So, we already knew that Lego was awesome and that Lego Technic was more awesome still. We also knew that the Peugeot 9X8 hybrid Le Mans racer was awesome, with its grey-and-green paint scheme and wingless bodywork. Put those two awesome things together...
Designed by Lego and Peugeot Sport
Here is the Lego Technic Peugeot 9X8, which is a 1:10 scale version of the race car, and which has been jointly designed by the people at Lego and Peugeot Sport so as to ensure as much accuracy as possible. It even gets the proper lime green colour accents on the bodywork.
The 1,775-piece kit includes a precise replica of the real racer's seven-speed gearbox, while this Lego version also gets proper recreations of the hybrid system, the scissor doors and the suspension setup.
1,775 pieces
Speaking about the 1,775-piece marvel, Kasper René Hansen, designer at the Lego Group said: "Our two brands have come together to create a product that celebrates a new era of hybrid racing and engineering. Recreating the shapes and details of such an elegant car using Lego Technic elements wasn't an easy feat, but it's been an honour to work so creatively with the Team Peugeot TotalEnergies on this one and I'm proud that together we have been able to build the hypercar for real in Lego Technic form."
Olivier Jansonnie, Technical Director Peugeot Sport said: "Our technical cooperation with the Lego Group started in January 2022, five months before the Peugeot 9X8 reveal. It took one year to fully develop the project with the technical and design teams, allowing us to directly transpose the technical details of the Peugeot 9X8 to the Lego Technic model. It was very important for both brands to create a model that is as realistic as possible. Peugeot, Peugeot Sport and the Lego teams had numerous meetings about the development of the suspension and hybrid systems that cannot be replicated from photos. We thank the Lego Group for this project, we are very proud and impressed by the final result that is more than we could have imagined."
In shops in time for Le Mans
When it's finished, the completed Lego car stands 130mm tall, 220mm wide and 500mm long. The Lego version of the race car model was revealed at the first FIA World European Championship race in Portugal ahead of the real-life car taking to the tracks in preparation for its highly anticipated appearance at the Le Mans 24 Hour race on June 10th-11th.
How much? A chunky €199, but when you think about it, that's a bit of a bargain at 1:10th scale. A real 9X8 would cost a lot more than ten times that amount...