| Subject | Real-life cars |
|---|---|
| Licensed from | Various vehicle manufacturers |
| Availability | 2015–Present |
| Total sets | 56[1] |
| Official website | |
Lego Speed Champions is an auto racing-inspired theme of Lego building kits first released in 2015.[2] It features classic and modern styles from well-known car brands.[3]
The series featured Ferrari, McLaren, and Porsche models in its initial release.[4][5] The theme later added Audi, Bugatti, Chevrolet, Dodge, Ford, Jaguar, Lamborghini, Koenigsegg, and Nissan. The line features as the center of a 2019 expansion for the open world racing video game Forza Horizon 4.[6][7]
In 2022, The Lego Group confirmed that the theme is an 18+ (18 years and older) theme that does not carry the 18+ label.[8]
In April 2022, The Lego Group built a life-size replica of the 1970 Ferrari 512 M contained 78,496 of Lego pieces.[9] The Lego Group built a life-size replica of the Ferrari F40 contained 358,000 of Lego pieces and placed in front of the Legoland California.[10]
During the development process of the Lego Speed Champions theme, Lego Design Manager Chris Stamp discussed the concept of the Lego Speed Champions theme and explained, "Absolutely. The enlarged scale has allowed us to develop a new strategy, which essentially is to forget the age on the box! We want to offer unique building experiences that educate younger builders and are appreciated by older builders simultaneously. That is how we approach each model because there is no age limit on being a car enthusiast, so we can cover older and modern subjects. We focus exclusively on vehicle fans, of any age." and continued, "Also, the small size of Speed Champions cars does not mean they must be easy to build. We have seen the range described as ‘mini Creator Expert’ and that is honestly how we approach every set. We include as much detail as possible and always target the utmost accuracy, hopefully giving people a Creator Expert or 18+ experience, at a much lower price point than those themes. Something I have observed is the different fan expectation and reception for larger models, like Modular Buildings or UCS sets, relative to smaller models. My goal is always narrowing the gap between those sets of different scales and conveying the same experience as much larger sets, at a tenth of the size."[11]
Chris Stamp discussed a 1x2 tile without printing and explained, "We tried that, but the headlights looked too narrow with red tiles and we always prioritise attention to detail. Also, when we are developing the elements, we do not always know the quality of the final print, so there is sometimes a disconnect between how we intend the product to be and the production capability." and continued, "Actually, there was a slight change to the cockpit printing between 2020 and 2021, where small gaps appeared along the creases of the elements. Production introduced those gaps because of the need to guarantee a certain level of quality. I have not spotted any discussion about that online, but it is something we are examining internally."[12]
According to Bricklink, The Lego Group released 56 playsets based on the Lego Speed Champions theme.[1]
In 2015, the playtheme started with three iconic hyper cars, the LaFerrari, McLaren P1 and the Porsche 918 Spyder.[13] It also included Formula 1 cars from McLaren and Ferrari and Porsche 911 GT3 race cars.[14][15]
In 2016, the introduction of Muscle cars, with the Ford Mustang, Chevrolet Corvette and Camaro. It also included a Ford Model A Hotrod and F-150 Raptor, as well as LMP race cars from Audi and Porsche.[16][17][18]
For 2017 Speed Champions returned to Formula 1 cars from Ferrari and the championship-winning Mercedes AMG Petronas team.[19]
In 2018 the theme featured more Ferrari and Porsche Race cars, including the Nurburgring Lap Record holding car, the Porsche 919 Hybrid. The line also included a 1967 Ford Mustang. However no new brands were added. [20][21]
For 2019 the theme returned, with a new focus on including new brands into the collection: Dodge and Mini.[22]
It was announced at E3 2019 that The Lego Group and Playground Games have partnered together to add a new expansion pack to Forza Horizon 4 featuring several cars from the line and a new location made out of Lego bricks. The expansion pack was released on June 13, 2019.[23][24][25]
In late 2019, Design Lead Chris Stamp announced that all 2020+ Speed Champions sets would be upscaled to 8 studs wide from the previous standard of 6, to focus on accuracy. Chris Stamp explained, "I have been on Speed Champions since the beginning, I developed the concept in 2014 for the 2015 launch, did four of the seven products for that launch, I was the only designer for the 2016 launch, then developed a lot of the concept models for the third launch when I went off to work on NINJAGO and then The LEGO NINJAGO Movie." and continued, "Then I came back for this launch, as the Design Lead for 2019, so I was able to map out what the assortment was. There were a few cars that we knew straight away we wanted, we knew we wanted the Mini because we had been in dialogue with Mini for a while, the McLaren we wanted because I had seen the Senna right back when it was a clay model three years ago. Coming back to the Speed Champions theme it was really quite a rushed process, we didn’t really have time to start all of this exploration."[26][27]
The 2020 sets include a Lamborghini Huracan Super Trofeo and Nissan GTR Nismo as well as introduced electric vehicles with Formula E and Jaguar.[28][29] Prices also increased with the shift in scale.[30][31]
In June 2021, 6 Lego Speed Champions sets were delayed until Summer, causing speculation amongst fans that the theme had been cancelled. Featuring in the range is a 1970 Dodge Charger T/A, Top Fuel Dragster, Toyota Supra, Corvette C8.R and Koenigsegg Jesko.[32][33][34]
In September 2021, Matthew Ashton, The Lego Group's Vice President of Design announced the Lego Speed Champions theme will continue until 2023.[35]
In March 2022, 5 new sets of Ferrari 512 M, Lotus Evija, Lamborghini Countach, Mercedes-AMG F1 W12 E Performance, Mercedes-AMG Project One, Aston Martin Valkyrie AMR Pro and Aston Martin Vantage GT3 expanded the collection.[36][37][38][39][40]
In June 2022, 2 new sets of James Bond's Aston Martin DB5 based on No Time to Die film and Dominic Toretto’s 1970 Dodge Charger R/T based on Fast & Furious franchise were be released on 1 August 2022.[41] James Bond's Aston Martin DB5 set consists of 298 pieces and 1 minifigure of James Bond. Also included multiple licence plates to swap.[42] Dominic Toretto's 1970 Dodge Charger R/T set consists of 345 pieces and 1 minifigure of Dominic Toretto.[43][44]
In 2020, The Lego Group reported that the Lego Technic, Lego Star Wars, Lego Classic, Lego Disney Princess, Lego Harry Potter and Lego Speed Champions, "The strong results are due to our incredible team," and that these themes had helped to push revenue for the first half of 2020 grow 7% to DKK 15.7 billion compared with the same period in 2019.[45]
