Review: 42223 1966 Ford GT40 MKII from LEGO® Technic

The 1:18 scale range of LEGO® Technic vehicles (colloquially known as the “Car Transporter Gang” due to the first vehicle in this scale appearing in that set) is dominated by modern sports cars and SUVs, but 42223 1966 Ford GT40 MKII shakes things up by bringing a classic machine into the mix. 

What else does this set bring? Read on to find out! 

Products in this article were gifted by The LEGO Group; the author's opinions are their own.
This article contains affiliate links to LEGO.com; we may get a small commission if you purchase.

42223 1966 Ford GT40 MKII

• Release date: 1 January 2026 – available to pre-order now at the links below
• Pieces: 793

Price: 

• US$ 74.99 on LEGO.com US
• CA$ 99.99 on LEGO.com Canada
• GB£ 64.99 on LEGO.com UK
• AU$ 129.99 on LEGO.com Australia
• NZ$ 149.99 on LEGO.com New Zealand
• 74,99€ on LEGO.com Deutschland, Nederland, France etc
• PLN 319.99 on LEGO.com Polska
• NOK 999,90 on LEGO.com Norge
• DKK 649.95 on LEGO.com Danmark

Other countries click here

 

 

New moulds

This set introduces two new moulds. Both should be useful in sets to come.

Tyre 49.5 x 22 ZR (part 7653)

Once upon a time, Tyre 49.53 x 20 (15413) and Tyre 43.2 x 22 ZR (44309) loved each other very much, and had a beautiful baby. 

• 2x Tyre 49.5 x 22 ZR in Black (6563270 | 7653)

This new part combines the diameter of the former with the tread of the latter to form a tyre with a thick sidewall but a tread still suitable for road cars, that, like its parents, fits Wheel 30.4 x 20 without Pinholes, with Reinforced Rim (56145) and others of the same diameter and width.

Here it is compared to some other tyres that fit the same rims  – Tyre 55.9 x 22 (6620) is missing because I don’t have any. Top to bottom, left to right:

• Tyre 37 x 22 ZR (55976)
• Tyre 43.2 x 22 ZR (44309)
• Tyre 49.5 x 22 ZR (7653), the new mould
• Tyre 49.53 x 20 (15413)

Medium-scale, non-balloon tyres for all tastes.

Technic Link 1 x 6 x 2 Angled, Bent, Double (part 7684)

• 2x Technic Link 1 x 6 x 2 Angled, Bent, Double in Black (6564530 | 7684)

So many cars have been made at this scale with such thick, clunky and fragile A-pillars that a dedicated mould for those was just a matter of time.

Unusually for studless LEGO Technic beams and links, this one’s length is an even number of modules, clocking in at 6. The 1-module offset between the ends helps to form the trapezoidal shape most common in windscreens.

This is how it compares to other “offset” links. In the middle is Technic Wishbone Suspension Arm 9L (32294), and at the bottom is Technic Wishbone Suspension Arm 13 x 6 x 3 (5429). I see this part being useful not just for small A-pillars, but also for small suspension arms.

The thickness of the middle section is half a module. As much as I tighten the red beams against the blue half-bushes, this assembly slides freely along the link. I can’t imagine this characteristic being of much use, but I lost count of how many times I've seen how limited my imagination is.

New prints

None whatsoever. In fact, this set contains no printed parts at all, with all the details being rendered either with bricks or stickers.

Recolours

Set 42223 contains just two recoloured parts, but they’re glorious. 

• 2x Wheel 30.4 x 20 without Pinholes, with Reinforced Rim in Metallic Gold (EID unknown | 56145)
• 2x Wheel 30 x 14 in Metallic Gold (6579421 | 56904)

These rims look gorgeous in metallic gold, but, as is always the case with LEGO metallic colours, make sure you don’t handle them too roughly or they’ll get scratched.

If you look up the Element ID provided in the back of the instructions for the thicker rim (4648531), you’ll be led to the pearl gold-coloured version of this mould instead. This is an error in the inventory page of the instructions book, which might be corrected in a future version. Therefore, at the time of writing, the correct EID for metallic gold is unknown – hopefully the online inventory in January will have the correct number.

There’s simply no comparison between the luxurious metallic gold and the plebeian pearl gold, not to mention the riff-raff of even lesser colours.

Rare elements

Set 42223 contains numerous elements that were each previously available in only one other set, so theoretically (and this is a big “theoretically”, as we’ll discuss later in the review) this is a good parts pack.

In 1 other set:

• 4x Technic Panel Car Mudguard Arched 9 x 2 x 3, Arched  in Black (6408177 | 2459)
• 4x Equipment Cup / Teacup Saucer with Recessed Stud on Top [PLAIN] in Trans-Red (6534874 | 38799) (plus 1 spare)
• 3x Technic Beam 1 x 3 Thick with Center Axle Hole in Black (6550582 | 7229)
• 4x Technic Panel 3 x 3 Triangle in Black (6558403 | 6613)
• 1x Technic Panel Fairing #7 3L Very Small Smooth, Side A in Transparent / Trans-Clear (6510993 | 2387)
• 1x Technic Panel Fairing #8 3L Very Small Smooth, Side B in Transparent / Trans-Clear (6513876 | 2389)
• 1x Technic Beam 1 x 9 Thick with Alternating Holes in Medium Stone Grey / Light Bluish Gray (6508520 | 6612)

Regarding the mudguards, the decision to produce them in black rather than dark blue for set 42203 Tipping Dump Truck (see my review of the LEGO Technic Dump Truck) now makes sense: this colour was perhaps always intended for the present set but introduced in the other, as a way to spread the cost of recolours across the product line?

In 2 other sets:

• 1x Technic Beam 1 x 9 Thick with Alternating Holes in Black (6521101 | 6612)

In 3 other sets:

• 5x Technic Beam 1 x 2 with Axle on Side in Bright Orange/ Orange (6540720 | 7244)

I don’t mind much what other fans refer to “colour vomit”, i.e. the usage of garish colours inside a model, as it makes the building process easier for non-experts and is not usually very visible once the model is fully built. However, in this case, I don’t see a reason for the usage of this bright colour in such a dark model: it’s already available in other sets in black, which is a much more inconspicuous colour, and I don’t think the places it’s used in this set are that difficult to build.

Other elements of interest

• 1x Technic Steering / CV Ball Joint Male 3L in Medium Stone Grey / Light Bluish Gray (6262968 | 52731)
• 1x Technic Steering / CV Ball Joint, Cardan Ball with Cross Hole 3L in Medium Stone Grey / Light Bluish Gray (6338424 | 77590)
• 2x Technic Steering / CV Ball Joint Female 4L in Dark Stone Grey / Dark Bluish Gray (6261793 | 52730)

The set didn’t really require these heavy-duty CV joints as they’re used just for the steering mechanism, but nonetheless these are always useful for other applications. 

While I understand the usage of the longer male ball joint to allow for an axle to be partially inserted, I’d prefer to see two copies of the same part instead of one of each, for better MOC potential.

Sticker sheet

If you’re a long-time New E reader, you know the drill by now: racing cars mean lots of stickers. In this case, thankfully, the stickers that are hard to reuse for other purposes, namely those containing parts of the number “2”, are few. Many of the others, such as those with the silver stripes or the circles, are generic enough to be useful for other models.

Instructions

In addition to the introduction section usual for sets age-marked 18+, the instructions book has on its back cover the numbers “1966” filled with a photo of a GT40. This is a reference to the year of Ford’s first victory at 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1966, with a historic 1-2-3 result.

The build

As can be expected from a car transporter gangster, set 42223 doesn’t have a very long building process, distributed amongst 6 sets of bags.

The first two bags build the chassis, including the front and rear axles, the engine, and the steering mechanism. Around 90% of the set’s mechanical functionality is already in place. 

No, the model wasn’t photographed at a weird angle: the roof containing the black 12T gear is really tilted that way.

After two more bags, the front of the car is done, as well as the door sills, seats and dashboard. At this point, the black colour scheme and the “ears” on the bonnet makes me think for a moment that I’m building Catwoman’s car.

As expected, the last two bags finish the build, without the racing-specific stickers, the all-black livery with gold wheels now reminds me of an old-style Batmobile.

The finished model

The end result is a shape that’s easily recognisable as a Ford GT40 Mk II. I'm glad that the stickers can be omitted without penalising the car's looks, as important details like the lights are done with physical pieces: without these stickers it can pass off as an all-black "civilian" GT40 (even though the real Mk II had no such version). They are important, though, to form the black and silver livery of the car that officially won the 1966 edition of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, together with the other two GT40 Mk IIs.

The geometry work that results in this roof that slopes at an angle is impressive, as is the fact that the engine cover, which is independent from the roof, matches this angle perfectly.

The main front details are brick-built: both sets of headlights, as well as the radiator intake and the tow hooks.

The rear is also brick-built. The studs in the trans-red saucers are inserted directly into LEGO Technic pin holes; I thought stud-on-pin-hole construction had been abandoned in official LEGO sets, being replaced with antistud-on-half-pin, but apparently I was wrong. Even the exhaust pipes are mounted at an angle, thanks to a contrived assembly that makes use of a rubber connector (45590).

The interior is very sparse, featuring only two seats and a steering wheel. There isn't even a floor, which means a driver can apply the Flintstones technique when an extra speed boost is needed.

Let's now move to the functions. The doors, engine cover, and front compartment can all be opened. As with the real car, when a door opens it takes part of the roof with it; while this is helpful to ease entry and exit of a pilot with a bulky helmet, for everyday use in tight parking spots this would require plenty of gymnastics, as demonstrated in this video of the GT40's modern successor.

A complex linkage unfolds to prevent the engine cover from opening too much.

The doors have linkages as well, to keep the maximum opening angle reasonable.

Steering is done from a hand-of-god control on the roof. As usual, this control is easily removable for a cleaner look. Also as usual at this scale, the steering wheel is non-functional. When not in use, you can store this axle and gear in the front compartment, although it'll rattle a lot.

Remember when I said earlier that 90% of the model's mechanical functions were built right at the end of the second bag of parts? Here's the other 10%. Since the front compartment is practically impossible to open by hand, the set's designers provided a handy lever by the passenger side that, when pressed down, opens this compartment.

The underside of the car reveals all its mechanisms: transmission, steering, and even the "bonnet popper" described above.

At the 1:18 LEGO Technic scale, space for large engines is scarce, and a frequent compromise is the omission of a differential. In this case, the V8 engine drives directly the rear right wheel, through the smallest and simplest engine-to-wheel geartrain I've ever seen. Although unrealistic, I'd much rather have a differential pushed back, as I showed in my review of 2019 set 42212 Ferrari FXX K, which provides a lot more gears to build stuff with. Just like what happened with the small engine elements and the links for the A-pillars, I don't doubt that we'll see in the future a dedicated smaller differential for this kind of model.

You can clearly see here what I meant earlier with the differently-sized CV joints. The geometry requires that the two light grey CV joint balls be slightly separated. Since the steering mechanism is subject to only small forces, I'd happily accept two short CV joint balls with an axle not fully inserted instead of one short and one long.

My dad is a big fan of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, and lent me the miniatures of the GT40 Mk II he had on hand for comparison with the LEGO model. Apart from the obvious lack of racing stripes and the number "2", again due to the stickers not having been applied, I think the LEGO version's proportions compare favourably to its smaller, far more detailed siblings. I quite like that the two scoops at the top, behind the rear wheels, are present. This feature, introduced in the Mk II, is missing in the Mk I.

"Don't talk to me or my son or my son's son ever again."

The side view shows that the LEGO model has too much overhang at the rear. Ideally it'd have one less module in length, but I'm not seeing how that could be achieved with current LEGO pieces and still have the angled back. The top air scoops could be a little smaller as well, but again I'm not seeing how that can be addressed using current parts without making them too small.

Looking a bit closer, though, the biggest flaw of this set becomes apparent: the wheel rims. While I accept the usage of good ol' 56145s and 56904s in gold instead of dedicated spoked wheels, the lack of the distinctive star-shaped silver nuts annoys me.

A quick solution would be to slap a Technic Axle Connector Hub with 3 Axles at 120° (57585) on each wheel, but that's way too big, both in diameter and thickness. A better alternative would be replacing the rear rims with Wheel 30.4 x 20, 6 Spokes (7301), which Zach analysed in his review of set 10357 Shelby Cobra 427 S/C, and I don't have on hand to try out. Even if they were completely gold with no silver detailing, they'd look infinitely better here than what we got. 

The front wheels would then require a new mould, similar to the one on the rear but narrower. Sure, a new mould means more expense, but it'd be generic enough to be easily reusable and thus quickly recoup the cost, and it's not like this set isn't expensive enough already.

Closing thoughts

Speaking of expensive, I don't usually mention prices because they fluctuate wildly with location and time, but this is something that must be addressed when talking about set 42223. At US$74.99/ £64.99/ 74.99€/ AU$129.99, it costs way more than existing or even upcoming LEGO Technic cars of the same scale. So, I recommend you carefully weigh up all the pros and cons of this set before dumping this kind of cash in it.

As for those pros and cons: I really enjoy this set, and recommend that you don't get it. Yes, that sentence was intentionally paradoxical, but let me explain. 

Set 42223 is a win in aesthetics, importance in the automotive world, and LEGO Technic sculpting. That's completely overshadowed by being no more fun to play with than any other, better-priced car transporter gangster, and also by failing with its parts inventory because, despite its versatility, black is rather dull as a main colour. The meagre quantity of rare or useful parts (the lack of differential and associated gears comes back to bite this set in the butt) doesn't help at all either.

That said, I'm seriously considering not sacrificing my copy of this set to the gods of the parts drawers, and instead applying its stickers and keeping it assembled. The fact that this is, to me, one of the three most beautiful cars ever made (the other two being, in no particular order, the Lamborghini Countach and the Chevrolet Corvette C3) will certainly help in that decision.

OK, I did go ahead and apply the stickers. Indeed it looks totally something else with them, I had no idea stickers could make such a difference. 

Pre-order now

 

 

 

READ MORE: A review, a MOC and a history lesson: LEGO® Star Wars™ 75428 Battle Droid with STAP 

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