LEGO Technic has captivated a loyal fanbase with its detailed, engineering-centric sets that appeal to both beginners and seasoned builders. The excitement lies in constructing functional mechanisms and delving into the mechanics of how things work. LEGO Technic sets, especially the popular LEGO Technic cars, allow enthusiasts to create impressive, operational vehicles with lifelike features. Notably, the LEGO Ferrari, LEGO Bugatti, and the LEGO Technic Porsche elevates car replicas to new heights, combining elegance with engineering precision. Whether you’re passionate about cars, an aspiring engineer, or simply someone who admires the intricacies of well-crafted machinery, LEGO Technic sets provide an engaging, hands-on experience that thrills builders of all ages. With many new LEGO sets being released in the coming month, we have taken a look at the new LEGO Porsche, which is available for pre order now from the LEGO store.
Set Details
The LEGO Technic Porsche GT4 e-Performance Race Car (42176) offers a great building and driving experience, packed with interactive features. It is promised as the fastest car in the LEGO Technic CONTROL+ range as of August 2024. At Investabrick, we love the CONTROL+ app, and look forward to using this to steer the car, control the lights, and access live data feedback to refine our driving skills! With functional opening doors and working lights, the detailed Porsche GT4 e-Performance Race Car provides endless opportunities for exploration and play. This set is perfect for those who enjoy combining the excitement of remote-controlled vehicles with the intricacies of LEGO Technic engineering.
| Model Name | Porsche GT4 e-Performance Race Car |
| Model Number | 42176 |
| Theme | Technic |
| Sub Themes | Licensed |
| Pieces | 834 |
| RRP | $170 / £150 / €170 |
| Price per Piece | 0c / 18p / 20c |
| Minifigures | N/A |
| Minifigures Value | N/A |
| Launch Date | August 2024 |
| Current Status | Available |
| Retirement Date | December 2026 |
Investment Potential
LEGO 42176 is an amazing remote controlled LEGO model of the Porsche GT4 and comes with over 800 pieces for its RRP of $170 / £150. This translates to an expensive looking 20c /18p per brick, but this obviously represents the additional technology included that allow you to use the LEGO CONTROL+ app.
LEGO Porsche GT4 Race Car is the fastest car in the LEGO range to date, but is it as good an investment?
| Projected 5 Yr Value | $204 / £162 / €194 |
| % Increase ($) | 20% |
| Projected Future Annual Growth | 7% |
| Theme Growth | 6% |
| Sub-Theme Growth | 8% |
Theme Analysis
LEGO technic is a long-standing theme which is solid without being spectacular delivering 6% annualised average growth over a large sample size and time period. The theme was actually launched as far back as 1977 and is getting close to its 50th anniversary! There have now been over 500 sets launched of which over 450 are now retired, a testament to the strength and longevity of the theme which continues to deliver strong and innovative builds.
Whilst the overall average LEGO investment returns are below the level we look for to invest in sets, there are definitely some retired LEGO sets that have proven more than strong enough post-retirement and indicate that solid LEGO investments can be found.
Some retired sets from the overall LEGO Technic theme include LEGO Artic Truck (42038) which has seen 55% growth since retiring in 2016 (6% annualised growth), LEGO Crawler Crane (42042) which has seen 81% growth since retiring in 2016 (8% annualised growth) and LEGO Ocean Explorer (42064) which has seen 81% growth since retiring in 2018 (11% annualised growth).
| Set Number | Set Name | Retired Date | RRP | Current Value | Total Growth | Annualised Growth |
| 42038 | Arctic Truck | December 2016 | $85 | $132 | 55% | 6% |
| 42052 | Heavy Lift Helicopter | December 2017 | $140 | $213 | 52% | 7% |
| 42042 | Crawler Crane | December 2016 | $150 | $272 | 81% | 8% |
| 42064 | Ocean Explorer | December 2018 | $120 | $217 | 81% | 11% |
Comparable Set Analysis
Within the Licensed sub-theme there are some far closer comparators to LEGO 42176. As a sub theme it slightly outperforms the overall LEGO Technic theme delivering 8% average annualised growth.
The closest comparator is also one of the standout performers post-retirement! LEGO Porsche 911 GT3 RS (42056) has seen its value zoom from its $300 RRP to just over $800 since retiring at the end of 2024 which equates to average annual LEGO returns of 20%! Others that have performed really strongly include LEGO BMW R 1200 GS (42063) which has seen nearly 150% growth from its $60 since retiring at the end of 2018 (18% annualised growth) and LEGO Ford F-150 Raptor which has already seen a 30% increase in value since retiring last December.
| Set Number | Set Name | Retired Date | RRP | Current Value | Total Growth | Annualised Growth |
| 42056 | Porsche 911 GT3 RS | December 2018 | $300 | $806 | 169% | 20% |
| 42053 | Volvo EW160E | December 2017 | $120 | $195 | 63% | 8% |
| 42063 | BMW R 1200 GS Adventure | December 2018 | $60 | $149 | 148% | 18% |
| 42126 | Ford F-150 Raptor | December 2022 | $100 | $131 | 31% | 20% |
Conclusion
LEGO 42176 is a very interesting set to consider from a LEGO investment perspective and one that has quite a bit of contrasting information.
The positives: it’s a great looking set, previous comparator sets including the other LEGO Technic Porsche have seen 20% annualised growth post-retirement and it includes the technology to be a remote controlled toy.
The negatives: the overall theme and sub-theme performance don’t support investment, the price per brick is very high (because of the technology included).
For now, we are going to remain on the fence from an investment stand point, it certainly doesn’t meet our criteria at Investabrick currently but we will follow its performance once at retail sale and continue to reassess. That said it looks a great model to build and play with, even for the bigger kids amongst us!
