McLaren has once again teamed up with Lego for a new creation based on the P1 but unlike the Technic model that is in 1:8 scale, both companies worked together to recreate a one-of-a-kind, fully drivable version of the hybrid hypercar.
If that isn’t enough, the life-size recreation was brought to the iconic Silverstone Circuit in England for a “shakedown” on the 5.891-km track. This marks the first time a Lego build has been created to not only drive around corners but also complete an entire lap of a race track. Another first is having a Lego build be driven by a F1 driver, as McLaren driver Lando Norris was the person tasked with taking the Lego P1 out for a spin.
Given the scale of the ambitious project, you can expect some fascinating facts and figures. Where the 1:8 Technic model (product number 42172) features 3,893 pieces, its life-size equivalent required a total of over 342,817 pieces.
In an official release, it was revealed that 393 different types of Lego Technic elements were used, including 11 that were specifically moulded for this model. Fully constructed, the model measures 4,980 mm long, 2,101 mm wide, 1,133 mm high and weighs 1,220 kg. For context, the actual P1 is smaller and heavier.
It took a team of 23 specialists from McLaren and Lego to create the model, which required 8,344 hours spent on development and construction to get everything ready. What’s more impressive is the model’s propulsion system, which features an electric motor consisting of Lego Technic Function batteries and an electric car battery.
These power a Lego Technic engine that is made up of eight motor packs, each consisting of 96 Lego Power function motors for a total of 768 Lego motors. The eight motor packs are a nod to the V8 used in the original P1.
“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, said Ben Gulliver, McLaren’s test and development director.
“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,” commented Lukáš Horák, senior project manager of installations at Lego Group.
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