This LEGO MOONEYES Garage Has All The Right Pieces
If you’re even vaguely familiar with MOONEYES, you’ll recognize the iconic white oval eyes peering left over a punchy yellow background. Founded by garagist Dean Moon in 1950, the Santa Fe Springs-based hot rod shop was originally titled Moon Speed Equipment. The Moon crew was a prominent group of go-fast pioneers through the ‘50s and ‘60s, working hand in hand with the likes of legends such as Carroll Shelby—in fact, the first AC Cobra was constructed in the Moon garage.
Founder Dean Moon passed away in 1987 after a serious life of petrol-burning glory, but his wife carried on the garage’s legacy until her passing some years later. After decades of carbureted custom cars, the company stalled until the Japanese distributor of Moon Speed Equipment, Shige Suganuma, took initiative on reviving the marque under the revised name of MOONEYES.
After more than 65 years of hot rod support, MOONEYES has earned its well-deserved high regard within the automotive realm. After such an influential history built on cranking out race cars, kustoms, and salt flat motor missiles, it’s no wonder some talented brick master decided to pay tribute to the brand.
Custom LEGO builder Andrea Lattanzio (aka Norton74) just completed his latest construct: a full-service scaled-down MOONEYES garage. Don’t let the shrunken dimensions mislead you, this masterful LEGO build has been cleverly assembled to mimic the real Sante Fe Springs shop down to the the most incredibly minute details.
From the smooth paneled grey concrete foundation to the white and yellow shop walls, it’s evident this assemblage took time, but it’s not until you peer inside the removable mini garage’s roof skylight when all the magic imagination really shines through. There are overhead fluorescent lights dangling from the rafters, rolling mechanic’s carts and full tool cabinetry, a wall-mounted first aid box, machining tools, and so much more.
Of course, it wouldn’t be MOONEYES without a couple customized rides, so a tasteful pair of company colored two-tone white and yellow classics are included for accurate shop representation—a trusty shop truck reminiscent of the real life F100, and a quintessential ‘32 Ford-esque coupe.
If you’re feeling inspired by Norton74’s LEGO MOONEYES garage, keep tabs on Andrea Lattanzio’s brick building by following him on Facebook or flipping through his Flickr account. If you’ve got any tips on other automotive-themed LEGO builders you’d like to share with us, we’d love to feature more of these stunning fun-sized 3D brick renderings. As always, Brick Tastefully.
