Here are nine of Lego’s greatest hits

Before Lego had worked out a way of integrating its own wheels into kits, it produced a huge number of 1:87 scale diecast toys to liven up the towns and buildings that kids were putting together. The E-Type coupe from the Sixties was the coolest of the lot.

The very first Lego set to feature wheels. The Lego System Set 400 came in a box with pictures of cars, trailers, tow trucks and ambulances. Imagine the delight as little engineers unwrapped this on their birthday in 1962.

Designed by Torben Skov, Lego’s own fuel corporation was born with two sets in 1992: 6397 Gas N’ Wash Express and the brilliant 6594 Gas Transit fuel tanker. Octan’s president (aptly named President Business) was the bad guy voiced by Will Ferrell in The Lego Movie.

Advertised as Lego ‘Technical Sets’ in the UK, four vehicles were launched in 1977 that look remarkably like the Technic we know and love today. Set 853 was a car chassis that could be combined with set 870 – a Lego motor.

One of the greatest sets ever, the 1994 Lego Technic Super Car featured a V8 engine, proper suspension, a working gearbox and four-wheel steering. Oh, and if you didn’t fancy the mid-engined supercar then you could make an open-wheeled racecar with the same bits.

We love Lego’s Icons sets, and the 1,458-brick Porsche 911 kit may be the best of the bunch. It features what Lego calls “dual building routes”, meaning you can put together a wide-bodied, whale-tailed 930 911 Turbo or an open-roofed 911 Targa.

We’re simple creatures, so if we see anything associated with the rally spec Audi quattro we buy it. If only our bank balance let us do that with the real thing. Shoutout to Lego’s affordable Speed Champions sets though – they may be small but they’re super cool.

Lego has made a number of life-size cars, but the Chiron was the first properly drivable Technic set. Yep, this thing actually moved under its own steam, although rather than the ‘standard’ Chiron’s 8.0-litre W16 engine it used 2,304 Lego motors for a total of... 5.2bhp

OK F1 nerds, we know you’ve spotted this Lego Technic set is wearing the livery of McLaren’s 2021 MCL35, but that’s only because it was revealed to the world before McLaren had unveiled its actual 2022 contender. This was technically the first licensed Lego Technic F1 car too.