Nissan GT-R Nismo is the latest Lego ‘Speed Champions’ set

Lego and Nissan have teamed up for the first time to recreate the Nissan GT-R Nismo in brick form. It’s the first time a Japanese manufacturer has team up with the Lego brand. The toy is a recreation of the GT-R Nismo that holds the world record for world’s longest drift. Being a smaller ‘Speed Champions’ 298-piece set, it’s more difficult to capture the essence of the real thing. However, by recreating crucial elements of the GT-R, this latest addition to the Lego roster couldn’t be mistaken for anything else. Just look at the back of it, with those enormous quad tailpipes, the unmistakable GT-R lighting and that enormous wing. “The GT-R has been part of my life since I was 10 years old,” said Hiroshi Tamura, Nissan’s chief product specialist for the GT-R – known to many as ‘Mr. GT-R‘. Full-size LEGO Honda Civic Type R took 1,300 hours to build “Working with the Lego Group was like awakening my inner 10-year-old self to rediscover what makes the GT-R so special to me. It’s amazing how much the Lego Group’s attention to detail reminds me of our own craftsmen.” The Speed Champions GT-R took around a year to develop,…

LEGO Nissan GT-R

Lego and Nissan have teamed up for the first time to recreate the Nissan GT-R Nismo in brick form. It’s the first time a Japanese manufacturer has team up with the Lego brand. The toy is a recreation of the GT-R Nismo that holds the world record for world’s longest drift.

Being a smaller ‘Speed Champions’ 298-piece set, it’s more difficult to capture the essence of the real thing. However, by recreating crucial elements of the GT-R, this latest addition to the Lego roster couldn’t be mistaken for anything else. Just look at the back of it, with those enormous quad tailpipes, the unmistakable GT-R lighting and that enormous wing.

“The GT-R has been part of my life since I was 10 years old,” said Hiroshi Tamura, Nissan’s chief product specialist for the GT-R – known to many as ‘Mr. GT-R‘.

LEGO Nissan GT-R

  • Full-size LEGO Honda Civic Type R took 1,300 hours to build

“Working with the Lego Group was like awakening my inner 10-year-old self to rediscover what makes the GT-R so special to me. It’s amazing how much the Lego Group’s attention to detail reminds me of our own craftsmen.”

The Speed Champions GT-R took around a year to develop, and will be the first reveal in this line for 2020. Previous entries include the McLaren Senna, which was famously the poster car for the Lego Speed Champions Forza Horizon expansion, and the Porsche 911.

LEGO Nissan GT-R

Being part of the smaller Speed Champions line comes with a number of advantages over, say, the several-thousand-piece monsters like the Chiron.

Firstly, it’s cheaper. When it arrives in January 2020, you won’t get buyer’s guilt for picking it up, even if you’re closer to 40 than four… It’s a shame, however, that it won’t be available in time for Christmas.

LEGO Nissan GT-R

It’s less intricate, so you’ll have it together in no time, even if some of the build team aren’t quite as disciplined as you. Lego reckons an expert Lego builder can have it together in 20 minutes, but that novices should allow an hour.

It’s also smaller and therefore easier to store once it is together. Due to its relative simplicity, it should be easier to repair if a fellow family member stands on and tries to drift it, too.

“The Nissan GT-R and the Lego brand are both renowned and loved by fans of all ages throughout the world, and we are honored to be the first-ever Japanese car manufacturer to partner with the Lego Group,” said Asako Hoshino, executive vice president at Nissan.

“Many of our Nissan customers can trace their automotive passion back to when they built Lego cars as children. With this partnership, everyone can be a `takumi’ – the specialised craftsmen that build the GT-R. And, it’s the GT-R’s 50th anniversary this year, so what better way to celebrate than to share the GT-R with Nissan and Lego fans around the world!”

Related Articles

Ethan Jupp
Ethan Jupp
I'm Content Editor at MR. Road trips music and movies are my vices. Perennially stuck between French hot hatches and Australian muscle cars.

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Mercedes-Benz has built the first fully electric Popemobile

A bespoke version of the Mercedes-Benz G580 EV, the brand new Popemobile has now been delivered to Pope Francis.

F1’s Valtteri Bottas tests new Alfa Romeo 33 Stradale supercar

The Formula One superstar took to Balocco Proving Ground to hone the exotic 33 Stradale's handling before the final sign-off.

New electric conversion kit turns classic Mazda MX-5 into an EV

Electrogenic has launched a new conversion kit to electrify the Mazda MX-5 roadster, offering more power and a modest 100kg weight increase.

New electric Ford Puma Gen-E prices start from under £30,000

Joining the Ford Puma lineup alongside hybrid petrol versions, the new electric Gen-E has a range of up to 233 miles when fully charged.