For a lot of enthusiasts, LEGOs were an introduction to the automotive world. You don’t even need to know what a car is, but putting together a makeshift blocky machine with wheels is a good enough sign to your parents that you’re interested in cars. That’s exactly what I did. It may not have looked like a functional vehicle, but it vaguely resembled a school bus and scraped across the carpet. I’m sure my parents loved that.
Fortunately, for today’s enthusiasts, LEGO has multiple automotive buildable kits for sale that double as difficult puzzles and exquisite models. Gone are the days when you just put LEGOs in a random order to create a nearly useless vehicle. LEGO’s in-depth and extensive car sets mimic real-life cars with brilliant detail, working components, and touches that are found on actual examples. More importantly, they let you build a car without having to fill up the garage – you’ll wind up taking all of the space on the coffee table, though.
These are our 10 favorite car kits that LEGO currently offers. The company is continuing to introduce new models, so if one of these doesn’t catch your eye, there’s a good chance that a new one that will is on the way.
Bugatti Chiron
Unless you have $3 million and are part of the 1 percent, there’s absolutely no way you’ll ever be able to purchase a Bugatti Chiron – so join the club. Luckily, LEGO sells a Chiron kit as part of its Technic line. It’s a big set, including a total of 3,599 pieces and is recommended for ages 16 and up. LEGO’s not messing around here.
Beyond looking like the Chiron, but smaller, the 1:8 scale model has a functional top speed key that lowers the rear wing to the car’s top speed position, a fully functioning 8-speed transmission, and a W16 engine with moving pistons. The directions that LEGO offers to build the kit mirror the way Bugatti’s engineers actually build the Chiron, which is probably the coolest thing of all.
At over $300, LEGO’s kit for the Chiron is the most expensive automotive-related item LEGO sells. Look at it this way, it’s only 0.012% of the Chiron’s price tag, so it’s super affordable!
Volkswagen T1 Camper Van
The Volkswagen Camper Van is an icon. Offered in the U.S. in one form or another starting in the 1950s, the Camper Van provided consumers with a more compact, yet comfortable way to travel without the need of a full-size van. It’s only right that LEGO allows the humble Camper Van to live on forever as a kit. There are a total of 1,134 pieces and the kit is for individuals that are 16 years old and up. It’s based on a 1962 camper van and, like many other LEGO kits, has authentic features.
The van has a three-tone paint job – red, black, and white – with a fitting V-shaped color split for an extra ‘60s touch. The camper van’s air-cooled flat-four engine is at the back, while other exterior touches include circular exterior wings, a safari windshield, a pop-up roof, and a roof rack. Put the van together, and you’ll be able to enjoy a folding rear bench seat, a closet with a mirror, a painting, and a folding dinette table on the inside.
Don’t want a real camper van? This is one way to scratch the itch without having to worry about rust.
James Bond Aston Martin DB5
The Aston Martin DB5 became one of the most famous movie cars after getting screen time in the 1964 James Bond film Goldfinger. Like Bond’s other
The LEGO set has a total of 1,295 pieces that all come together to make the perfect model for a James Bond fan. As such, it comes with front-wing machine guns, a concealable radar tracker, wheel-mounted tire scythes, and revolving number plates. The best bit, though, is the working ejector seat. If you’re a DB5 fan, this will still appeal to you, because putting all of these little gizmos away reveals the elegant classic with all of its gorgeous lines.
Land Rover Defender
For those of us in America, it’s been 23 very long years since Land Rover sold a new Defender at its dealers. The boxy, rugged SUV bowed out in 1997 and finally returned for the 2020 model year with the all-new Land Rover Defender. Leave it to LEGO to commemorate the return of the iconic off-roader with an intimidating kit.
LEGO claims that its Defender kit has the most sophisticated gearbox ever, as it comes with high and low gear ratios that you can actually select! How cool is that? A four-speed sequential gearbox, an inline-six-cylinder engine with moving pistons, independent suspension, a working winch, and working all-wheel drive with three differentials are also included. I mean, this little thing will have no trouble climbing the family dog. It’s even got a removable roof rack, a storage box, and a ladder.
You don’t have to be a Defender fan to fall in love with this kit. Just like the real Defender, this is a rugged forward kit that is comprised of 2,573 pieces. It’s for individuals 11 years old and up.
Porsche 911 RSR
Racecars are just plain old cool. Even if you’re lucky enough to have the budget to have a racecar to take to the track, getting more hands-on time with a racing machine, even if it’s a miniature one that will only sit on a desk, is something a lot of us can get behind. If you find yourself starting at racecars all day, LEGO’s Porsche 911 RSR kit is the one for you.
Once complete, this 1,580-piece kit comes together to re-create Porsche’s GT endurance racecar. Since Porsche manufactured the RSR to dominate at the track, LEGO brought a lot of the same track-focused features to its kit. Once built, you’ll find things like a cockpit that has a radar system, a fire suppression system, a six-cylinder engine with moving pistons, a working differential, and independent suspension. A track map of the Laguna Seca circuit is also printed on the driver’s door for that extra racing touch.
App-Controlled Top Gear Rally Car
We’re all familiar with LEGO kits that don’t move, but the company also has kits that allow people to build things that can move under their own power. The App-Controlled Top Gear Rally Car not only lets you build something cool, but it also lets you live your rally dreams in a safe, affordable way. Better yet, this app-controlled kit is for people that are aged nine and up and only has a total of 463 pieces. That means it should be one of the easier cars to put together.
The main draw of this kit is that it allows you to control the vehicle through a smartphone app. Beyond letting you choose from different controls, drivers will also get feedback in real time, too. The car doesn’t look like it’s based on anything real, but has all of the required components to go rallying. Four oversized headlights, massive aero bits, a roll bar, and faux rugged tires all make this look like the real deal.
At $130, this LEGO kit seems like excellent value, seeing as how all it needs is 6 AA batteries to allow you to turn any little pile of dirt into a launchpad. If only we had this when we were kids.
Fiat 500
The Fiat 500 may not be the prettiest, fastest, or more luxurious car ever made, but it’s still an icon. Introduced in 1957 as a tiny city car for Europeans, the little machine didn’t make its way to America until 2011. And now, with massive pickup trucks and large SUVs on the market, it may seem a little daunting to go through the trouble of finding an original 500 and look up at nearly every vehicle on the road.
Instead, LEGO offers this Fiat 500 kit that appears to be based on a model from the ‘60s. And just as with that car, the kit is tiny, measuring in at just 9.5 inches long. Still, the kit includes everything one would find from a real 500 from the same date. There’s an air-cooled engine in the back, a little roof opening, a spare tire in the front trunk, and a suitcase that can be fitted to the rear door.
Despite being just a small kit, there are a total of 960 pieces and it’s recommended for people aged 16 years and up.
Ford Mustang
If there’s one car that’s an American icon, it has to be the Ford Mustang. No other car embodies ‘Murica quite like it. LEGO’s Ford Mustang kit is a great piece of art that will allow any enthusiast to build and enjoy a muscle car from the ‘60s. Even if you’ve made the switch to an electric car.
Like many other LEGO kits, the Mustang has opening doors and a removable roof to give you a better look at the interior. The trunk opens up, too, to let you see all of the items that are stored in there. Ford may offer a four-cylinder engine and a V6 motor in the current Mustang, but this kit comes with a tried-and-true V8. If you get bored of looking at the Mustang, LEGO includes a ducktail spoiler, front chin spoiler, larger exhaust pipes, and a supercharger to drastically change the look of the model. It’s recommended for people aged 16 years old and up.
Chevrolet Corvette ZR1
The Chevrolet C7 Corvette ZR1 was Chevy’s way of taking an already capable sports car and adding supercar levels of power. With massive bulges and multiple aero components, the C7 ZR1 looked similar to an endurance racecar that just happened to sneak through regulations to be driven on the road. It was also the last C7 model that the automaker built, making it the best choice for a kit from LEGO.
Working steering, a detailed V8 with moving pistons, and a sticker set for those that want to lightly customize the car are all included with the Corvette ZR1 kit. If, for some reason, you become bored with your ZR1, you can disassemble the kit to turn it into a handsome hotrod.
With just 579 pieces, this is one of the more accessible automotive kits from LEGO and it’s recommended for 9-year-olds and up.
1989 Batmobile
Batman fans all have their favorite Batmobile, but I’m here to tell you that you’re all wrong. There’s one clear winner when it comes to the Caped Crusader’s rides, and it’s the Batmobile from Tim Burton’s rendition of Batman from 1989. It’s the best because it has the coolest design and because it fit that rendition of Batman so perfectly. Now, thanks to LEGO, Batman fans and enthusiasts alike can proudly keep it on display.
Complete with a slide-open cockpit, a detailed cabin, pop-up machine guns, grappling hooks, and bat-themed hubcaps, the 1989 Batmobile LEGO kit is a must-have for any Batman fan. The kit also comes with a rotating display stand and three mini-figures to make a complete package.
With a total of 3,306 pieces, it’s the second-largest automotive-related kit that LEGO sells and it’s also one of the more expensive ones with a price tag of $250. Because of all the pieces and the difficulty that goes into putting it all together, the kit is recommended for individuals 16 years old and up.
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