The
LEGO Group and
McLaren Automotive recently recreated a one-of-a-kind, fully driveable, full-scale McLaren P1 made from LEGO Technic elements, they undertook what they considered to be the toughest LEGO Technic challenge to date; and to cap that, McLaren F1 driver Lando Norris completed a lap of the Silverstone racetrack in it.
This life-size replica of the McLaren P1 comprises 342,817 LEGO Technic elements, weighs 1,220kg, and incorporates some ‘truly remarkable displays of engineering’. For example, the car has fully functional steering, making it the first ‘LEGO big-build ever’ capable of steering and taking on tricky racetrack corners. The build features an electric drive system consisting of eight motor packs, each consisting of 96 LEGO Power function motors and LEGO Technic Function batteries; and with the eight motor packs imitating the V8 seen in the original McLaren the car features a total of 768 LEGO motors. With the backup of an electric car battery, the car was able to travel further than any other LEGO model before it.
The build process involved 23 specialists from design, engineering and building from the LEGO Group and McLaren Automotive. They spent 8,344hr of development and construction time and used no fewer than 393 different types of LEGO Technic elements. With the car assembled, Lando Norris drove it round the 3.66-mile track and completed a lap of the Silverstone Circuit.
Ben Gulliver, McLaren Automotive’s test and development director, said: “Having worked on the original P1 programme for McLaren, it’s amazing to see so many of the elements from the original McLaren P1 brought to life so realistically by the LEGO Technic team for the full-scale model. The car was an icon of its time. I hope that through this collaboration with the LEGO Group, we can inspire the next generation of designers and engineers to push the boundaries of automotive innovation.”
Lukáš Horák, LEGO Group’s senior project manager of installations, added: “This project marks the latest in a long list of collaborations between the LEGO Group and McLaren, bringing together McLaren engineers and the LEGO Model Production team from conception all the way to the final build. McLaren’s automotive and engineering expertise has been invaluable in helping us produce a model as authentic to the original McLaren P1 as possible, allowing us to turn a dream into a reality.”
The all-new 1:8 scale LEGO Technic version of the McLaren P1 (set 42172) is now available. It features a seven-speed gearbox with a dual clutch transmission, suspension, V8 piston engine, adjustable rear wing, and opening dihedral doors. It measures 14cm high, 59cm long, and 25cm wide.