Lego Speed Champions
Lego Speed Champions (stylized as LEGO Speed Champions) is an auto racing-inspired theme of Lego building sets first released in 2015. It features classic and modern styles from well-known car brands. Overview The Lego Speed Champions product line focuses on classic and modern styles from well-known car brands. The series featured Ferrari, McLaren, and Porsche models in its initial release. Each set was designed by Lego Design Manager Chris Stamp. The theme later added Audi, Bugatti, Chevrolet, Dodge, Ford, Jaguar, Mercedes-AMG, Lamborghini, Koenigsegg, Nissan, Pagani, Toyota, Aston Martin, and Lotus. The line features as the center of a 2019 expansion for the open world racing video game Forza Horizon 4. In 2022, The Lego Group stated that the theme is an 18+ (18 years and older) theme that does not carry the 18+ label. In April 2022, The Lego Group built a life-size replica of the 1970 Ferrari 512 M containing 78,496 Lego pieces. The Lego Group also built a life-size replica of the Ferrari F40 containing 358,000 Lego pieces and placed in front of Legoland California. Development During the development process of the Lego Speed Champions theme, Lego Design Manager Chris Stamp discussed the concept of the Lego Speed Champions theme and explained, "Absolutely. The enlarged scale has allowed us to develop a new strategy, which essentially is to forget the age on the box! We want to offer unique building experiences that educate younger builders and are appreciated by older builders simultaneously. That is how we approach each model because there is no age limit on being a car enthusiast, so we can cover older and modern subjects. We focus exclusively on vehicle fans, of any age." and continued, "Also, the small size of Speed Champions cars does not mean they must be easy to build. We have seen the range described as ‘mini Creator Expert’ and that is honestly how we approach every set. We include as much detail as possible and always target the utmost accuracy, hopefully giving people a Creator Expert or 18+ experience, at a much lower price point than those themes. Something I have observed is the different fan expectations and reception for larger models, like Modular Buildings or UCS sets, relative to smaller models. My goal is always narrowing the gap between those sets of different scales and conveying the same experience as much larger sets, at a tenth of the size." Chris Stamp discussed a 1x2 tile without printing and explained, "We tried that, but the headlights looked too narrow with red tiles and we always prioritize attention to detail. Also, when we are developing the elements, we do not always know the quality of the final print, so there is sometimes a disconnect between how we intend the product to be and the production capability." and continued, "Actually, there was a slight change to the cockpit printing between 2020 and 2021, where small gaps appeared along the creases of the elements. Production introduced those gaps because of the need to