Ford’s Le Mans victories in Lego blocks
The iconic Ford GT40 and new Ford GT that won Le Mans 24 Hours in 1966 and 2016 are being brought to life in the form of Legos.
The new Lego Speed Champions set will include both cars as well as racing driver mini-figures, a chequered flag and even a trophy to make it easy to recreate those history-making victories.
“Many people in my team grew up with the legend of Ford’s history-making 1966 victory. Now later generation get to share in the excitement and design the vehicles with Legos, said Global Director of Ford Performance, Dave Pericak.
“This kit is a powerful way to tell our Le Mans story, and will hopefully inspire the race drivers, engineers, and designers of the future.”
Ford won at Le Mans earlier this year after returning to the scene of what was a historic 1-2-3 clean sweep 50 years previously. The Lego Group worked closely with Ford’s design and licensing teams on every detail of the 1966 winning car, and the new Ford GT race car.
“This was a dream project, with a lot of pressure. The Ford GT40 is one of the most iconic race cars of all time, and the new Ford GT is just incredible,” said Head of Design at Lego Speed Champions, Craig Callum.
“Designed for children, but with grown-up fans in mind, we know these models will be closely scrutinised for authenticity.”
Callum, who in his spare time races a Ford Model A hot-rod, and started out as a designer of full-sized cars, helped develop 10 prototypes before the final versions of each model were selected, all created from existing Lego bricks.
Watch Callum assemble the new kit in record time here:
Le Mans 2016 race win:
The number 68 Ford GT of Sébastien Bourdais (France), Joey Hand (USA) and Dirk Müller (Germany) crossed the finish line as the winner in the GTE-Pro class of the 2016 Le Mans 24 Hours.
Le Mans 1966 podium sweep:
The number 2 Ford GT40 Mark II driven by New Zealanders Bruce McLaren and Chris Amon took the first place at Le Mans in 1966, leading a Ford clean sweep of the three podium positions. The 1966 race was Ford’s first ever win at Le Mans, and the first of four successive victories at the iconic endurance race.
The 2016 Ford GT:
The ultra-high-performance Ford GT supercar is the most advanced Ford production vehicle ever, featuring the latest in lightweighting, aerodynamics and EcoBoost engine technology, an innovation showcase for the Ford brand.
The 1966 Ford GT40 Mark II:
The Ford GT40 Mark II featured a lightweight aluminium chassis, rear-wheel drive and a 7.0-litre Ford V8 engine. The car was named the GT (Grand Touring) with the 40 representing its height at the top of the windscreen in inches.
