LEGO® Speed Champions review: 76916 Porsche 963

The Porsche 963 is the German automobile manufacturer's newest race car and draws inspiration from the 956 and 962 from Porsche's 1980s racing days. It was revealed last year at the Goodwood Festival of Speed and just made its racing debut last month at Daytona. Better still, next month it's getting a brick-built replica in LEGO® Speed Champions 76916 Porsche 963, which we are looking at today.

Products in this article were provided by LEGO®; the author's opinions are their own.
LEGO® Speed Champions 76916 Porsche 963 
US$24.99/ £19.99/ 24.99€/ AU$32.99
280 parts
1 March 2022
Buying from LEGO.com? Please consider using our affiliate links, we may get a commission: USA LEGO Shop | Australia LEGO Shop | UK LEGO Shop.

New elements 

The March LEGO Speed Champions sets contain some wonderful new elements and 76916 Porsche 963 is no exception. 

Mudguard 2x4x2, No. 2 (Design ID 3387)

• 2x wheel arches 2x4x2 in White (Element ID 6438923)
• 2x wheel arches 2x4x2 in Black (6443446) 

This redesigned wheel arch now allows builders to tile above wheel wells, for super-smooth body work on vehicles. You can read more in our interview with LEGO Speed Champions creative lead, Christopher Leslie Stamp.

The Black wheel arches are exclusive to this set but the White ones also appear in 76918 McLaren Solus GT & McLaren F1 LM. You will also be able to get them in Red in 76914 Ferrari 812 Competizione and in Dark Bluish Grey in 76915 Pagani Utopia. I'll be reviewing all these sets for you over the coming weeks.

Windscreen 4x6x1 1/3, No. 1 (3384)

• 1x windscreen 4x6x1 1/3 in Trans-Black (6408458) 

A new element with a new print! This element also appears in 76918 McLaren Solus GT & McLaren F1 LM, with a different decoration. 

This new cockpit may well be the sleekest to date, and was created to better represent the teardrop-shaped cockpits of today's hypercars compared to the existing 'boxy' windscreens in the LEGO parts library. 

"If you look at a lot of vehicles, like the McLaren Senna or the Koenigsegg Jesko, the teardrop shape is very important and a lot of these more modern hybrid supercars have this shaping. We are using this on both our new McLafen Solus GT and Porsche 963. We could have made two very specific cockpits: one of these cars has a little bit more of a longer front and the other one's a bit shorter in the front, but we've met in the middle, and we've made one that's a bit more generic and can be used across multiple vehicles." 

-  LEGO® Speed Champions Senior Design Manager, Christopher Leslie Stamp

 

The curve on the top surface is a semicircle with a 1-module radius and the semicircle on the base has a 2-module radius. It is 6 plates tall and the angles of the sides are 45 degrees, so that teardrop can be recreated smoothly when this new element is used with existing wedge elements.

Plate 1x3, Rounded, No. 1 (77850)

• 4x Plate Rounded 1 x 3 with hollow studs in Black (6428168) 

This element will also be appearing in 76915 Pagani Utopia and looks to appear in 76918 McLaren Solus GT & McLaren F1 LM as well. 

This new element was a welcome surprise as it was not revealed along with the other new elements at Fan Media Days, nor was it visible in any of the promotional material for the new LEGO Speed Champions sets released on 1 January. 

It's another element that seems like it’ll be universally useful among MOC builders, just like its sister 1x2 version. 

Plate 1x1x2/3, w/ 1 Knob, Rounded (3386)

• 9x Plate 1 x 1 x 2/3 Half Round with Side Stud in Black (6424674)

Of the four March LEGO Speed Champions sets, 76916 Porsche 963 contains the highest quantity of this exciting new element. The ‘baby D SNOT’, as we’ve christened it at New E, can also be found in 76915 Pagani Utopia and looks to appear in 76918 McLaren Solus GT & McLaren F1 LM. 

This unique new element has been called a 'game changer' by Chris Stamp and it should certainly open up a world of new techniques for builders. 

In some ways it's similar to the existing 2x2 modified plate with studs or a headlight brick placed lying on its back, however it's much smaller at just 2 plates high with a 1-module footprint. When a plate or tile is placed on the sideways stud, it is flush to the bottom of the element and, as it is 2 plates tall

It'll pair nicely with a standard SNOT brick to make the equivalent of a Brick Special 1 x 1 x 1 2/3 with Studs on 1 Side. 

And that's not all; it has an open stud for a 3.18 bar, and the surface opposite the side stud is curved which allows the brick to be placed at different angles. 

 

There is a slight caveat, however. As the brick is only two elements tall, if a brick or plate is placed on that side stud, builders will have to think carefully about what they attach on top of the baby D SNOT so as not to hinder the element's rotation. You can't place two elements immediately adjacent to the brick or you’ll run in to the same problems: you'll need to leave a small gap either side.

In case you missed it, you can read our exclusive interview with Chris Stamp for further insight into the design process of the fascinating new ‘baby D SNOT’ element. 

Minifigure parts 

76916 Porsche 963 includes one minifigure. 

• 1x Legs in White (6438739 | 970cxx) 
• 1x Torso in White (6443869 | 973cxx) 
• 1x head in Yellow (6438740 | 3626cprx) 

The torso and legs that make up his Porsche overalls both sport new prints. His head has a new element ID but it looks familiar. 

Recolours 

• 4x Plate Round 1 x 2 Half Circle with Stud (Jumper) in Black (6438919 | 1745) 
• 2x Tile Round 1 x 2 Half Circle in Trans-Clear (6443797 | 1748) 

The new Half Circle Jumper was discussed in Tom Loftus’ review of 71408 Peach’s Castle Expansion Set. Its use in the Porsche shows it is a useful element both structurally and decoratively so I’m glad it appears here in a new colour.

• 1x Tail 8 x 1 with Stepped Fin in Black (6438920 | 23930)

This specialized element first appeared as a tail fin for an A-wing back in 2016 and since then it has been seldom seen outside of LEGO® Star Wars™ sets and it’s almost always used for the same purpose. 76916 Porsche 963 breathes new life into the element, both in its new Black recolour but also in its usage in the set. Black is the fourth colour in which it appears. 

Rare parts 

The following elements appear in five sets or fewer: 

• Slope Curved 3 x 2 with Stud Notch Left in White (6407402 | 80177) in 2 sets
• Slope Curved 3 x 2 with Stud Notch Right in White (6407399 | 80178) in 2 sets
• Bar Holder with Hole and Bar Handle in Dark Bluish Grey (6397633 | 23443) in 2 sets
• Panel 1 x 3 x 1 in Black (6382491 | 23950) in 4 sets

• 1 x bag containing Wheel Cover 5 Spoke and 9 Spoke for Wheel in Black (6336204 | 72210)

Sticker sheet

LEGO Speed Champions sticker sheets have generally been getting smaller, now that important details such as headlights come as prints on the bricks. The Porsche 963 stickers, however, are plentiful: 34 in total, to recreate the striking Porsche motorsport decals. I chose not to apply them. 

Building 76916 Porsche 963

There's a fair bit of plate stacking in the first bag but the build changes gear upon opening the second, as there are some impressive techniques to recreate the sharp details of the racecar.

The spoiler and details on the rear of the 963 are easily the most intricate and engaging part of the build. Seeing these two subassemblies fit together so perfectly is super satisfying. The subtle half-plate step in the spoiler is a nice detail that is true to the real thing.

We see some of the new elements in action towards the front of the car, with the 1 x 3 rounded plate and transparent half-circle tiles used to make the headlights. 

There are a few LEGO Speed Champions vehicles that conceal deceptively large elements in their construction, and the big black fin is cleverly disguised in the Porsche. The cutaway above shows another interesting technique that made me chuckle: the subversive use of doors on either side of the cockpit which do not actually function as doors, but rather their thin profile allows the driver to sit comfortably within the narrow confines of the car.

The important teardrop shape of the cockpit is reproduced faithfully with the wedges matching perfectly to the lines of the new windscreen element, despite lying at 90 degrees to one another. 

LEGO Speed Champions 76915 Pagani Utopia on LEGO.com

Closing Thoughts

Considering the constraints of LEGO bricks, this brick-built version of the Porsche 963 captures the overall aesthetic of the real thing very well. The curves are all there and the new cockpit is the perfect match for that all important teardrop shape featured on many of today's supercars. 

©2023 The LEGO Group

I didn't apply the stickers and the result is still a nice looking car, if not a little plain. Above is the fully stickered version in all its glory. The extensive sticker sheet elevates this to something that looks like it might not even be made form LEGO bricks, it's so smooth!

Thanks to the extensive use of tiles as well as the new wheel arches, the LEGO Porsche 963 looks about as sleek and aerodynamic as the real thing, with only a handful of studs in sight.

I'm not a big fan of cars but I always enjoy putting the LEGO Speed Champions sets together. They are my go-to for a fun and relatively inexpensive build to occupy a bit of free time, and I always go away feeling I've learned a new building trick. 76916 ticks all these boxes as well as providing a good helping of some exciting new and useful parts for your MOC building needs.

LEGO® Speed Champions 76916 Porsche 963 will be released on 1 March 2023 priced US$24.99/ £19.99/ 24.99€/ AU$32.99. Buying from LEGO.com? Please consider using our affiliate links, we may get a commission: USA LEGO Shop | Australia LEGO Shop | UK LEGO Shop.

 

Editor: Chris Baginski

READ MORE: LEGO® Speed Champions interview: Christopher Stamp discusses new parts 3385 and 3387

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