The history of LEGO Speedchampions

Lego Speed ​​Champions is a car racing-inspired theme of Lego building sets that was first released in 2015. It features classic and modern styles from well-known car brands.

Overview

The Lego Speed ​​Champions product line focuses on classic and modern styles from well-known car brands. The series included Ferrari, McLaren and Porsche models in the initial release. 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 is the centerpiece of a 2019 expansion for the open-world racing video game Forza Horizon 4.

In 2022, The Lego Group stated that the theme is an 18+ (18 years and older) theme that does not carry the 18+ label.

In April 2022, The Lego Group built a life-size replica of the 1970 Ferrari 512 M containing 78,496 Lego pieces. The Lego Group also built a life-size replica of the Ferrari F40 using 358,000 Lego pieces and placed it in front of Legoland California.

Development

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 larger scale has allowed us to develop a new strategy, which is essentially tantamount to forgetting the age. on the box! We want to provide unique building experiences that educate younger builders while being appreciated by older builders. That's how we approach every model, because there is no age limit for car enthusiasts, so we can keep older and modern We focus exclusively on car enthusiasts of all ages." and continued: "The small size of the Speed ​​Champions cars doesn't mean they have to be easy to build either. We've described the series as 'mini Creator Expert' and that's honestly how we approach each set. We're adding as much as possible details as possible and always aim for the utmost accuracy so that hopefully people get a Creator Expert or 18+ experience, at a much lower price than those themes. Something I've noticed is the different expectations and reception from fans for larger models, such as Modular Buildings or UCS sets, compared to smaller models. My goal is always to narrow the gap between sets of different scales and convey the same experience as much larger sets, at one-tenth the size ."

Discussing a 1x2 tile with no printing, Chris Stamp explained , "We tried that, but the headlights looked too narrow with red tiles and we always prioritize attention to detail. Additionally, when developing the elements, we don't know always the quality of the final print, so there is sometimes a discrepancy between how we want the product and the production capacity." and continued: "Actually, between 2020 and 2021 there was a small change in the cockpit print, where small holes appeared along the folds of the elements. The production introduced these holes due to the need to guarantee a certain level of quality. I did not I've seen some discussion about that online, but it's something we're looking into internally."

Discussing the introduction of film-inspired cars, Chris Stamp explained: “Looking back at the development and direction of Speed ​​Champions, we have already expanded into vehicles beyond supercars, including the John Cooper Works buggy, Lamborghini Urus and the Ford Bronco Dakar racer. Essentially, the theme's identity consists of collectible, IP-controlled vehicles with eight studs that are all to scale when displayed together. There are really no limits to what we can do, as long as they meet those flexible parameters ." and continued, "On a personal level, I'm a big movie fan, so I've been busy creating these vehicles for the past three years. Plus, not everyone who loves cars is interested in racing, so introducing some recognizable cinematic vehicles felt completely natural to me. Expanding the appeal of the theme, without losing what we've already built, is never a bad thing."

Launch

The Lego Speed ​​Champions theme was launched on March 1, 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 contained different racing cars such as Ferrari, McLaren, Mercedes and Porsche. The sets are mainly designed for children from 7 to 14 years old.

Construction sets

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.

In 2017, the Lego Speed ​​Champions theme returned to Formula 1 cars from Ferrari and the championship-winning Mercedes AMG Petronas team.

In 2018, the theme included more Ferrari and Porsche racing cars, including the car that held the Nürburgring lap record, the Porsche 919 Hybrid. The line also included a 1967 Ford Mustang. However, no new brands were added.

The theme returned for 2019, with a new focus on including new brands in the collection: Dodge and Mini.

In late 2019, Design Lead Chris Stamp announced that all 2020+ Speed ​​Champions sets would be scaled up to 8 studs wide from the previous standard of 6, to focus on accuracy. Chris Stamp explained: "I've been with Speed ​​Champions since the beginning. I developed the concept in 2014 for the 2015 launch, created four of the seven products for that launch, was the sole designer for the 2016 launch and developed then many of the concept models for the third launch when I went on to work on NINJAGO and then The LEGO NINJAGO Movie.” and continued: "Then I came back for this launch, as Design Lead for 2019, so I could map out what the range was. There were a few cars that we knew straight away that we wanted, we knew we wanted the Mini because we had been in discussions for a while with Mini, the McLaren that we wanted, because I had already seen the Senna three years ago when it was still a clay model. Going back to the Speed ​​Champions theme, it was actually quite a rushed process, we didn't really have time to start all this exploration."

The 2020 sets include a Lamborghini Huracan Super Trofeo and Nissan GTR Nismo, as well as introduced Formula E and Jaguar electric vehicles. Prices also rose with the shift in scale.

In January 2020, a polybag set of the Lamborghini Huracan Super Trofeo was released. Two more sets followed at the beginning of 2021, McLaren Elva and Aston Martin Valkyrie AMR Pro.

In June 2021, six Lego Speed ​​Champions sets were postponed until the summer, causing speculation among fans that the theme had been canceled. The range includes a 1970 Dodge Charger T/A, Top Fuel Dragster, Toyota Supra, Corvette C8.R and Koenigsegg Jesko.

In March 2022, the collection was expanded with 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.

In June 2022, two 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 released on August 1, 2022. The James Bond Aston Martin DB5 set consists of 298 parts and 1 James Bond minifigure. Including multiple license plates to exchange. The Aston Martin DB5 set does not include any gadgets. Dominic Toretto's 1970 Dodge Charger R/T set consists of 345 parts and 1 Dominic Toretto minifigure. Chris Stamp commented on the new sub-theme 'Iconic Movie and TV Vehicles' saying: "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. While I'm inclined to think that it's essentially a collection of vehicles, but that's not all it could be! If fans can get a good look at these iconic film and TV vehicles and the sets received, then we will probably add more to the collection."

In January 2023, a new set was released called Brian O'Conner's 2 Fast 2 Furious Nissan Skyline GTR (R34), based on the 2 Fast 2 Furious movie. The set consists of 319 parts and 1 minifigure of Brian O'Conner. Chris Stamp commented on the 2 Fast 2 Furious Nissan Skyline GTR (R34) set by saying: “I want to emphasize that the Speed ​​Champions series for movies and television will not be the Fast & Furious series! We want to pick the most iconic subjects and there could probably be three or four from Fast and Furious, but it was only incidentally that two of our first three movie vehicles are from the same franchise. Universal was great to work with and it's also the 20th anniversary of 2 Fast 2 Furious in 2023, so the Nissan Skyline was the perfect choice.” Chris Stamp also announced that Speed ​​Champions sets would include printed seats, explaining: “We included 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 gray, but the interior as well, so we tried to capture that as well ."

In January 2023, it was announced that four new sets named Ferrari 812 Competizione, Pagani Utopia, Porsche 963 and McLaren Solus GT & McLaren F1 LM would be released on March 1, 2023. Discussing a Plate Special 1 x 1 x ⅔ Half Circle with Stud on Side, Chris Stamp explained: "This is an element that has been on our bucket list for a few years" , and continued: "We don't actually have anything like this unless you have a Erling [1×1 headlight brick] sideways on his back. With this new brick you can get a side post on two slabs high in a 1 x 1 module space."

Discussing the 6x12x1 1/3 chassis and 2x4x2 fender, Chris Stamp explained: 'These two elements combined we can make the cars even lower and closer to the wheels, as you can see on 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 respond to it."

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 said : “As 2023 marks the 60th anniversary of McLaren and our founder's passion for creating the ultimate supercars, we felt this was the perfect opportunity to come together with the LEGO Group and some of celebrating the iconic McLaren road cars whose designs were born from that vision,” and continued: “Together with LEGO Speed ​​Champions, we've created our first ever McLaren double pack, featuring the iconic McLaren F1 LM and our latest track-focused hypercar, the Solus GT, of which only 25 will be made. sold to customers and was originally created as a concept car for a video game. Whatever age you are, you can have fun building and exploring the cars and in doing so 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. ”

List of LEGO Speedchampions sets

YEAR	NAME	NUMBER	SET#
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 Competition	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