Lego's new Porsche 911 GT3 RS set is gorgeous, desirable and not a little bit scary — which sums up actual car quite well. Three years in the making, the intimidating set joins the Danish toymaker's Technic line, highly complex model kits whose parts number in the thousands. View image of Lego Technic Porsche 911 GT3 RS Within the Lego Porsche's black box lurks 2,704 pieces (an impressive figure, but still a fair bit shy of the company's 5,195-piece Millennium Falcon kit). But the scope of the project is only part of the set's allure: with the GT3 RS set, Lego is emphasizing not just the parts and their 1:8-scale sum, but the experience of putting it all together. The company worked with Porsche to replicate the build process for an actual GT3 RS, allowing Lego builders to follow Stuttgart's actual production sequence as closely as possible. The kit includes an inch-thick instruction manual which, says Lego Technic senior design manager Andrew Woodman, "is more like a coffee table book or an exclusive book" than a build tutorial.
It includes not only step-by-step assembly instructions for the set, but tandem design and engineering backstories for Porsche's actual 911 GT3 RS.Lego being Lego, the RS is meant to be touched. The doors open and close, as does the engine-compartment and front lids. There's a fully adjustable wing at the rear, and a gear bag in the boot. And what's under the skin is at least as impressive as the lava orange exterior. Designer Uwe Wabra has created a Lego-ised four-speed version of Porsche's PDK dual-clutch transmission, complete with rubber-band-tensioned paddle shifters and a drive selector with forward and reverse settings. And of course, the gearbox meets a horizontally opposed six-cylinder engine with moving pistons. The steering works, too, and the wheels attach to fully articulated suspension hardware, complete with racy red dampers. View image of Porsche 911 GT3 RS Despite its enormity, the set features only seven new pieces, including two minor body parts, a couple of internal bits, RS-emblem wheelhubs and set-exclusive black wheels.
There's also tiny glovebox plaque with a laser-engraved serial number — digits which, says Lego, will unlock some special Web content for the car's owner.No surprise, Lego's take on Porsche's 500-horsepower, £130,000 racecar for the road is intended for mature audiences, and it won't come cheaply. When it goes on sale on 1 June, the Technic GT3 RS set will command a cool $300 in the US, $350 in Canada and £250 in the UK. Have a look at Andrew Woodman's video tour of the car below. View image of This video is no longer available If you would like to comment on this or anything else you have seen on BBC Autos, head over to our Facebook page or message us on Twitter. features newsletter, called “If You Only Read 6 Things This Week”. A handpicked selection of stories from BBC Autos, Future, Earth, Culture, Capital and Travel, delivered to your inbox every Friday.Over the last couple of decades or so, Lego's been producing quite a few supercar kits under its 'Technic' line.
It originally began with fictional vehicles, but the toy manufacturer's now been in the habit of producing Technic kits based on licensed car models (with perhaps the coolest being the 1:8 scale Ferrari F1 car). Now, however, Lego's got the rights to sell Porsche-based kits, and it's kicking proceedings off with this 991 GT3 RS-themed set that's just gone on sale in the United States for a whopping $299.99. Even though it may not be the best Lego Technic kit that's ever been produced (as Pawel 'Sariel' Kmiec states in his review on Sariel's LEGO Workshop, there are a few areas where the set lets itself down), there's no denying it's got some pretty cool little details. The flat-six motor, for instance, is lovingly recreated in Lego form (and, as in real life, it's impossible to see clearly when it's stuffed in the back), there's all-round independent suspension, the trunk has its own dedicated luggage set and you can even open and close the glove box. Oh, and the set is friggin' huge!
As we said earlier, there are some issues with the kit. Some bits aren't perhaps as securely assembled as they should be, for instance, and a fair bit of fiddling is required in order to fit an electric motor in the chassis. Perhaps the biggest bugbear of all, however, is the much-publicized four-speed sequential transmission - not only is it hugely complicated, but the 'box doesn't actually change gears that smoothly (plus, when it does engage a gear, it's horribly clunky). Still, the bits where Lego's knocked the ball out of the park in the 991 GT3 RS kit are truly great - so, if you've the money to splash on a kit as pricey as this and plan on using it as a shelf-based show-off piece, then by all means go ahead.Over the past week we’ve been building the LEGO Porsche 911 GT3 RS, a masterpiece in top-level building-blocks construction. This set is 2,704 pieces large, and it’s going to take you a few hours to construct, regardless of your skill level. This is the sort of set you put together in your spare moments – or something you spend an entire weekend on.
Either way, you’ll find this vehicle ending up filling up your desk at 6” (17cm) high, 22” (57cm) long and 9” (25cm) wide. Welcome to Father’s Day. Or a rather late Mother’s Day. Either way, you’re looking at the ideal gift for any lover of fine vehicles, especially if they like the idea of building said cars from the ground up. Building this vehicle with LEGO Technic pieces over the course of several days gave me a greater appreciation for the intense scrutiny with which every single piece is placed. This does not feel like Jabba’s Sail Barge or even the much more massive MetalBeard’s Sea Cow. This set is no longer just a toy. Instead, the LEGO Porsche 911 GT3 RS is a masterpiece of design engineering and graphic design. Not only in the work put into the model itself, but the box it comes in. LEGO and Porsche let loose nothing less than their best with this build. Just as impressive as the box is the novel this set comes with. While you might recognize the pages as LEGO instructions, the introduction and in-between chapters tell the story of the vehicle and the set, as well as the process LEGO went through with Porsche AG to make this model a reality.
During intensive working phases we worked out the elements and details of the car and perfected them.” “The final step was the approval by Porsche.” This vehicle is not just made from off-the-shelf LEGO parts. You’ll find a number of pieces made custom for this project – including pieces in the rims and a unique piece with serial number for each individual car – almost as if each vehicle had its own VIN number. Each serial number can be entered online with LEGO for a unique certificate of ownership (which you can print yourself) and a series of LEGO Technic Porsche 911 GT3 RS wallpapers. Above you’ll see the certificate itself alongside one of the many wallpapers (a clipping of one, that is). “One of the biggest challenges for us laid in designing an element that works on the 911 GT3 RS, but also in general with all others LEGO Technic elements,” said Woodman. “Furthermore something that could work in our system for years to come.”
“It was important to integrate as many of the advanced technical functionalities from the real 911 GT3 RS as we could,” said Wabra. “The steering and suspension were difficult enough, but our biggest challenge was the creation of the functioning double-clutch transmission with gearshift paddles.” This 1:8 scale model works with the following features: • Red suspension springs • Original-design rims with RS emblem • Adjustable rear spoiler • Detailed brake calipers • Working steering wheel with gearshift paddles • Glove compartment with unique model serial number • Opening hood with removable suitcase • Opening rear lid* * Under the rear lid you’ll find the vehicle’s moving flat 6 engine. When the stick is in gear, gears engage and the motor moves. When the stick is in neutral, the car’s wheels still move, but the engine does not. Needless to say, the final product – and building the model – is extremely rewarding for the builder.