Today Panasonic Jaguar racing unveil the new Jaguar I-type 4, for season 6 of the Formula E championship. Now, here at the Rambling Brick we don’t know much about race cars, but we do know that the LEGO Speed Champions have been a fan favourite over the last few years, even with the multitude of stickers that come with them. And while the new sets, in medium azure look striking, what is even more impressive is the fact that the Jaguar Pace Car is in fact 8 studs wide!

Adding an additional 2 studs to the width of the vehicle provides the scope for additional details to be included in the shape of the vehicle, hopefully reducing the number of stickers we see used to provide the detail to the shape of vehicles, such as intakes, grilles, and lights – something which we saw beginning as a trend last year, in 6 stud wide vehicles (including the Mustang Fastback). It also looks like we can expect to see some more realistic profiles on car doors and the like. We will also see the introduction of a new 6 stud wide windscreen into the range. Now, will this be spread across the entire Speed champions range? Time will tell. But it looks like we might be able to have our figures travelling side by side.

There are certainly some stickers to be seen on the grille, air intakes on the bonnet, to say nothing of corporate livery, but the curves on the side, as well as the rear of the PACEcar appear to be more realistic, compared with the previous width of car. The Formula E car appears to maintain the narrower profile that you would expect of such a car.

Also included in this set is a new starting gantry – I love the feature that allows for the starting lights to appear, one by one – and two drivers.

Otherwise, the press release mainly focusses on a new sponsorship deal with Castrol, and casually mentions that the new car will also be available next (northern) spring as part of a Scalextric slot car set… but here it is,

PANASONIC JAGUAR RACING UNVEILS THE ALL-NEW JAGUAR I-TYPE 4 

CASTROL, LEGO & SCALEXTRIC JOIN FORCES WITH PANASONIC JAGUAR RACING

02 October 2019, Gaydon, United Kingdom:  

Panasonic Jaguar Racing have today revealed their brand-new all electric racecar to challenge for season six of the ABB FIA Formula E Championship. The British team’s official launch in front of VIPs, media, partners and fans was at Jaguar’s brand-new design studio in Gaydon, Warwickshire – the most advanced automotive design centre in the world. 

The Jaguar I-TYPE 4, featuring an all new motor, gearbox, invertor, rear suspension and dampers has seen its overall weight reduced offering improved handling and performance. 

The lightest and most efficient powertrain the team has ever produced, the Jaguar I-TYPE 4 has a lower centre of gravity and will allow the team to push towards even more points, podiums and wins in season six.

The new powertrain also features a new vehicle control module – which increases the processing capacity and allows faster rate of software development – this puts Jaguar at the forefront of battery electric vehicle innovation. 

James Barclay, Panasonic Jaguar Racing Team Director: 

“The start of a new season is an exciting time for the team. After months of hard work we are excited to show the world the new Jaguar I-TYPE 4. We have applied all of our experience in Formula E to date and our latest innovations into the new racecar and the development team have created what we believe will be our most competitive Formula E car to date. We’ve learnt how to win as a team and we are hungry for more in season six. We can’t wait to get racing!”

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Panasonic Jaguar Racing is delighted to welcome a new partner in Castrol, one of the world’s leading lubricants brands. The team is using Castrol’s advanced e-fluids onboard the Jaguar I-TYPE 4, building on a long and successful motorsport partnership. Over the years Jaguar Racing and Castrol have enjoyed extraordinary motorsport success, including victory at the prestigious Le Mans 24 Hours and the 24 Hours of Daytona. Using Castrol’s e-fluids, will allow Jaguar and Castrol to collaborate, learn and win on the track and further develop advanced technology and e-fluids for the award-winning Jaguar I-PACE and future roadgoing Jaguar vehicles.

Mandhir Singh, Chief Executive Officer, Castrol 

“We’re excited to extend our long-term partnership with Jaguar to the Panasonic Jaguar Racing Formula E Team. Putting our e-fluids to the test in the tough Formula E race environment is the ideal way to develop the e-fluids and electric vehicle technology of the future. This will help us deliver what drivers want, to go further on a single charge and enable the longer life of transmission and component parts”. 

The Castrol logo will feature on the driver helmets and suits, team kit, and merchandise.

James Barclay, Panasonic Jaguar Racing Team Director: 

“To improve our performance on the track, we need the best partners, and we are delighted to welcome Castrol for season six. Their innovative automotive lubricants are already benefiting the team and we can’t wait to start the season together in Saudi Arabia for the Diriyah E-Prix in November.”

Two other huge, but equally tiny additions to the team in season six. Panasonic Jaguar Racing have partnered with leading toy manufacturers the LEGO Group and Scalextric to create mini versions of the electric cars. The LEGO® Speed Champions set featuring the Formula E Panasonic Jaguar Racing GEN2 car and Jaguar I-PACE eTROPHY will be available to buy from 1 January 2020.  The Jaguar I-TYPE Scalextric will be on sale from Spring 2020.

The new Speed Champion vehicles should be available early next year. I am excited to see how the new form factor provides additional detail across the range. What do you think? Is this an improvement for Speed champions across the board? I appreciate stickers are fiddly, and applaud the addition of additional brick built detail into these models. I do not think that printing on parts is the solution for the need to provide additional detail: at least, without stickers, we have parts that can be repurposed with ease.

I also wonder about the price implications of adding 30% more studs to the width of the car? Will we see a commensurate increase in the price?

Leave your thoughts in the comments below, and until next time

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