Build yourself a Nissan Nismo GT-R!

No, this is not a kit car or a joke by Ikea. Lego and Nismo have joined forces to release an all-new scale version of the Nissan GT-R Nismo. It’s Lego’s way of celebrating the legendary Nissan GT-R by adding it to their Speed Champions line-up for 2020.

For the Speed Champions series, Lego is looking to honour some legendary models by introducing them into their line-up. The range already includes a Ford Mustang, a McLaren Senna, a Porsche 930, a Camaro Nascar racer, a Ferrari F40 and many more. Needless to say, the Nissan GT-R is the perfect model to add to this list. The Nissan GT-R is without a doubt one of the most legendary car ever to be created in Japan. Its latest iteration, the R35, is one of the few cars that’s been in production for over 12 years and its popularity is only growing.

To convert an iconic shape like that of the Nissan GT-R into Lego bricks is no easy feat and posed a real challenge for Lego Speed Champions designer Chris Stamp. The biggest challenge was to recreate the GT-R’s iconic taillights as accurately as possible…

"In LEGO Speed Champions, we are always aiming to include new types of racing vehicles. And when we focused on drifting and racing, the record-breaking Nissan GT-R, and especially the new GT-R NISMO, was at the top of our wish list. Authenticity is always our main concern, and we spent a lot of time exploring different building techniques to correctly recreate the taillights, as they are one of the most recognizable details on the car. I am really happy with the end result!”

The car even got the seal of approval from Hiroshi Tamura, Nissan's chief product specialist for the GT-R – known informally as "Mr. GT-R”. Like most of us, Lego reminds him of his childhood so to see his creation being turned into a Lego set was a wonderful moment.

"The GT-R has been part of my life since I was 10 years old. Working with the LEGO Group was like awakening my inner 10-year-old self to rediscover what makes the GT-R so special to me. It's amazing how much the LEGO Group's attention to detail reminds me of our own craftsmen.”

And as if that wasn’t spectacular enough, the scale model itself is based on the record-breaking Nissan GT-R Nismo that broke the world record for the fastest drift back in 2016. This car produces over 1300 horsepower and achieved a record speed of 304km/h while drifting. A car truly worth celebrating!