If you’re an automotive enthusiast, there are plenty of related hobbies to get into. You can restore classic vehicles, assemble garage kits, collect scale models, tune R/C race cars, or dabble in LEGO. The latter’s Technic series offers a fascinating collection of buildable replicas, but the company just went beyond the usual. It did with this life-size fully functional McLaren P1.
If you regularly dabble with LEGO, the possibilities are almost endless with the right parts. All one needs is a healthy imagination and perhaps some basic engineering know-how to come up with unique creations. Similar to the launch of the Technic Bugatti Chiron six years ago, the McLaren P1 also gets full-scale treatment.
According to the Danish toymaker, this 1:1 build is an amusing way to prove naysayers wrong. The venture involves 23 in-house engineers, designers, and specialists alongside McLaren Automotive. 342,817 Technic parts were used and it took the team approximately 8,344 hours to complete. Finally, we have Formula One racing driver Lando Norris behind the wheel.
Instead of a high-performance internal combustion engine, 768 LEGO electric motors serve as the propulsion system. Supplying its energy needs is an EV battery. Elsewhere, it uses a steel frame for structural integrity and safety. The metal chassis is also where they mount the wheels and tires of the 1:1 replica McLaren P1.
The legendary Silverstone racing circuit is where Norris took the super-sized LEGO Technic McLaren P1 for a spin. After a lap around the track, telemetry reveals a top speed of 40 mph. Since we don’t have the manpower or the funds for such a project, let’s stick to the 1:8 scale version and its 3,893 pieces.
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Images courtesy of LEGO/McLaren Automotive
