Right, people - it's time to get your voting fingers ready, because one dedicated fan of both Lego and cars has created, at home, a brick tribute to Renault's amazing new electric Turbo 3E supercar-disguised-as-a-hatchback. If it's to make the jump to becoming a real Lego set you can buy in the shops, it'll need your support...
Who's created the Lego Renault?
The one-off - so far... - Lego version of the Turbo 3E is the creation of UK-based Lego designer Dave Collins, who you can find on Instagram as devonbricks.
Collins spent around 100 hours creating the Turbo 3E out of Lego from scratch, using 1,200 separate component bricks in the process. It's not Dave's first Lego rodeo - he's previously created an equally exacting Lego version of the MG Metro 6R4 Group B rally car.
How did this all start?
Dave is an engineer and started creating his own home-designed Lego sets during lockdown back in 2020. "I had Lego and Technic as a kid, and as an engineer I have an inherent need to design, and love getting details right,” he said.
"Angular cars are easier to do in Lego, so the R5 was a natural choice. Plus it looks great, and it's immediately recognisable as an update of the eighties classic. I've certainly tried to race a few off the lights in my youth.”
Collins says he's totally blown away by the response he's had: "Some of the early coverage has already been amazing, and I can't believe I've got national journalists from around the world following me on Insta. My wife and daughter are insanely proud of me - I guess this is the result of six years and many hundreds of hours of hard work refining my Lego designs.”
What happens next?
Thanks to the initial response, Collins' design has been submitted to the Lego Ideas platform, an online voting system by which individual designers can submit their concepts for future Lego kits, and if they reach a sufficient level of public support, they'll go into production.
That support level is 10,000 votes, and at the time of writing the kit is sitting on 2,243 votes with another 595 days left to garner the remaining votes.
For Collins, the possibility of taking the next step would be a dream come true. "If Lego were to consider it, that would be a great boost... and who knows where that might lead. If they actually made a set, I think that would be great for Lego, Renault and for me. The car is iconic with people who grew up in the eighties, and the look and power of the electric R5 appeal to all ages now, so I truly believe it would be a success.”
How can I help?
Simple - just head over to the official Lego website, and sign up for a free Lego Ideas account, which will allow you to vote. Then get busy with the clicky and hopefully, not too far away, the brilliant Renault Turbo 3E - only 1,980 of which will be made, and they'll cost more than €160,000 before taxes - will suddenly become much more attainable, albeit in bricks, not carbon fibre.