It seems like every other week LEGO’s announcing a new vehicle in its stable of bricks, and the toy company’s long partnership with Ferrari has resulted in another Prancing Horse product added to the roster. Coming off the heels of the 512M Speed Champions set and the AF Corse 488 GT3 Technic is another newer model that works better than you’d expect in LEGO guise — the Daytona SP3.
Though there’s no questioning they’re thoughtfully crafted, LEGO’s renditions of real-world cars are hit and miss. Typically, older vehicles, with their clear, defined lines and slab sides, fit the brick aesthetic better. Newer cars — especially swoopy ones, like the GR Supra, tend to fall wide of the mark. Of course, the more advanced and complex Technic kits, like this Daytona SP3, can get closer to the target as they don’t rely on bricks, but even then — the awkward gaps in the panels can lead to other discrepancies.
LEGO’s 1:8-scale take on the Daytona SP3 looks the part though, and is instantly recognisable as the exclusive Ferrari it’s based on. The cut line that descends from the B pillar and cinches the car’s profile is replicated here, as are those Le Mans prototype-inspired rear haunches and partially obscured headlights. And as you’d guess, the slatting at the rear is well-suited for the Technic treatment.
But perhaps what’s more impressive about LEGO’s version of the Daytona is what you can’t see from the outside. Not only do the butterfly doors open as intended, but the model contains “a functioning 8-speed sequential gearbox with paddle shifter,” along with “a V12 engine with moving pistons.” I remember my old F2004 Technic set had a V12 with pistons that pumped as the car rolled, but a working transmission that connects to little paddles is next level.
If there’s one potential quirk — though I’m hardly complaining about it — the wheels being perfect scale recreations of those on the actual Daytona are jarring against the discrete, blocky panels. That’s certainly not an issue exclusive to this specific kit, though, and besides — it’s hard to imagine how LEGO could even modify those designs to make them mesh with the chunkiness.
The Daytona SP3 will be expensive, as these automaker-approved Technic kits always are. With 3,778 pieces, it’ll cost A$659.99 when it hits LEGO stores on June 1 and other retailers in August. Alongside this release, LEGO will be selling a limited-run coffee table book about the model’s creation, containing interviews with Ferrari designers and LEGO builders.