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We count down the very best Lego car sets available. There’s vintage cars, race cars, film classics, and more.
Peanut butter and chocolate, cake and ice cream, the dynamic combination of comedy and kung-fu that was Chris Tucker and Jackie Chan in the Rush Hour film series; some things just work perfectly together. So it is with Legos and cars. The demographic overlap is uncanny.
Skeptical? Consider for a moment. Lego enthusiasts love to tinker, so do car lovers. Lego folks lover to customize and build off of sets, allowing their imaginations to guide them. Car customization can go from factory upgrades all the way to wacky aftermarket add-ons and total restomod rebuilds. Lego sets are collectable, so are cars.
Lego clearly understands the strong overlap between car lovers and Lego lovers. They have a long line of car sets featuring some of the world’s most iconic rides, including the likes of Porsche, Ford, and VW. Below is our countdown of the best-of-the-best current car sets available from Lego.
10 – McLaren Senna
The smallest set on our list, the McLaren Senna maybe tiny but it’s still large on fun. It’s got rubber tires, removable rims, and a big rear spoiler. The set also comes with a mini-figure and a wind tunnel fan for some R&D work on the aero. This set maybe small, but Lego also made a one-of life size version.
9 – Chevy Corvette ZR1 (Technic)
Most of us would have been satisfied with this orange and black speedster and its hefty V-8 engine (including moving pistons). But this set is a 2-for-1 that also converts into a Chevy Hot Rod. The Corvette has some neat details like the quad exhaust pipes and giant wing. The Hot Rod has an open engine bay for a great view of that V-8. Both of these beefy configurations put the muscle in muscle car.
8 – Ferrari Ultimate Garage
With its deep racing roots, its no surprise Ferrari gets the “Ultimate Garage.” This set showcases not one but three classic Ferraris: the Ferrari 250 GTO, the Ferrari 488 GTE, and the legendary Ferrari 312 T4. But the set isn’t done with just the cars. There’s also a garage section with a lift, a trophy room (natch), a vintage gas pump and tool rack, and even a section of rack track. The seven mini-figures include three drivers, a mechanic, a photographer, a reporter, and a race marshal with a checkered flag.
7 – Mach Anthem (Technic)
Like the Corvette, this set is a 2-for-1. Unlike the Corvette, Ferrari, or McLaren, this set isn’t about fun, speedy sports cars. Instead, with the Mack Anthem set there’s serious work to be done, and not just because it’s a colossal 2595 pieces. The Mack Anthem’s primary configuration is just that, a Mack semi-truck complete with trailer, outrigger and 2 crane-arms, and a shipping container. But that’s only half of this dynamic set. The other build is a Mack LR garbage truck featuring forks, a dumpster, and bin. Our favorite detail of the set is the little bulldog hood ornament.
6 – Volkswagen T1 Camper Van
There are few vehicles more iconic than the VW bus. Lego’s version of the 1962 T1 camper van includes loads of evocative details. It’s got the pop-up camper roof, spherical speedometer, round roof paneling and, most importantly, the V shaped color split front paneling. The interior sports a folding table, closet, and a personal favorite, the plaid print cloth curtains. The VW camper also features a boxer engine and white-wall tires. The VW camper van makes our list not just due to its classic car pedigree but its level of detail. And yes, the camper roof moves.
5 – Porsche 911 RSR (Technic)
Porsche’s premier race car gets the Technic treatment here. The state-of-the-art aerodynamics start in the rear with an absolutely huge wing on “swan-neck” mounts and ends up front with a super low chin spoiler on the nose of the car. The cockpit has some really neat touches like a fire extinguisher system and a track map of Leguna Seca raceway. A set highlight is the six-cylinder boxer engine positioned just ahead of the rear axle.
4 – Land Rover Defender (Technic)
This kit debuted last month to coincide with the new Defender debuted at the Frankfurt Auto Show. Faithful to its real life analogue, the Defender Lego set includes an inline 6-cylinder engine with moving pistons, a front winch, and high-articulation independent suspension. The Defender boasts what Lego calls its “most sophisticated Lego Technic gearbox to date” with 2 levers for low and high gears. Obviously, this off-roader has all-wheel drive and a total of 3 working differentials. A favorite feature is the large single piece that makes up the flared fenders. On both the Lego and real-world versions this bit of styling accentuates the stout, “planted” look of the Defender.
3 – Aston Martin DB5
We can endlessly debate whether Sean Connery or Daniel Craig are the greatest Bond to ever Bond, James Bond (sorry, Roger Moore fans, but no, just … no). But what’s not in dispute is whether the DB5 is the ultimate Bond car. Lego’s set stays true to the super spy original with all the best baddie busting gadgets. There’s the bullet-proof rear shield, the flipping license plates, the hidden machine guns (revealed by pulling on the gear stick), and the wheel mounted “tyre scythes.” But perhaps most important of all is the working ejector seat.
2 – Bugatti Chiron (Technic)
Before the Chiron reached a historic 300mph, it was already immortalized in one of Lego’s most complex and ingenious sets (3599 pieces). The Chiron is the world’s greatest supercar and also the greatest supercar Lego set. It’s got the Chiron’s active rear wing, disc brakes, and that W16 engine with moving pistons. But the real eye-popper is the rest of the powertrain including the 8-speed gearbox and open differentials. The Chiron Technic set is designed to a 1:8 scale to the original machine. But Lego likes to go big with its little bricks and may have outdone themselves with a 1:1 scale version, that actually drives! That’s right, the life-size Lego Chiron runs under its own power, that of Lego Technic Power Function motors.
1 – Ford Mustang
The Bugatti might have the complexity, the VW Camper van might have the charm (those curtains!), but the Ford Mustang Lego set has the cool. Based on the classic 1967 GT, this set high watermark for design. And considering these are standard Legos and not Technics, the level of detail achieved here is staggering. The hood scoop, the iconic Mustang grill, even the fastback sloping roof line and ducktail spoiler are here. But Lego wasn’t done. They toss in a nitrous oxide tank in the trunk, an optional supercharger, and “beefy” exhaust piping. Even the engine bay is well rendered with air intake, battery coils, timing belt, battery with positive and negative charge ports, all surrounding that burly 390 big block V-8. This classic of American muscle is without question a classic among Lego cars.
Honorable Mentions
Not every cool Lego car made it to our list, but here are a few we thought you’d want to know about.
Hopper’s Chevy Blazer from the Stranger Things “The Upside Down”
Demogorgon be darned! Hopper’s vintage Chevy Blazer gets the Lego treatment in this set complete with off-road tires, a prisoner cage, and a suspicious looking pumpkin.
Volkswagen Beetle
Another automotive classic, the Beetle has all sorts of “1960s details.” It comes as a convertible or a hard top with a roof-rack including a surfboard and cooler. It’s also got a 4-cylinder engine and five sets of license plates.
The Flinstones’ Car
No Flintstones set would be complete without Fred’s car. It’s got the steamroller wheels, a cloth canopy, and an attachable dinosaur rib.
Got a favorite Lego car or built your own? Tell us about it in the comments.
