What was formally a rear-engined micro car has been turned into a V-8 powered gasser!

Tags:   lego vespa gasser micro car 400 dragster hotrod

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Although I have designed quite a number of Peterbilt scale models (without a doubt my favorite truck brand), I did not have one on display at the moment. I have a habit of disassembling models quite quickly after I finished them. With the Legoworld show in The Netherlands coming up soon, I decided it was not more then fitting to construct a new one.

I wanted to take a fresh approach on this truck though, and although on first glance it might look as a generic Bricksonwheels truck, this one is actually very different from others I made in the past. There is more detail, geometry optimization, and (for me) uncommon retro-style colors. I also stepped away from the common 24x43 wheels, and took some modern rims, also seen on dedicated showtrucks nowadays. Soon I will take some more pictures, and start work on a fitting trailer.

Our group of scale modelers will be present once more during the Legoworld event in Utrecht, NL, with an awesome booth from 24 till 30 october.

Tags:   Lego Scale Modeling Lugnuts Legotrucks Bricksonwheels Brickstuff.com Chrome Peterbilt Scale Model Scale Modeling Showtruck

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Manufacturer: Aayutha Vahana Dynamics Pvt. Ltd
Nationality: India
First assembled: November 8, 2058
Birthplace: Manali, Tamil Nadu, India
Engine: 4.4 L Twin Turbo V8
HP: 780
0-60: 3.2 Seconds
Top Speed: 165.00 MPH

The Aruna luxury sportscar is the face of Aayutha Vahana Dynamics' (AVD) global expansion. A "halo car" in every sense of the word, its main purpose was to draw eyes to the brand as it reaches out to new markets. One could understandably look at the Aruna through a cynical lens, believing it to be just a pretty-looking marketing stunt with no real depth or care. That simply couldn't be further from the truth . The Aruna is an outright unparalleled example of a grand tourer and great sportscar by any regard. Absolutely elegant craftsmanship and theater combined with some of the best high-performance engineering in the industry certainly did alot to give AVD great public perception in its new markets. It even sold well enough that AVD is mulling over a second generation, or at minimum a refresh. Not to mention the Aruna's stint in endurance racing, with the Aruna GT.R seeing great success in the far eastern racing circuit. AVD reported that sales of their products did increase outside their domestic markets after the Aruna's introduction, meaning that it did have the desired effect. Despite how good of a car it is on its own, at the end of the day the Aruna was born from marketing. Its purpose was to draw attention to itself and AVD, and to keep those eyes on AVD while hopefully bringing more in, the Aruna would need to evolve in ways no-one was likely expecting. It would have to evolve in ways few sportscars do at all.

From the Thar desert to the rainforests of Goa, India is home to plenty of challenging locales for racers not satisfied with the tarmac. The rallying scene in India is large and active, and AVD was familiar with them before the Aruna was even a twinkle in their eye. Some of their heavy work trucks were modified to compete in rally raid events, and their electric city cars saw action in smaller rallycross divisions. Before the Aruna GT.R hit the racetracks, AVD's official motorsports team earned their stripes in these rugged motorsports disciplines. With the Aruna proving itself to be a capable racing platform, AVD decided to be a bit unconventional. After all, when the Aruna was first unveiled, AVD did state that racing was a part of its DNA. They were never specific about just what kind of racing, however. Which is why in 2058 AVD took its past and present motorsports history and meshed them together. Simply dubbed the Aruna Nomad, this version of AVD's poster car has completely dropped luxury for rugged offroading prowess. One look at the Nomad is all it takes to see how serious AVD is on turning the Aruna into something built to master any terrain. An 8-inch lift, burly ram bars/skid plate combo, twin spare tires, the Nomad is the physical embodiment of dumping dress shoes for hiking boots. And somehow, it manages to go even further than that.

Crystaline holo-screens, high-quality silk, bio-oak, thick sheep's wool and brushed aerospace-grade metals. These are some of the posh, luxurious materials you'll find in the tarmac-oriented Aruna GT. With the Nomad, AVD outright flipped the luxurious aspects on its head in the single-minded approach to sheer ruggedness. Its now stripped out completely to cut down on weight. The floors are just bare metal with their welds completely exposed. The heated/cooled leather seats with massage functionality are dumped for race-spec bucket seats. All the crystaline displays and touch screens are swapped out for physical toggle switches, knobs and dials. Scaffolding for a rally-spec steel rollcage takes the place of the rear seats which have been completely removed. Besides the heating/AC systems which are outright needed for some of the rough weather conditions the Nomad will find itself in, the most "luxurious" features inside is a dedicated rehydration system for the driver and navigator, and a state-of-the-art racing GPS. In a somewhat comedic touch, the final piece of luxury carried over from the Aruna GT is the complimentary umbrella stored in the door. Sitting in the driver's seat makes it clear that the Nomad is a serious piece of kit, but you clearly don't need to step inside to figure that out.

Aerospace-grade brushed titanium adorned the exterior of the Aruna GT in elegant fashion. Said titanium is now covered up in matte black to minimize reflections and offer a more aggressive appearance. Because with the aforementioned 8-inch lift, ram bars and rally lights it clearly just wasn't aggressive enough. The 8-inch lift is just the base height provide by 8 total adjustable electromagnetic dampers that can go upwards to 12 inches. The brushed magnesium wheels are swapped out for a carbon-kelvar set riding on rally-spec all-terrain tires. To help fit these wheels better, the Nomad has widened wheel arches that are blackened out for a more rugged look. Speaking of wheels, possibly the most radical change to the Aruna's appearance for the Nomad is how the rear trunk lid is removed entirely to make room for a pair of spare tires. Any cargo a driver would wish to bring along for long journey will have to be stored on the new roof rack. Said cargo is likely the specialized equipment package AVD includes with each Nomad. Said equipment includes waterproof luggage crates, a complete toolkit and box, recovery gear like sand tarps and a foldable spade, a small solar generator with a floodlight, and even a roof tent. Up front is a set of four rally lights to make night drives in deserts or forests a bit brighter, and front ram bars help reinforce the front in case of collisions. Hidden behind these bars is a winch that can be operated from the interior, in case the Nomad literally gets in too deep. The entire undercarriage of the Nomad is protected by a large steel chassis guard, with a titanium skidplate up front protecting the engine and cooling systems. Its very clear that AVD took great care in setting the Nomad up to conquer any terrain, but to be truly competitive it'll need more than a taller ride height and some extra lights. It needs power. Fortunately the Aruna was never lacking in this department to start with, and its one area the Nomad will retain the status quo.

British motorsports/engineering marque Rose Motors was almost entirely responsible for creating the 4.4L twin-turbo V8 that powers all Aruna roadcars. That engine is still around in the Nomad, but AVD opted to give it more power than before. The Aruna was more than powerful enough with 570 HP, but the Nomad is here now with a massive boost up to 780 HP. Combined with the new AWD system, the Nomad is capable to moving quickly on outright any surface. 0-60 takes just over 3 seconds, and AVD chose to electronically limit the top speed to 165 MPH. Slower overall than the Aruna GT, but one has to remember the Aruna can move this quickly on any surface. Which AVD demonstrated frequently after the Nomad's debut. AVD's factory team took the Nomad racing almost immediately, debuting in India's own Dakshin Dare. Its motorsports debut was successful with the Nomad winning its class in Dakshin, and would see similar results across over rally events across its homeland. AVD would then return to rally events abroad with the Nomad, competing in famous events such as the Silk Way Rally, the Rallye OiLibya du Maroc, and even the Legendary Dakar. AVD would always at least score a place on the podium with the Nomad, further improving the Aruna's motorsports pedigree. This super-luxurious GT car that was built primarily to draw attention to its maker now had one of the most varied and impressive motorsports career. Its a successful GT racer, endurance-class car, and now a tried-and-true rallycar and off-roader. Needless to say, this kept the Aruna in the spotlight, and therefore gave the AVD brand more of the international exposure it seeked when it first made its halo car.

The Nomad's mere existence was crazy enough on its own. With most brands, something like it would only be a concept car, paraded around auto shows to catch a few headlines before being forgotten by its manufacturer and the general public. Yet the Nomad was "real", actually out in the world doing what it was designed for and doing it well. AVD got even crazier, however. The Aruna Nomad isn't actually a race-only car, and AVD isn't keeping it for themselves. The Nomad is a limited-production variant of the Aruna that's even street-legal, with the difference between it and the race-prepped version AVD's factory team ran only being a few race-regulated parts and settings. Mind you, the word "limited" in "limited production" is doing some heavy work. AVD will only be producing 100 Nomads, not only making it the most exclusive variant of the Aruna, but the most exclusive vehicle AVD has ever made. The entire production run of the Nomad was sold out almost immediately after AVD opened reservations.

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I think I started this MOC way before I started to build Boxer IFV. But for some reason I didn't continue it back then. I don't know anymore - was it because I run out of ideas, how to continue, or was it just simply change of interests. But it doesn't matter anymore, because here we are now with finished C7

As it may be seen, the Porsche 911 set was a huge parts donor for this one. But it is not directly an alternate, as there are many additional elements. I'll try to build instructions for this one. So then we'll see. But for one thing I'm sure - those newest tile and curved slopes - those are pure GOLD!! Without them, I don't think I'd be able to build this. Could this be the reason I put this project on pause back in the years?

Tags:   Chevrolet Corvette C7 vette lego custom model scale modelling rolands rolic moc mocking

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1987 Porsche 962C, the Last win of the longest Le Mans winning streak by any manufacturer, and the last win for a Porsche 956/962C. Driven by Hans- Joachim Stuck, Derek Bell and Al Holbert.

203 pieces LEGO model
Instructions available at Rebrickable
Stickers made by Brickstickershop
Custom rims by Brickthebrick

Tags:   lego legomoc legocar legospeedchampions productphotography lifestylephotography lemans lemans24h 24hlemans 24heuresdumans speedchampionslego speedchampions speedchampionsmoc wec porsche 962c porsche962c group-c

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