A fan-built Lego Renault 5 Turbo 3E has done what many real cars would like to do: go viral without looking as if a committee designed the campaign.
The brick-built version of Renault’s electric mini-supercar has reached 10,000 supporters on Lego Ideas in just 44 days, putting it into the official review stage for possible production as a Lego set.
Renault UK confirmed the milestone, with the model set to appear on the Renault stand at the Goodwood Festival of Speed from July 9 to 12.
The model is the work of UK engineer Dave Collins, who built the Renault 5 Turbo 3E tribute in Devon before Renault got behind the project and asked fans to vote for it.
Earlier campaign material said the build used about 1,200 pieces, although an Instagram post linked to the project put the count at 1,218 pieces.
The full-size Renault 5 Turbo 3E is not a normal electric hatchback. Renault describes it as a limited-run electric performance car, with 1,980 units planned, a 555 hp dual-motor powertrain, 0-100kph in under 3.5 seconds and a track top speed of 270kph. UK pricing is listed from about £140,000 (RM748,000).
The production number is a nod to 1980, the year of the original Renault 5 Turbo. That car was mad enough already. This one adds battery power, retro drama and, now, a possible Lego afterlife.
Lego Ideas still has to decide whether Collins’ model becomes an official set. For now, it has cleared the public-vote hurdle with unusual speed.
