The reality of putting together a winning endurance car isn’t a simple one, but it looks like LEGO is making the task (relatively) easier with the LEGO TECHNIC 24 Hours Race Car, a new set in the toymaker’s more advanced series that simulates complex engineering as much as tiny plastic bits will allow.
The 1,219-piece set emulates the closed cockpit designs of modern Le Mans Prototype-class of endurance vehicles to details that would hold up to some heavy scrutineering. The eight-cylinder engine even has functioning pistons and is stored under an engine cover that tilts open similarly to the real thing.
In this YouTube video, the poster got his hands on the endurance car set and went to task documenting the unboxing, going through the assembly process, and giving an estimated build time of three and a half hours.
Other functions like a fully independent suspension and a pair of gullwing-like doors that open with the turn of a crank make the finished product something you want to fiddle with rather than let sit on a shelf as decoration. As an added bonus, once you’ve mastered putting together the race car of your dreams, you can pull it all apart and take a shot at assembling the B-model, an off-roader that looks set for a mini Dakar Rally in your backyard.
This would’ve made a phenomenal holiday gift for the racer fan in your life, but this kit is slated to drop as part of next year’s product lineup. If you haven’t sat down with a LEGO set in a while, let alone anything from the TECHNIC line, you might feel like you’ll need your own pit crew to make sense of it all. Remember to think like your favorite endurance race driver: be patient, and prepare to take all night to finish.
