Road Trip!

If you haven't heard, the final LUGNuts Challenge is underway. Yes, after 10 years the monthly challenges are going on vacation, so it seems fitting that Mad physicist has built the ultimate vacation vehicle, the Griswold's station wagon. About the only thing more insane than a voluntary cross-country family vacation is the notion of putting fake wood on the side of cars.

Barn Find

Picture the scene (well you don't have to work that hard, here's a MOC by Norton74 to help), you and a fellow gear head get word that old man Jessup might have an "old race car" in his barn while out hunting for parts. You track him down and he agrees to show you the old beater out back. You all enter the dusty old barn and with a completely nonchalant yank of a tarp he reveals a Bugatti Type 35 Grand Prix. These things happen every year, and it has to be an amazing experience.

Mini Racers

Builder Unijob Lindo has been building these little dudes for a while now, and the collection is growing. They have a quirkiness that really appeals to me, just cute enough to be toy-like, just edgy enough to be something we're not likely to see from LEGO itself. To see some more of these clever little wonders check out Unijob Lindo's photostream.

Blacktron Gremlin

Yes, you read that right, Blacktron Gremlin. This month's LUGNuts challenge was all about cars with an official LEGO theme, so builder Lino M took one of the most beloved themes of all time... and paired it with an AMC Gremlin. Despite this questionable decision, the results are pretty stellar. 

Surf's Up

Growing up a native Californian 11 miles from the beach you'd naturally think I surf. And truth be told I did have a board and wetsuit in high school. But I was terrible, I mean truly awful. But that doesn't diminish my appreciation of this pair of beach ready rides from Norton74. Especially that sweet type 2, it even has a boom box to crank up some Surfpunks and some Coke, my kinda beach day.

El Camino

It takes one flip through a Sears Wishbook or a rerun of the Gong Show to remind yourself just how unattractive the 70's were. Things like avocado appliances and bellbottoms not only existed, they were popular. It is in this environment that things like wood paneling, orange on brown paint paint schemes and the shag dashboard were allowed to happen. So for LUGNuts' latest challenge "cult following", builder Lino M had to audacity to built an El Camino, with an orange on brown paint job...and it's friggin' awesome. It defies all logic, but he pulled it off.

Guido

Cars may not be my favorite Pixar movie, but it had some shining moments, and this guy was one of them. He may not speak any english, but his passion for Italian racing came through. This sculpture by Vincent's LEGO Creation captures his essence pretty much perfectly. Pit stop!

Zinger Van

For this month's LUGNuts challenge "pickups and vans" builder Lino M went with an early 70's fad known as a "zinger", where a toy car was fitted with oversized tires and a comparatively massive engine. They sort of went from a car show spectacle, to a range of model kits, to more car show spectacles, in a short lived but eye-bulging self-perpetuating cycle. More proof that around that time the world went sorta collectively bonkers.

'63 Vette

For a brief time of my childhood, me and my brother were pretty captivated by Corvettes. I think it was because we went to see Corvette Summer, and the only reason we really went to see that was because Luke Skywalker was in it. The movie pretty much bored us, but the car made a real impression. Looking back it was pretty cheesy, but this 1963 Stingray by builder brickdater is pure class, and an American classic.

Vroomy Vroomy, Smashy Smashy

What better way to show your excitement for the LEGO Porsche than to crash test it? The leading computer magazine in Germany, c't, ran a contest giving away one of these orange beauties, but they also crash tested one with the help of the German motor club ADAC. And by crash test I don't mean tossing off your balcony (I still get hate mail for that), they used an actual crash test facility and shot it from many, many angles with high speed cameras. The results are pretty epic.

Batmobile

It's still my favorite batmobile, the one from Tim Burton's groundbreaking Batman from 1989. Builder hachiroku24 nails the aesthetic of this now classic car. There's even room for Batman inside (but not Vicki Vale, probably for the best) and he shares how to build it on YouTube, check out the video!

French Beauty

How awesome would it be to roll down the street in this beauty? This lovely rendition of the Delahaye 136 by Lino M dates back to when design mattered, men wore hats and there was such a thing as "motoring", where just being out and about in the car was entertainment enough. I think in one of these, even today it would be enough, gorgeous.

Bring Your Exotic Car Dreams, And Your Wallet

This first picture might just fool you into thinking you're looking at a real Ferrari dealership, the second picture will leave you impressed with the sheer scale of this build, both will make you hungry for Italian. This dealership by builder rjl458 is the culmination of four years of work, and it shows. The attention to detail is so good I feel like any second someone's going to walk up to me and offer a test drive, to a car I could never afford.

Fab 1

Thunderbirds fans should recognize this beauty, it's Lady Penelope's Fab 1. And it's Lady Penelope herself, driven by her butler Parker. This six-wheeled, bullet-proof modified Rolls Royce in stunning pink not only gets you there in style, but packs a punch with forward and rear machine guns, oil slick and smoke screen. Although some of those features might not be included in this brilliant MOC by redfern1950s.

Cool-One

I don't know what's more cool, builder Lino M or this insane freezer truck inspired by the Hot-Wheels classic. From the chromed engine, to the crazy wheels to the totally aggressive stance, this thing looks race ready to deliver the frozen goods or ice it's competition.

Mooneyes

It's a landmark of a west coast motorsports legend, the Mooneyes headquarters in Santa Fe Springs California. If you've spent any time around hotrods, or even just admired them as they rolled by, you've probably spotted the iconic cartoon eyes logo of this home-brewed and passionate company. Builder Norton74 brings us the historic location of the company in this stunning MOC, which is superbly detailed inside and out.

Home On The Go

I've never been caravanning, or trailer camping, but I've always wanted to. I've been yearning for an Airstream all my life (in fact I just got a truck capable of towing one so I'm one step closer). So this little MOC by Gilcélio appeals to me on many levels. And not only does it look like a splendid time traveling, it looks sharp doing it. The color coordinated pairing makes this just that much better.

Autocar A64B

I don't know a whole lot about big trucks, but that doesn't diminish my appreciation for one that's well built. This Autocar A64B, the same truck used by Sylvester Stallone in Over The Top I understand, is detailed inside and out, right down to the fully kitted out engine compartment and stocked toolbox. Builder havoccnp took great care constructing this workhorse of the 60's and 70's, and it shows.

Kenworth Wrecker

Sometimes it's nice to visit an old friend, catch up on old times, size them up for flaws...then strip them down and go to work. Get your minds out of the gutter, I'm talking about revising an old MOC. In this case it's a truck that dates back from before BrickNerd was even a thing (henceforth known as BB, before BrickNerd). This Kenworth wrecker was originally build in 2013, but with the plethora of new parts, and a need to shave some studs and smooth some surfaces, builder legotrucks has brought her up to date. And what a beauty she is.

Porsche 919 Le Mans

This is speed, this is engineering, this is sexy. Builder Manuel Nascimento has built a Technic tribute to one of the fastest, sleekest and most famous race cars, the Porsche 919. It only takes a glance to see this was a labor of love, but it's in the details you see the true devotion. Click through for more pictures and check out the video.