New elements were required for LEGO Icons Shelby Cobra's 'most important' features

The Shelby team told the LEGO Group which real-life features were most important to recreate – but it wasn't possible with the existing parts.

LEGO Icons 10357 Shelby Cobra 427 S/C delivers an in-scale replica of the iconic 1960s sports car, capturing the unique curves and authentic features, from the side exhausts to the gaping mouth grille. Some of those elements proved tricky for LEGO designer Léon Pijnenburg to deliver on.

“The rounded body shape of the car was challenging,” explained Léon. “And the car is also fairly small, so finding room to connect parts was tricky.”

Indeed, although most of these challenges could be solved with existing elements, 10357 Shelby Cobra 427 S/C also brings out a number of new elements.

"The left and right 1x4 double-curved bow were essential in capturing the rounded body," he said. "Angling the sides, nose, hood and rear quarter panels also helped give it a more rounded appearance.”

The priorities for the set were decided with help from the team at Shelby American, who shared stories about the company, the car, and its history to inform some of the set's inside references and design features.

“We asked them what they thought were the most important aspects to get right," Léon continued. "They pointed out the iconic blue livery with white racing stripes, the front of the car, the side exhausts and the roll bar. Getting the livery right was easy, but the rest took a bit more time.

"The side exhausts are attached in a special way because they’re mounted angling down, whereas the exhaust pipes themselves are angled up. We also felt that we needed to get the rims right, and since they could not be made with existing elements, we created a new element that included the tri-wing spinners.”

Not only do these new pieces help perfect the look of 10357 Shelby Cobra 427 S/C, but should also make custom builds that much easier, with more variety hopefully eventually ending up on Pick a Brick.

10357 Shelby Cobra 427 S/C will be available from July 1 (for LEGO Insiders, or July 4 for everyone else) at LEGO.com and in LEGO Stores, priced at £139.99 / $159.99 / €149.99.

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