Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 - 42115

[Porsche96]

Ford Mustang Shelby GT500

Specifications

Length/width/height: 79s / 32s / 28s (63/26/22 cm)

Scale: 1:8

Weight: 2461g

Parts: 3152

Features

Front and rear independent suspension
8-speed sequential gearbox
Working V8 engine with compressor
RWD
Steered wheels by HOG
Working steering wheel
Openable doors, hood and bonnet

You could say "finally". It's one of MOCs that I have been creating for the longest time.

It originally suposed to be Lamborghini Urus (but Loxlego was faster), later Mercedes AMG GT (here similar situation), so the final choice was Ford Mustang in the flagship version Shelby GT500. In the meantime Lego introduced 42138 set, what confirmed me that it was a good choice (you can take photos of the "big" and the "small" one).
Below there are some WIP photos. You can see how the lights have evolved to their current version.

Mustang comes with front wheels steered by a HOG with working steering wheel. There is no 4 wheel drive, so the turning radius isn't bad.
In the front and in the rear there is independent suspension. In the front with McPherson strut, and in the rear double wishbone. Front suspension features geometry - Ackermann steering, KPI - King Pin Inclination and a minimal negative Camber. The bottom wishbone has 9 studs of length, what creates big lever, so one shock absorber for a wheel is fine. The rear suspension is simpler with two shock absorbers per wheel. The gearbox is placed just before the rear axle. The rear differential is moved back by 4 studs from the rear axle, so I could fit everything. You can see it on the picture taken from bottom.
The gearbox comes with 8 gears and it's my creation. Unlike Lego sets (42083, 42115, 42143) I haven't used small 8 gear but bigger 24 gear. In my opinion it's better solution, I'm not a fan of using small gears in a drivetrain. The gears are changed by a lever inside or a second one, located in place of the rear window. It makes easier to change the gears during drive, you don't have to put your hands inside the interior. In the mechanism there is a blockade preventing changing from 8th gear to 1st.
I tried to make a detailed engine bay, there is working compressor and a cone air filter.

Comparison with Lego's Mustang.

I am really satisfied with this model. Despite limited amount of parts it turned out quite well. You can see that it's Mustang, what I think is the most important 😁

Instruction on Rebrickable

Gallery

Video

Edited December 3, 2023 by Porsche96

[SaperPL]

It's beautiful, but do you have a photo with angled pose like in the first one, but without the box in the background so it's the car on clear background, to be the first in the thread?

@Milan frontpage ?

[Porsche96]

3 minutes ago, SaperPL said:

It's beautiful, but do you have a photo with angled pose like in the first one, but without the box in the background so it's the car on clear background, to be the first in the thread?

@Milan frontpage ?

Thanks :D Yes, I have just done it.

[zoo]

This is just beautiful. I'm not a big fan of the real Mustang of later generations but you've managed to improve on it's looks in my opinion. Masterfully done!

[Milan]

19 minutes ago, SaperPL said:

 

@Milan frontpage ?

A beautiful model, effort put into creating nice photos, and a rich presentation were made to actually showcase the model on the forum without being overly promotional about selling instructions...all of which we appreciate.
Yes, it is scheduled for frontpaging.

Awesome shot from both the front and back of the car!

[Jay Psi]

@Porsche96 Didn't you make the Audi R8 Spyder from 42083? That was probably the best alternate of the Chiron I built. The time you spent on this has not been wasted, I can assure you.

How has the 24/8-tooth gear swap worked in practice? I've tried something similar but with little success space-wise.

[2GodBDGlory]

Good job! The white bars for the headlights look really good--have you tried making a variant using clear parts for the circular part of the headlight, though? It wouldn't quite be a B-model anymore, but that one little detail seems like it would do a lot for the appearance of that key part, so it might be a worthwhile option to add

[gyenesvi]

This looks great, well made (only the lower door area looks a bit cluttered to me), and I like that you did something non-conventional for the front suspension. Also, I like the HoG and shifter being routed to the back for easier playability.

Edited December 4, 2023 by gyenesvi

[Jurss]

Impressive build, paneling is really well done. Maybe those rear view mirrors are too big. But they are black, and doesn't stand out so much.

And maybe I missed, but nowhere in text or title it is mentioned that it is really B-model. 

[Celeri]

Magnificent!

I was patiently waiting to see what you would come up with after your Audi R8 that made me dismantle my Chiron only a few days after I built it (this MOC is such a must-have for any #42083 owner), and the wait was worth it!

Congrats 👍

[Romanista]

Awesome work! The silhouette of the MOC is so beautiful. 

I really appreciate your variant of McPherson front suspension which traditionally is hard to replicate. As far as I can see, the entire load in this suspension strut is distributed over a single pin. However, this is compensated by limiting the shock absorber travel. Very elegant solution.

 

 

Edited December 5, 2023 by Romanista

[gnat_bricks]

WOW. This is so awesome. The bodywork you have done with it is unbelievable. Very good shaping. And this is an alternate build. Congrats.  

[Porsche96]

Thanks to everyone 😁

On 12/3/2023 at 8:13 PM, Milan said:

Yes, it is scheduled for frontpaging.

Thanks!

On 12/3/2023 at 8:39 PM, Jay Psi said:

@Porsche96 Didn't you make the Audi R8 Spyder from 42083? That was probably the best alternate of the Chiron I built. The time you spent on this has not been wasted, I can assure you.

How has the 24/8-tooth gear swap worked in practice? I've tried something similar but with little success space-wise.

Yes, I did. Great to hear that. Here and here are some screenshots from studio, maybe this will help you.

On 12/3/2023 at 8:39 PM, 2GodBDGlory said:

Good job! The white bars for the headlights look really good--have you tried making a variant using clear parts for the circular part of the headlight, though? It wouldn't quite be a B-model anymore, but that one little detail seems like it would do a lot for the appearance of that key part, so it might be a worthwhile option to add

Cool idea! I didn't even think about it, but unfortunately I don't have these in trans-clear.

On 12/4/2023 at 7:04 AM, Jurss said:

Impressive build, paneling is really well done. Maybe those rear view mirrors are too big. But they are black, and doesn't stand out so much.

And maybe I missed, but nowhere in text or title it is mentioned that it is really B-model. 

Yes, they are a bit too big, but I think they add a little of agressive look.

[MAP Tec]

Well done!!!

[Michael217]

It certainly looks good! But from the outside it's not a Mustang at all) and the body shape is more like a Porsche or Audi TT) More can be achieved on such a scale!) Good luck!

 

 

[R0Sch]

For an alternate model it looks really nice. Certainly more recognizable as a Mustang Shelby GT compared to the small LEGO brother. Maybe the top needs to be lowered by a module to resemble more a Mustang than a Porsche.

[zoo]

To look more like a Mustang, it's probably correct to lower the roofline. However, the lower roofline makes the mustang an ugly looking car in my opinion. So, what is the goal with the model? :)

[Bensch55]

Finally someone actually pays attention to the suspension setup used on the real car and replicates it with proper geometry!  This alone makes it stand out from all the other double-wishbone-skateboard-chassis 90% of mocs and Lego sets use!

[langko]

You can 100% tell what it is supposed to be, even if I think it looks way to curvy compared to the real thing. Almost a bit more cartoonish and less muscle like. 
Always cool though to see another front engined car and I appreciate the interesting front suspension. 
No doubt it will be successful on rebrickable thanks to the B-model and being easy for people to build. Thanks for sharing!

[clb5150]

Looks great. Thanks for sharing!

[damian_kane_iv]

If you're looking to further optimize the front suspension, I highly recommend looking at this example: