Photo: Lego Ideas / BrickEngineer12716
When it comes to toys, there’s nothing better to unite kids and adults than Lego. From being great fun to build to serving as a learning tool, the small plastic bricks have it all. But not all builds are born equal and this Brutus Prototype might be the most technically advanced of them all.
If you’ve never heard of this car, get ready to have your mind blown, as it represents an exercise in excess. Everything about this car is absolutely insane and this Lego Ideas set goes above and beyond trying to recreate every absurd detail possible.
But before I get to all of the plastic brick goodness, let me introduce you to a few of the peculiarities of this vehicle. Starting with the engine, it is a gargantuan 46.9-liter V12 BMW aircraft engine made in 1925, which the people at the Technik Museum Sinsheim in Germany managed to jam into a 1908 American LaFrance fire engine chassis.
Unsurprisingly, with a displacement of that magnitude comes a lot of power, about 550 hp (558 ps) at 1530 rpm, with short bursts of up to 750 hp (760 ps) at 1700 rpm also available. That much grunt obviously does not come cheap, with the Brutus guzzling through as much as 1 liter of fuel per kilometer (about 2.3 mgp).
As this aircraft-engined vehicle is little more than a glorified road missile, its top speed is just as impressive. The Brutus can reach over 120 mph (200 kph), as proven by the brave Roger Collings at the high-speed oval of the Bosch test track in Boxberg.
Even more bloodcurdling than going at those speeds in the Brutus is the fact that the driver is only separated from the moving parts of the engine by a mesh grid. But if you thought that wasn't frightening enough, I will tell you what is.
All of that power is sent only to the rear axle through a chain-drive three-speed gearbox. It's also only in the rear that this car gets brakes, making driving this thing a unique experience, to put it mildly.
As far as this build is concerned, it really does the car justice, paying special attention to the engine. Similar to the quirky configuration of its real counterpart, the Lego version has pistons of two different sizes.
The transmission is also accurately replicated and it does actually change gears with a ratcheting lever situated on the outside, while inside, there is a gear indicator. A lot of work, including a functional leaf spring suspension system, went into this Lego Ideas set.
The result is as much a showcase of intricate mechanisms as it is a display piece, totaling 1,100 pieces and reaching a length of 25 inches (63 cm). One that is absolutely worth showing some love to, on the Lego Ideas website.
But before I get to all of the plastic brick goodness, let me introduce you to a few of the peculiarities of this vehicle. Starting with the engine, it is a gargantuan 46.9-liter V12 BMW aircraft engine made in 1925, which the people at the Technik Museum Sinsheim in Germany managed to jam into a 1908 American LaFrance fire engine chassis.
Unsurprisingly, with a displacement of that magnitude comes a lot of power, about 550 hp (558 ps) at 1530 rpm, with short bursts of up to 750 hp (760 ps) at 1700 rpm also available. That much grunt obviously does not come cheap, with the Brutus guzzling through as much as 1 liter of fuel per kilometer (about 2.3 mgp).
As this aircraft-engined vehicle is little more than a glorified road missile, its top speed is just as impressive. The Brutus can reach over 120 mph (200 kph), as proven by the brave Roger Collings at the high-speed oval of the Bosch test track in Boxberg.
Even more bloodcurdling than going at those speeds in the Brutus is the fact that the driver is only separated from the moving parts of the engine by a mesh grid. But if you thought that wasn't frightening enough, I will tell you what is.
All of that power is sent only to the rear axle through a chain-drive three-speed gearbox. It's also only in the rear that this car gets brakes, making driving this thing a unique experience, to put it mildly.
As far as this build is concerned, it really does the car justice, paying special attention to the engine. Similar to the quirky configuration of its real counterpart, the Lego version has pistons of two different sizes.
The transmission is also accurately replicated and it does actually change gears with a ratcheting lever situated on the outside, while inside, there is a gear indicator. A lot of work, including a functional leaf spring suspension system, went into this Lego Ideas set.
The result is as much a showcase of intricate mechanisms as it is a display piece, totaling 1,100 pieces and reaching a length of 25 inches (63 cm). One that is absolutely worth showing some love to, on the Lego Ideas website.
Google News