I don’t care about cars. If a car can get me from point A to point B then I like it. So when LEGO offered to send me a bunch of Speed Champions sets to review I thought to myself “I am literally the worst possible person that you could get to review these”. I also thought “Eh, why not”. And now here we are. Presenting possibly the first ever LEGO Speed Champions review from a car un-enthusiast. I’m not even going to bother googling these things I am just going in blind.
1970 Ferrari 512 M
I’m assuming that this Ferrari is from 1970, based on the name. Looking at it there’s certainly a 70s feel about it.
The weird-ass windscreen is neat and I like that it is printed rather than being one of the 5000 stickers that comes with every Speed Champions set.
I quite like the angled front. I don’t get the white spoilery thingys on the back, they don’t seem like they’d be that effective?
The livery of this car heavily features the number 4. This is great if 4 happens to be your favourite number or you are currently 4 years old.
The set comes with a single minifigure wearing a white Ferrari onesie – sorry, racesuit.
Lotus Evija
Lotus is a car brand that I know absolutely nothing about. Some brands I at least know of but Lotus? Never heard of it. “Lotus Evija” sounds like a spell from Harry Potter. “It’s Lo-Tus Ev-eee-ja” “Shut up Hermione”.
According to the LEGO product page the Lotus Evija is an all-electric hypercar. Guess that explains why it’s green!
This looks like a car that Loki would drive if they ever made a Marvel racing game, like Mario Kart but set in the MCU. I consider this a pro.
The upside down snowboard spoiler is clever parts usage.
I like the green jumpsuit on the included minifigure. It’s got some interesting stitching print.
Lamborghini Countach
I don’t know why but Countach just seems like a rude word I don’t want my kid saying. It’s like an amalgamation of moustache and the C word. Not what I would call a car, but I’m not an Italian automotive executive.
Another set with a printed windscreen. Say what you want about the Speed Champion theme but it’s got a great collection of windscreens.
I like the angles on this car, in particular the way the rear lights are done with the angles allowing for a cone piece to be used.
I think white is a boring colour for a car though. It’s probably some iconic Lamborghini colour or something but I’m not a fan.
The last two minifigures have matched their cars really well but this one is a bit of a mismatch to me? Black top with blue legs? How does that tie in with the white car with red interior? The guy looks a real countach.
Mercedes-AMG F1 W12 E Performance & Mercedes-AMG Project One
I though Countach was a dumb name and then Mercedes-AMG comes along with the F1 W12 E Performance. It’s quite the mouthful.
I assumed the E meant electronic but then I noticed the F1 part and realised that this is an F1 car and I’m pretty sure F1 cars aren’t electric. I guess the E probably stands for Enhanced or maybe Extreme. Elongated?
I really like the black and teal colour scheme and I do like the overall shape of an F1 car.
The race suit on the driver minifigure is a great match to the car itself.
This set is a two-pack with the Mercedes-AMG Project One being the second car included.
The name of this one seems like a lie. Are you saying that Mercedes-AMG haven’t had a project before this car? That seems highly unlikely. If it was called the Project 37 I’d believe you.
I am not a huge fan of the grey but I do like the splashes of teal. It has a neat fin on the back which is kind of sharklike. Maybe the grey works in that sense.
Aston Martin Valkyrie AMR Pro and Aston Martin Vantage GT3
Another two-pack to round out the collection.
Valkyrie is a great car name. It’s got that cool Viking energy about it. I appreciate that this one comes in a nice bright colour. If I was going to have a supercar I’d want it to be brightly coloured rather than white or grey. Overall I think the Valkyrie is my favourite of the cars. It’s got an interesting shape.
While I really like the Valkyrie the Vantage is doing nothing for me. Looks like a pretty standard sedan with a big spoiler. I am sure it’s probably very fast but it hasn’t won me over.
Some nice colour coordination on the included minifigures for this one. They should call the Countache guy.
Overall
I have never really go it to the Speed Champions theme for two reasons: they have about a billion stickers, and secondly I don’t know anything about cars. In saying that there is something that I can certainly appreciate about the theme — they aren’t crazy expensive. If you are a car enthusiast then Speed Champions represents a range of (I assume) awesome vehicles in a scale and price point that aren’t over the top. I also think these are perfectly respectable display pieces for an AFOL. Not everything has to be a 3000 piece epic.
You also get a good selection of minifigures across the range. The branding makes them less useful to MOCs but they are still a great companion piece to the cars themselves.
I do still feel like there are too many stickers. This isn’t just a rant about wanting everything being printed, I get that isn’t possible. But I feel like in some instances there is too much detail only being accomplished with a sticker. Lights on some cars are done with elements and look great but then others the lights are a sticker.
Thanks to LEGO for sending me these sets and letting me explore a theme I don’t usually engage with.
Check out the LEGO Speed Champions range on Amazon.
I’m sorry, but you’re right, you are the worst guy to write this review.
I cringed too many times to count reading this article, so, as an actual car-guy, I’ve decided to volunteer my services for any and all future car related Lego set reviews.
If you could kindly contact me we can make the necessary arrangements.
Cringe is totally what I was going for ?
Somehow I don’t think LEGO will send me any more Speed Champions sets, but I’ll keep you in mind if they do.
As a “car nut” I have enjoyed speed champions series immensely. So far my favourite is the Countach. It is such an icom of a car and the angles made for an interesting build. I am waiting to get my hands on the new DB5 James Bond.
While I don’t know the cars I certainly appreciate what they achieve with the scale and price.
Thanks for the reply Michael,
I’m ready to help put a motoring enthusiast flavour into any future Speed Champions set reviews.
By the way, the Lamborghini Countach was the car my childhood friend had on his wall as a child – and I’d almost drool over every time I’d visit!
It was white, not a hue I would choose, but nonetheless a legendary vehicle which drew its name from the expression locals made when seeing it drive around Piedmonte. Loosely translated as “Wow!” The exclamation is supposedly the origin of the name Countach.
Hahahaha – best article ever ?
I’m a car enthusiast and still enjoyed your perspective. The Countach name has been changed forever. 🙂
Speaking of the Countach, I’m surprised you didn’t comment on the poor colour-matching of its windscreen.
You really don’t need these on your shelf. I would be happy to store these awful looking cars and badly dressed minifigures at my place if it helps you out.
These are the best examples going at the moment of lego models that are at once very detailed and expert models; but also small and hence not exorbitantly expensive. I really hope Lego looks to do more sets of this type.
I’m not car guy so have only bought a couple of the more recognisable ones (the Countach and the James Bond DB5) but I really lime what they are doing with these.
Love your reviews
I’ll read the reviews for the humor even if I have no interest in the set
These have some really interesting techniques to get the angles right on a small scale
That’s what I’m here for