2004 Porsche 911 Carrera on 2040-cars

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Lamborghini, Aston Martin, Mercedes-AMG, Porsche and Koenigsegg Lego sets coming this summer

Lego has announced a slew of new automotive-themed sets. As is typical fashion for brand of building toys, the subject matter leans toward ultra-exotic, ultra-expensive vehicles, ranging from a $139,000 Mercedes SL63 on the low end to a $3 million Koenigsegg Jesko Absolut on the high end. If you can't afford those cars in real life, soon you'll be able to build your own plastic models of them. Some of the real-world counterparts aren't obtainable no matter what the cost. Take the Lamborghini Lambo V12 Vision Gran Turismo, for example. The one-off concept was designed by Lamborghini exclusively for Gran Turismo, the PlayStation racing simulator. However, Lamborghini did build a 1:1 version for the physical world, with the 808-horsepoewer hybrid V12 from the Sian FKP 37 beneath its bodywork. The Lego version is part of the company's Speed Champions line, which measure about 6 inches long. It does an excellent job of capturing the original's insectoid look and Y-shaped taillights. The set is made up of 230 pieces and will retail for $26.99. This is Lego's first Vision Gran Turismo car but we hope to see more.  Also joining the Speed Champions line are two 2-car sets. An Aston Martin-themed set pairs a Vantage safety car with an AMR23 Formula 1 racer. Both are finished in AMR's bright green with actual sponsor logos. The set contains 564 pieces and will cost $44.99. Also arriving as a 2-car set are a pair of Mercedes-AMGs. A black G 63 and yellow SL 63 Roadster, along with a pair of sunglasses-clad bros, make up the 808-piece set. It also retails for $44.99. All three Speed Champions sets arrive on June 1, 2024. If you're looking for something a bit more advanced and detailed, Lego also offers the Technic line. First up is a Porsche GT4 e-Performance, a 1,000-horsepower race car based on the 718 Cayman. This set can also function as a remote controlled car that moves forward, backward, and steers via a downloadable smartphone app. The 834-piece set costs $169.99. Last but not least, there's the Koenigsegg Jesko Absolut, a model of the Swedish supercar that is said to have a top speed of over 300 mph. The model does an admirable job of capturing the car's 0.278 Cd drag coefficient, considering it's comprised of 801 individual plastic bricks. This set will retail for $49.99 and, along with the Porsche, comes out August 1, 2024. Related Video LEGO Speed Champion Build: 1968 Ford Mustang Fastback

Will Roegge makes 4K art of Jeff Zwart's 911 build and run up Pikes Peak

Will Roegge has turned his camera on Jeff Zwart and provided another gem, this time documenting Zwart's run up Pikes Peak and BBI Autosport. Bertim Besha dropped out of high school, then worked his way up to founding his own shop, BBI, that gathers a crew of tuners who are just as fastidious about their work as the customers are about their cars.
They prepped the 991-series Porsche 911 GT3 Cup Turbo, the product of combining a 911 GT2 that was the most powerful car Zwart drove up the mountain with a GT3 Cup that Zwart thought had the best handling. Two TiAL turbos and a lot of fettling make for a 3.8-liter flat-six with 700 horsepower, 700 pound-feet of torque and a 7,800-rpm redline. Zwart drove it to a heartbreaking second place this year, finishing less than 1.2 seconds behind the Time Attack 1 class winner when his car suffered its first mechanical issue of the week.
The first video below covers Besha, BBI and the build, the second is Zwart's run. As if the visuals weren't enough, sit back and enjoy the shrieking of the "Hill Climb Special," which is what the constellation Sirius would sound like if it could bark.

McLaren rules out Porsche Cayman competitor

McLaren has gone downmarket with the introduction of its new Sports Series, but don't expect it to go any lower than that. So while the 570S goes up against the Audi R8 and Porsche 911 Turbo, the likes of the TT and Cayman can rest easy. Speaking with Autocar, McLaren designer Robert Melville ruled out the prospect of developing a sports car positioned lower than the Sports Series. Melville dismissed the idea of a Cayman rival from Woking as "a step too far" and "not exclusive enough" for McLaren. "You look at Ferrari. They are coming from very high end. [The 570S] is stretching us down to R8s and 911s and is as low as we'd want to come." The limit may be dictated, more than anything, by the building blocks. The newly introduced Sports Series adopts the same essential hard points as the higher-end Super Series (650S) and Ultimate Series (P1). Like its more expensive siblings, it features a 3.8-liter twin-turbo V8 mated to a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission and bolted to the back of a carbon monocoque chassis. Only instead of selling for $265k like the 650S or over $1 million like the P1, the 570S will retail for under $190k. Volume is how the manufacturer aims to make up the difference. In fact McLaren stands to generate as much revenue (if not necessarily the same profit margin) selling 2,500 units in the Sports Series each year as it has producing all 375 examples of the P1. Making those same building blocks available at a lower price point – or developing an entirely new set – would be an entirely different proposition... one which McLaren is evidently less than keen to undertake. So while we can look forward to new versions of the Sports Series to follow – including Spider and GT variants soon to follow – more commonplace stablemate appears to be off the table. Related Video: Featured Gallery 2016 McLaren 570S: First Drive View 34 Photos News Source: AutocarImage Credit: Copyright 2015 AOL McLaren Porsche Performance Supercars mclaren 570s mclaren sports series