All posts by Francis Mitterrand

News

Ferrari 296 GTS made of Lego bricks

In 1932, a Danish carpenter founded the Lego Group, which produced wooden toys. After the end of WWII (in 1947), Lego expanded its production to plastic toys, and two years later began the production of interlocking bricks. Until today, Lego produced interlocking bricks, from which many famous buildings and cars were assembled. Over the years, Lego model cars have become quite sophisticated, and there are more and more life-sized ones like this Ferrari 296 GTS.

A ten-member team took part in the assembly of the Ferrari 296 GTS Lego model, spending 1,850 working hours. Attention was paid to even the smallest details to make the car as realistic as possible. Functional front and rear lights, illuminated number plates, opening doors and the entire interior are all made from Lego bricks, except for the steering wheel that belongs to the real car. The dashboard is made in a combination of beige and black Lego bricks, and there are two deep seats. Even Ferrari’s V6 engine is made of Lego bricks.

It is not known how many Lego bricks were used in the assembly of the car, and it should be noted that this model weighs almost two tons, which is more than the original 296 GTS (1,540 kg).

This isn’t the first life-size car made out of Lego bricks. Earlier we could see Land Rover’s Defender, Ferrari F40, Volvo V70, Ford F-150 Lightning, and Fiat models.

The car is located in Legoland Florida and will be exhibited until March 8.

Source: Legoland Florida

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Ferrari 296 GTS made of Lego bricks
Auctions

1989 Porsche 911 Carrera 25th Anniversary Edition for sale

In 1988, Porsche celebrated the 25th birthday of the 911 model, and on that occasion it produced 875 examples of the 911 Carrera 25th Anniversary Edition, of which 300 examples were exported to the United States. One of them, the 1989 Porsche 911 Carrera 25th Anniversary Edition is up for auction.

This Porsche 911 Carrera 25th Anniversary Edition is powered by a 3.2-liter M930/25 flat-six with 214 hp (160 kW) and 195 lb-ft (264 Nm) of torque. Power is sent to the rear wheels via a G50 five-speed manual transmission. The engine is equipped with Bosch Motronic management, and in 2023 it was serviced, which included valve adjustment and oil change. It is mounted on black-painted 16″ Fuchs alloy wheels wrapped in Pirelli P Zero Rosso tires.

The car is finished in Silver Metallic and is one of 240 coupes in this color. It is equipped with a power-operated sunroof, integrated fog lights, headlight washers, power-adjustable side mirrors, tinted windows, a rear window wiper, and front and rear spoilers. In 2021, the front spoiler, windshield, and rubber moldings were replaced, and rear Bilstein shock absorbers were installed. Tie rods, brake pads and rotor were replaced last year.

Inside, the power-adjustable front seats are upholstered in Silk Gray leather with dark piping, which also covers the door panels, dash and center console. Behind the driver is a leather-wrapped sport steering wheel and a six-digit odometer showing 62,722 miles. Additional equipment includes a short-throw shifter, cruise control, air conditioning, power windows and locks, and a Porsche Classic radio with navigation.

According to the Carfax report, the car had an accident in 2022 when the front part was damaged, which required the headlights to be replaced. It comes with a Porsche Classic Technical Certificate, the owner’s manual, removed parts, a tool kit, service records, and a clean California title in the seller’s name.

The auction ends on February 20 and the highest bid at the time of writing was USD $35,500.

Source: Bring a Trailer

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News

2024 Abarth 695 75° Anniversario Limited Edition

In 1949, the Italian racing- and road-car maker Abarth & C. S.p.A. was founded, which celebrates its 75th birthday this year. On this occasion, the manufacturer presented the limited edition Abarth 695 75° Anniversario.

The Abarth 695 75° Anniversario is a refreshed version of the high-performance Fiat 500 that appeared on the market in 2018 as the 595 model. The car is finished in black, which perfectly matches the powerful hatchback, with golden “Abarth” lettering on the doors. It is equipped with dual tailpipes, tinted windows, gold decals, a Record Monza exhaust system with an active valve to change the sound, Koni FSD shocks, and a set of 17-inch wheels.

Inside, the Sabelt carbon seats are upholstered in black leather and Alcantara with yellow stitching and “75° Anniversario” lettering on the headrests. The dashboard is also covered in Alcantara, and additional equipment includes air conditioning, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity systems, as well as two 7-inch screens and Beats sound system.

When it comes to the powertrain, the Abarth 695 75° Anniversario is powered by a 1.4-liter turbo gasoline engine with 180 hp (134 kW) and 184 lb-ft (250 Nm) of torque. Power is sent to the rear wheels via a five-speed manual gearbox. It reaches 0 to 100 km/h in 6.7 seconds with a top speed of 225 km/h (140 mph).

Abarth will produce only 1,368 examples of this model.

Source: Abarth

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2024 Abarth 695 75° Anniversario Limited Edition