The masterminds at Lego have been exploiting a niche lately, and by the looks of how many gearhead-oriented sets they’ve released in recent times, sales must be doing pretty well. The latest “Omg-I-gotta-have-that” set to join the brand’s Speed Champions series is none other than the sleek Ferrari 488 GT3.
Lego teamed up with the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship racing team Scuderia Corsa, whose driver Christina Nielsen and co-driver Alessandro Balzan have won the GTD class titles back to back in 2016 and 2017. The 179-piece prancing horse is primarily red, as it should be, but features stickers with the original sponsors’ logos such as Hublot, Motegi Racing, Ferrari of Silicon Valley, and Aero. Oh, and let’s not forget about that sexy rear wing with Scuderia Corsa lettering on it.
When it comes to Nielsen’s figurine, the mini Christina rocks a bright red lipstick to match her red racing suit complete with team sponsors and a blue racing helmet, just like in real life. And because she is a championship-winning driver, Lego awarded Nielsen a miniature winner’s trophy so young fans can celebrate victories from racing around the living room floor.
“The LEGO figurine is the cherry on top of a very strong run for the last two seasons. It is a great addition to some amazing memories and it feels pretty cool to say I have my own LEGO. In fact that is something I never thought would happen! Furthermore, it feels really good to know that now little girls can pick it up and see with their own eyes that women can compete in the world of racing and be champions,” Nielsen said in an email to The Drive.
Not only is the Scuderia Corsa Ferrari 488 GT3 an excellent addition to the Speed Champions line of products, but major kudos to Lego for featuring a successful female race car driver instead of creating a generic Ferrari 488 GT3. As the dad of a six-year-old girl who races go-karts, it’s little things like this that make me believe there’s a bright future for women in motorsports.