Mercedes-Benz Renntransporter made out of Legos makes us wish we were kids again

By Ronan Glon April 14, 2015

Well-known Lego enthusiast Firas Abu-Jaber has published pictures of his latest creation, an accurate replica of the iconic Mercedes-Benz Renntransporter that was built to haul cars to races all over Europe during the 1950s.

You might be thinking “my five-year old kid can build a tow truck with Legos!” However, Abu-Jaber’s replica is impressive because he built it entirely from scratch, it’s not a kit that you can simply buy in stores or online. The truck’s proportions are surprisingly lifelike and the short hood, the concave two-part rear window and the curved rear fascia are all faithfully represented.

Moving beyond the overall silhouette, careful observers will notice that the Renntransporter’s round headlights, its Ponton sedan-sourced front turn signals and its single-slat radiator grille are accounted for. The story is the same around back, where Abu-Jaber has even gone through the trouble of adding the truck’s gasoline filler cap above the passenger-side tail light.

The Renntransporter’s body can be removed to reveal a relatively detailed cockpit with two individual seats, a pair of pedals, a full center console and two levers. The truck’s straight-six engine is located directly behind the passenger compartment, and examining the chassis reveals that it is fitted with a four-wheel independent suspension system.

The ramps are fully functional, and Abu-Jaber has built an equally impressive replica of a Gullwing-bodied 1955 Mercedes-Benz 300 SL to go along with the Renntransporter. The gullwing doors open and close, and the hood pops up to reveal the SL’s fuel-injected 3.0-liter straight-six engine.

How long it took Abu-Jaber to build each model is up in the air. As far as we know, Lego is not planning on offering an official Renntransporter/300 SL kit in the near future, but we’d be the very first ones in line if such a project ever sees the light of day.

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Ronan Glon is an American automotive and tech journalist based in southern France. As a long-time contributor to Digital…

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2023 Mercedes-Benz EQE SUV preview: The EV lineup grows again

Front three quarter view of the 2023 Mercedes-Benz EQE SUV.

As Mercedes-Benz has steadily expanded its EQ range of electric cars, the lineup has become a bit like the late stages of a Tetris game. It’s mostly complete, but with a few gaps still left. And the 2023 Mercedes-Benz EQE SUV is the piece that perfectly fits one of them.
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Design
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Cars

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Front three quarter view of the 2023 Mercedes-Benz EQS SUV.

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The EQS SUV looks like a melting scoop of ice cream.

Cars

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Mercedes-Benz S-Class sedan with Drive Pilot.

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