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It has over 300,000 Technic pieces, 768 Lego motors, and one nervous F1 driver at the wheel.
1This full-size McLaren P1 is made of over 340,00 Lego bricks.
• It's powered by 768 Lego motors bundled into eight motor packs.
• McLaren F1 driver Lando Norris successfully completes a full lap of Silverstone behind the wheel.
We've seen life-size Lego cars before. Heck, we've even seen them move. But a 1:1 scale Lego McLaren P1 doing a lap of Silverstone under its own power? That's a new one. And it's not a supremely slow lap, either.
Before clicking play on the video below, here are some astounding statistics to consider. It consists of 342,817 individual Lego Technic pieces, using 393 different brick shapes including 11 made specifically for this build. The exterior is comprised of flexible pieces to give the P1 its curvy shape, and also to help ensure it doesn't rattle apart before the first corner. It's powered by no less than 768 Lego motors bundled into eight motor packs. Lego Technic batteries make them spin, but this isn't entirely a Lego affair. A car battery is also used to give it enough range for a lap.
McLaren doesn't share details about the chassis, but from what we see in the video, everything except the wheels, instrument cluster, and steering wheel are in fact Lego. McLaren F1 driver Lando Norris admits to being nervous just getting into the car, but nestled into the Lego seat, he helmets up and sets off around the track.
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There are points where the video is obviously sped up, but this car doesn't creep along the course. Norris says it actually drives pretty well and even takes it up on the curb through one turn. Side mirrors shake in the wind, but at the end of the lap, the P1 appears just fine. We don't know the lap time or the speed achieved, but considering this 2,700-pound car is powered by Lego motors, it's a seriously impressive feat.
"Having worked on the original P1 program 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," said Ben Gulliver, test and development director at McLaren. "The car was an icon of its time. I hope that through this collaboration with the LEGO Group, we are able to inspire the next generation of designers and engineers to push the boundaries of automotive innovation.”
Of course, you can't go out and buy a full-size Lego McLaren P1. But a 1:8 scale McLaren P1 Technic kit is available for brick builders to live out their own Lego supercar dreams.
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