The transmission is located between the seats. As a synchronized unit, this one does not need to be aligned to shift and can even be shifted while The photograph shows the shift lever and gate with the 6As the lever is moved through the H-shaped gate, one of the three driving rings is forced into position. Note that only one driving ring can be engaged at a time. through the center of the H returns the opposite ring to center. The driving ring is the key to everything. It slides over the which we first saw in 1993. Small tabs on the driving ring allow it to lock along these ridges, but still slide with some extraThe driving ring grips the longitudinal grooves on the axle joiner causing them to rotate together. groove in the middle of the ring allows it to be pushed along the axle joiner in either direction. A set of 4 driving dogs on either end then mate with a 16 tooth idler gear allowing the idler's rotation to be either synched with the axle or allowed to spin freely.
The animation shows how the driving rings work to engage and disengage the clutch/idler gears. The driving ring is shown in lower axles are joined with the gray axle joiner. ring rotates with the axles. At first, the driving ring is disengaged so both the dark gray and green gears are not driven and slip on the axle. The driving ring then engages the green gear thus drives the blue gear. Because the driving ring does not use rather uses four tapered driving dogs, there is considerable backlash between the driving ring and the gear. The allows the driving ring to be engaged even while it and the mating idler gear are turning The computer images are coded to show the different gears paths for each of the 6 gears. The red parts go to the engine (front or back mounted). The yellow differential is the output to theYou can see that the red axles interface with the other gears in two places: blue and green.
the red, blue, and green axles are always turning at different rates. Now let's trace each of the 4 gears starting always with the red engine axle: 1st Gear: (green ring, pink gear) 20:12 (green) x 16:16 (pink) x 16:16 (turquoise) x 20:20 (bevels) x 16:24 (final diff) = 1.11:1. 2nd Gear: (red ring, white gear) 16:16 (white) x 16:16 (orange) x 24:16 (yellow) x 20:20 (bevels) x 16:24 (final diff) = 1:1. 3rd Gear: (red ring, turquoise gear) 16:16 (turquoise) x 20:20 (bevels) x 16:24 (final diff) = 0.67:1. 4th Gear: (blue ring, orange gear) 12:20 (blue) x 16:16 (orange) x 24:16 (yellow) x 20:20 (bevels) x 16:24 (final diff) = 0.6:1. 5th Gear: (blue ring, tan gear) 12:20 (blue) x 16:16 (tan) x 16:16 (turquoise) x 20:20 (bevels) x 16:24 (final diff) = 0.4:1. Reverse: (green ring, dark gray gear) 20:12 (green) x 24:16 (dark gray) x 20:20 (bevels) x 16:16 (final diff) = -2.5:1.
Click for an animation of the The convertible top mechanism can be removed and converted to a pair ofIn this mode, a ball joint on each side is usedPushing the ball down turns a vertical crank (shownThe crank pushes the axle (shown in red) into the damper, forcing it over center. At this point, the spring slowly This mode uses many more parts than the convertible mode, nearly all the parts in the set. In the convertible mode there are a lot ofThere are not enough parts to build modules for both modes at the same time. Click for an animation of the doors opening.Welcome to the fifth instalment of our Lego car sets reviews. It’s now 1999 and Lego decided they couldn’t top the technical wonderment of 8880, so didn’t try… What we have here then, is a significant aesthetic evolution if not a technical one. This managed to do all that was expected of it and look good doing it.Finally, for the first time since 1977, a Lego car’s engine is in the right place!
It’s a V8 too, and we all like those… Like the other sub-systems on this car, the engine slots into place as a unit, a very well thought out and educative system. Pity it doesn’t make much noise, even in the lowest gear, but it does run more smoothly than 8880’s and for that we should be thankful. Steering: Works well but it lacks the secondary control of its predecessor which does prove a little awkward with some of the bodystyles. Build it as the convertible for maximum playability. One very good feature of this steering system is it’s centre-point geometry, whereby the road wheel’s pivot point passes vertically through the tyres. This makes for a much more realistic movement than any previous car – and most of those that followed, for that matter… Suspension: Wishbones all round with good travel but a penny-pinching single spring per wheel is not enough and it’s too soft. Apart from that it’s a well engineered system that doesn’t take up too much room and, although it isn’t as strong as 8880 or 8865, it is strong enough.
Don’t think it could cope with being dropped, though… Gearbox: The one area that shows a solid advance on what went before. A full five speeds plus reverse give this car the best transmission of any 20th Century set. Chassis: I do wonder if the ghost of Colin Chapman stalked Lego Towers at the time this was developed – they listened to his mantra of ‘just add lightness’. It’s a lot less bulky than any car set since 853 and, with the benefit of new bracket pieces and better building techniques, it’s stiffer than that dear old blancmange. Not as stiff as 8880, but, like a lot of things on this car, it’s good enough. A bit like a Lotus Grand Prix car that was designed to last until the end of the race and then fall to pieces, it did what it had to do. Body: As the first big set to use the new multi-faceted panels and flexi-tubing, it made good use of the new styling pieces to create a sharp-looking sports car, in any of it’s myriad configurations. This plethora of body styles, all on the same chassis, was a departure from the norm and they all looked convincing.
The convertible is my personal favourite, the cleverly contrived folding roof of which worked in much the same way as the then-new Mercedes SLK’s. The gullwing doored coupe was a hit as well, although those dampers wouldn’t survive many operations of the doors before wilting. More evidence of the cost-cutting that compromises this set, perhaps. Whatever, the body was definitely an overall success, however you fancied building it. This set stands up very well on it’s own merits. Compare it too closely to 8880, however, and it does come up short in a few areas. It’s a more ‘commercial’ set, if you like, concentrating on surface aspects more than the substance within. It also has more of a ‘built to a price’ feel than the ‘money no object – let’s stuff everything in’ 8880. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing – 8880’s four wheel steering was just wilful – but it seems a slight shame that, for the first time in this series, technical progress had stopped.