Could you build a McLaren P1 with 342,817 LEGO pieces? Yes

In a strong continuation of the collaboration and partnership between LEGO and McLaren, Formula One driver Lando Norris has driven a replica McLaren P1 around the Silverstone race track.

With a total weight of 1220kg the car is made up of over 300kg of LEGO Technic elements and took 8,344 hours of development across 23 specialists in design and engineering.

It appears to us that the team took essentially a working rolling chassis powered by an Electric Motor and Electric Car battery. Those parts plus the wheels and steering wheel make up most of the weight, but the 300,000+ Lego parts are the structure of the vehicle.

Ben Gulliver, Test & Development Director, McLaren Automotive says “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 are able to inspire the next generation of designers and engineers to push the boundaries of automotive innovation.”

Lukáš Horák, Senior Project Manager of Installations, LEGO Group 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.

Here are the facts and figures about the Life-sized LEGO® Technic™ P1™

• Over 342,817 LEGO® Technic™ pieces used in total
• 393 different types of LEGO Technic elements used, including 11 that were moulded specifically for this model
• Total weight: 1220Kg
• 8,344 hours spent on development and construction
• Created by 23 specialists from design, engineering and building from the LEGO group and McLaren Automotive
• The build’s dimensions are like the real-life model: 4,980 mm long, 2,101mm wide and 1,133mm high
• The build features an electric motor consisting of LEGO Technic Function batteries and an electric car battery, allowing it to travel further than any other LEGO model before it.
• The LEGO Technic engine consists of 8 motor packs, each consisting of 96 LEGO Power function motors, which means the car features a total of 768 LEGO motors. The 8 motor packs imitate the V8 seen in the original McLaren P1™.

All this is to celebrate and promote the new McLaren P1 Technic set. Which will set you back $699! But looks great.

Web: LEGO