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Who do you think is the largest tire manufacturer in the world? Goodyear, Michelin or maybe even Continental? No, far from it - it's LEGO! The long-established Danish company sold over 500 million tires last year, putting it in first place. Secretly, LEGO has overtaken its competitors and the next strategic steps are already being planned.
LEGO's secret expansion plans
FINESTAUTOMOTIVE has taken an exclusive look at the secret strategy papers and is the first German-speaking source to report on the expansion plans. LEGO then wants to jump right into the sports car business. As a first step, a LEGO Porsche 911 GT3 RS of the 991 series was built as a test vehicle from Lego bricks.
LEGO Porsche 911 GT3 RS (991) – Le Mans @ Zuffenhausen 2016
Porsche 911 GT3 RS (991) – The original
Porsche 911 GT3 RS (991) - Essen Motor Show 2015
The direct data comparison shows the strengths of the LEGO model. Although the construction time is still quite long due to the current production in a prototype factory, the weight has been significantly reduced compared to the competition.
| LEGO Porsche 911 GT3 RS (991) | Porsche 911 GT3 RS (991) | |
| construction time | 1.955h | 100h |
| Weight | 563 kg | 1.420 kilograms (according to DIN) |
| stones / parts | 346.758 stones | 30.000 parts |
The high number of parts of the LEGO Porsche at first glance is also an advantage over the model from Zuffenhausen. The strong modular structure of the LEGO GT3 RS in many small building blocks allows for quick modification or expansion of the model. Components or upgrades can be easily installed and removed from the vehicle. For this purpose, the manufacturer provides building instructions in the typical LEGO style for download on its homepage. According to insider information, video instructions and “BuildYourOwn Porsche” events are also planned.
Angular interior, round sound
A look inside the LEGO 911 also shows the LEGO designers' attention to detail. The GT3 RS lettering is printed on the speedometer disc, analogous to the prototype, and the roll cage and gear knob are also based on the prototype and still appear angular and striking in the building block style. The seats are hard, typical of a sports car, maybe a step harder with LEGO than in the original. The 10-inch central display in the middle of the dashboard shows the silhouette of the GT3 RS and rounds off the angular interior.
The replica 6-cylinder boxer engine that fires the rear of the LEGO sports car with life has been top secret and can only be heard. The typical sound of the naturally aspirated engine when idling and when accelerating is already giving fans and customers goosebumps. The driving performance of the LEGO racer is therefore eagerly awaited. The first engine tests have already been successfully carried out with larger V8 units and our reporters were able to record them on video.
LEGO V8 engine - Stuttgart
Angular racing car on the legendary Nordschleife
The official driving presentation of the LEGO Porsche 911 GT3 RS (991) is planned on historical ground. The press was invited to the legendary Nürburgring Nordschleife to see the building block racing car in action for the first time.
In order to ensure that the journalists who had traveled there would no longer close their mouths with enthusiasm, the racing derivative of the Porsche RS 911 GT3 replica of the Porsche 911 GT3 RSR, blessed with countless championship titles. Below you can see the first shots of the racing car, some of which has already been assembled, which is also fueling speculation about a LEGO customer sports program.
Porsche 911 GT3 RSR (991) made of LEGO bricks – 24 Hours of Le Mans 2015
Customer opinions & future plans of LEGO
The first customers who were able to test a LEGO Porsche 911 GT3 RS before the official launch are absolutely thrilled. Although the seats are felt to be quite hard and according to first statements in relevant car forums it should hurt like hell if you accidentally sit on a Lego brick, but the LEGO Porsche shows its strengths especially in accidents or minor contacts on the race track. A LEGO Porsche customer can quickly and easily repair such small to medium-sized damage with a few parts from a nearby toy store.
Due to the positive response, the company has already received countless orders for the LEGO sports car, so that the first production batch is already completely sold out. Due to the high demand, LEGO is considering adding more models. The first drafts have reached the public and show a new edition of the classic Ford GT 40 and also an adaptation of the racing version of the Ford GT in the GT3 version.
Ford GT 40 made of LEGO bricks - IAA 2017 - Frankfurt
3 Ford GT GT2017 made from LEGO bricks – 24 Hours of Le Mans 2017
Everyone is eagerly awaiting the next coup from the Swedish toy factory, which we will of course be reporting exclusively on in the FINESTAUTOMOTIVE magazine.
Guest post by: Robert Light
Robert Leicht, many know him better under his pseudonym DrGumoLunatic, is an avid sports and supercar fan. With his videocam he not only captures prototypes, but also impressive videos of motor sport events and racing events. He runs his own video channel and website Autobahn speed hunter with information on motorways without speed limits.