- McLaren and LEGO have a long history of collaboration
- The car has been built from more than 300,000 LEGO bricks
- Formula One star Lando Norris achieved speeds of up to 40mph in the car
Lando Norris is known for driving at speeds of 200mph in his McLaren Formula One car, but in the latest model he tried he only made it to 40mph. But that’s a triumph given the car was made from LEGO.
LEGO build
We are all used to seeing the detailed models that LEGO produces – some of us have even built them – but this model goes to an insane level. It’s a 1:1 replica of the McLaren P1 supercar. It was made from 342,817 pieces of LEGO Technic – pity the poor person who had to count them!
In addition, LEGO’s engineers also created eight motor packs, comprising 96 LEGO Power function motors – 768 in all – which meant that, along with a small EV battery, the car could reach 40mph.
Obviously, the build wasn’t completely LEGO – the chassis, steering column and wheels were all from a regular P1. For this build, 11 elements were created specially, but the rest come from the established LEGO Technic inventory of pieces.
As you might expect, the build took an insane amount of time to do. It took 23 specialists from LEGO and McLaren 8,344 hours to complete it – that’s development and construction time.
But the time invested paid off, as the fully working model was taken round a lap of the 3.66-mile Silverstone circuit in England by Norris – and it survived intact.
Brand collaborations
McLaren and LEGO have a long relationship and the Danish toy company has released several kits based on iconic F1 cars from over the years. One of the best-known example is a 1:18 scale model of Ayrton Senna’s title-winning car.
McLaren is just one of the big-brand collaborations that LEGO has. It was recently announced that the company has a tie-up with Nike, with co-branded products set to hit the market next year.
