The Jaguar E-Type is a gorgeous car and a veritable icon of British automotive history. The low-slung stance, long hood, and elegant curves give it a sleek appearance, even over 60 years after it was first unveiled. Its upcoming Lego rendition is, well, certainly an attempt at capturing that essence.
Early pictures of the Jaguar E-Type Roadster Lego set have surfaced online after a retailer accidentally published the listing on its website ahead of time. It will be part of the Lego Icons series, which has seen other classics like the ’69 Chevy Camaro Z/28 and even historic racers like Nigel Mansell’s Williams FW14B.
Even for a car made of Lego bricks, it looks awfully flat and boxy—the exact opposite of the E-Type’s profile. Part of the appeal of these sets is seeing how the designers overcome the limitations of available bricks and still manage to capture the spirit of beloved cars. This time though, some fans are feeling that Lego might have phoned it in.
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For starters, the gentle bulge on the E-Type’s hood to accomodate the engine is represented by an awkward row of curved pieces that look more like a sliced sausage. No sharp chrome bumpers here, either—just lazily curved pieces that don’t even pretend to be anything else other than dull plastic. And nobody’s missing the haphazardly clipped-on plastic ovals to represent the headlights, either.
That said, I wouldn’t say it’s all bad for the Lego E-Type. The car has plenty of functional panels that do open, and the details they do manage to squeeze into the interior are quite nice. The engine bay neatly presents a miniature straight-six, and the tools lined up in the trunk are charming.
And then we have the cockpit. The steering wheel has a Jaguar logo in the middle, a Lego piece unique to this set. It’s also connected to the front axle; turning the steering wheel from the cockpit also turns the front wheels. Other details Lego managed to squeeze in the cockpit include multiple printed bricks representing the instrument gauges, manual window cranks, and even a gear shifter.
You might remember that a while back, we were able to get up-close and personal with an E-Type thanks to our contributor, Spencer. We asked for his take on its upcoming Lego form, and he’s a fan of the look. As is, we’ll just have to count this Jaguar as one of the more polarizing car builds from Lego.
The Jaguar E-Type Roadster is set number 11381, and is releasing on August 1st this year. Total parts count is 1,673 pieces, and will retail for $139.99 (around P8,600). The completed build measures 37cm long and 9cm tall, and the soft top can be toggled either up or down. Love it? Hate it? Let us know in the comments.
More photos of the Jaguar E-Type Roadster Lego set:
