Caterham is one of the very few automakers that offer its vehicles as kits that you can assemble yourself. You can do this with basically every Seven currently on offer, except the new, limited-edition Sprint and the track-ready 620R. Actually, as of October 2016 you'll be able to build your own 620R too, but you'll have to settle for a LEGO set in order to do that.

Caterham has just announced that the 620R has become its first-ever vehicle to be immortalized in LEGO form. The extreme sports car was recently submitted to the LEGO Ideas platform, a process that all models have to go through in order to be selected for production, and gained the required 10,000 votes from LEGO fans around the world.

The set consists of 771 pieces, including a replica 620R engine and gear stick, while the assembled model car stands 10 cm (3.9 inches) tall and 28 cm (11 inches) long. Features include a removable nose, removable engine hood, opening trunk, and a working steering wheel. Pricing is set at £69 in the United Kingdom and at $79.99 in the United States. Quite affordable compared to the real thing, which retails from £44,995.

Caterham is pretty enthusiastic about the 620R being picked as the next LEGO set and jokes about how its technicians downed their tools to pickup up the plastic and created the model together with LEGO. It even describes the tiny 620R as capable of reaching "a heart-racing top speed of 6mph."

“Caterham has always prided itself on producing bespoke, hand-built cars for its customers. Our army of fans who build their own Caterham Sevens are equally discerning when it comes to the detail and craftsmanship which is central to Caterham, and we worked closely with the LEGO team to ensure the LEGO model replicated that," said Caterham chief commercial officer, David Ridley.

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Why it Matters?

When it comes to toys and games, LEGO is definitely one of the most popular brands out there. And as the more popular you become, the more demanding your customers get, which means that LEGO must pay attention to what buyers want and offer a diverse lineup of model cars. The new Caterham 620R adds to the company's diversity and it's a welcome addition given that the Seven is one of the world's most iconic sports cars. I'm actually surprised this is LEGO's first Caterham offering, but it's better late than never.

To be honest, I'm not a big LEGO fan. While their models are fun to assemble and come with interesting features, I'd rather display accurate scale model cars on my shelf. However, since this is the only 620R model car available as of 2016, I might make an exception and get one for myself. I won't be able to afford an actual 620R anytime soon, so I guess that a LEGO set is the closest I cat get to building a Caterham.