Full story in the Mag and online…also watch the brilliant video

At Free Car Mag we like cars and we like working on cars, so as you can imagine, when we received an invite to build a Ferrari, we grabbed it with both hands. Just one thing, it wasn’t a real, full size road going Ferrari but in fact a fabulous 1:8 scale Lego Technic model we could build in the comfort of our home.

If you are familiar with the ‘Technic’ branch of Lego, you will know that it is the most advanced form of Lego which is designed for older children and adults. The larger Technic models can take weeks to complete due to hundreds of tiny components that all have to be assembled precisely, with patience and care. Having completed a Technic model previously I was excited to get stuck in, then I saw the book, in fact books! There are two rather beautiful and slightly overwhelming building manuals presented in the box. Speaking of the box; it is a work of art in its own right.

The Ferrari Daytona SP3 Lego model is seriously impressive and one of the most sophisticated Technic models developed to date. It features a working seven speed paddle shift gearbox, gear lever shifter for the drive modes (reverse, neutral and drive), a ‘V12’ engine with moving pistons, butterfly doors which can be opened by pressing a secret yellow ‘button’ under the engine bay, working steering, removable targa roof, fully functioning suspension, two-wheel drive with drive shafts operating the rear wheels, and opening engine bay cover and front boot lid.

One of my favourite features on the car are the custom-made wheels; the attention to detail is so great that the driver’s side and passenger side have their own unique set just like the real car and even the tyre tread pattern was carefully considered and approved by Ferrari to ensure they are as close to real life as possible.

Lego’s creation of this model was quite a challenge during the early stages as the Lego design team were unable to see the actual car as Ferrari were still developing the Daytona SP3 and the project was still very much secret. As a result, they had to go purely on images and feedback from Ferrari. The real Daytona SP3 body features beautiful, spectacular curves and Lego worked very hard to recreate those curves using contoured plastic pieces whilst maintaining the Lego DNA.

In addition, Lego studied how Ferrari assembled the actual car in Maranello in Italy and reproduced, as much as possible, those same steps, so when you build your kit at home, it feels like you are seeing the car being assembled in the factory.

My top tips for building this model are to purchase a few organizer boxes and carefully pour all the pieces out of the little plastic bags into an ice cream tub first and then separate all the pieces to the organizer boxes so you can find the pieces easily. Tweezers are very handy for picking parts and fitting parts where your fingers can’t easily reach, and needle-nose pliers come in handy if you have made a mistake and you need to pull a pin out. Follow the instructions carefully and only open the appropriate bags when the instructions tell you to, take your time and enjoy the process. Also watch a couple of YouTube videos before you start, there is a large community of Technic enthusiasts out there who give you helpful tips on many builds.

The actual car will be built in limited numbers, only 599 to be exact with a price tag of over two million Euros, and as you may have guessed they are all already sold. The Lego version costs significantly less at £349.99 and you can get yours here: https://www.lego.com/en-gb/product/ferrari-daytona-sp3-42143

If you are looking for a fun and educational project this summer for the kids or perhaps for yourself, then look no further; bring the Ferrari factory to your living room and get building!

MORE INFORMATION HERE: https://500px.com/p/kirankparmar/galleries/lego-technic-ferrari-daytona-sp3