

This spectacular homage to one of Formula 1’s greats is the work of previous bloggee and TLCB Master MOCer Luca Rusconi aka RoscoPC. Built eleven years ago, Luca has recently uploaded his model to Flickr, and despite its age Luca’s 79 is still one of the finest Lego F1 replicas you’ll see. Accurate decals, a working V8 engine, steering and suspension are all included, and there’s lots more to see at Luca’s Lotus 79 Flickr album by clicking here.

It’s time for some history here at TLCB, because we are – at heart – complete nerds.

The world’s first purpose-built racetrack (or what’s left of it) lies not far from TLCB Towers. The Brooklands race circuit opened in 1907, built partly for manufacturers of the newly emerging auto-industry to test their cars, and partly because driving really quickly is bloody good fun.

Measuring just under 3 miles long the Brooklands track was built from uncoated concrete banking, which in places reached 30ft high, and was simply unimaginably steep, far steeper than any modern banked circuit. With no safety barrier at the top and cars routinely getting airborne over the bumpy concrete the spectacle was incredible, and crowds topped a quarter of a million in the circuit’s hay-day.

The outbreak of the First World War saw Brooklands requisitioned by the War Office, as the site also included an aerodrome, becoming the UK’s largest aircraft manufacturing centre by 1918. The end of the war saw motor racing return the the track, alongside the continuation of aircraft manufacturing, but when Hitler decided that Germany hadn’t quite finished with Europe yet motor racing at the track ceased for good.

During the Second World War the Brooklands site became the hub of Hawker fighter and Wellington bomber manufacturing, amongst other aircraft, and the track’s survival as a piece of British heritage sadly, but necessarily, came second to the war effort. Trees were planted on the track to disguise it from German bombers, and whole sections ripped up to expand the runways.

By the end of the war the track was in a poor state, and the site was sold to Vickers-Armstrong to continue operations as an aircraft factory, at one time laying claim to being the largest aircraft hanger in the world. However as the UK’s aircraft manufacturing industry declined the Brooklands site was gradually sold off, becoming a business park, a supermarket, and the Mercedes-Benz World driving instruction track.

Today not much of the original circuit remains, but what does is managed by the Brooklands Museum, who are endeavouring to preserve possibly the most important motor racing, aeronautical and war-time manufacturing site in the world. A recent heritage grant aims to return both the aero-buildings and the famous Finishing Straight to their former glory, and a section of the incredible concrete banking is still standing. You can even take a car on it if you’re feeling brave.

If you’re in the UK and you get the chance to visit the Brooklands Museum we highly recommend it, but for our readers further afield you can get an idea of the insanity of the vintage racing that once took place there courtesy of this lovely scene recreating Brooklands circa-1935 by Flickr’s Redfern. There’s more to see of his 1930s Maserati, its racing counterpart, and his wonderfully recreated Brooklands banking his photostream. Click the link above to step back in time.

This instantly recognisable Chevrolet Corvette C7R race car was discovered by one of our Elven workforce on Brickshelf today. It’s been built by gtahelper and it’s a superbly accurate 1:20 scale recreation of the GT3 contender. See more at the Brickshelf album via the link above.

This remarkably neat 6-wide muscle car by Angka Utama hides a cunning secret beneath its exterior curves.* Yes, underneath the white bodywork is another complete car, and it’s equally neat too. There’s more to see of Angka’s ingenious creation/creations on both Flickr and MOCpages – take a look via the links.

*Make your own joke.