McLaren P1 for craft enthusiasts 342,817 LEGO Technic parts, 768 LEGO motors: The McLaren P1 made from building blocks

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Engineers from McLaren and the creatives at LEGO have achieved something truly unique. Using hundreds of thousands of interlocking bricks and more than 700 LEGO motors, they have constructed a life-sized model of the rear-driven, mid-engine hybrid supercar, the McLaren P1. This marks the first large-scale LEGO model that can navigate curves. Formula 1 racing driver Lando Norris demonstrated this on the Silverstone track.

If you were a great LEGO enthusiast and had all the time and all the LEGO building elements in the world, what would you build? A giant Star Destroyer? An extensive Enterprise? Or maybe... a car, because you dreamed in your youth of cruising through brick-built cities in a car?

The plan involving the car was realized by engineers from the automaker McLaren and especially the enthusiasts at LEGO. In September 2024, they presented a life-sized model of the McLaren P1, a rear-driven mid-engine hybrid supercar that was produced between 2013 and 2015. This life-sized LEGO model has dimensions of 4,980 mm x 2,101 mm x 1,133 mm (L/W/H), primarily standing out in length compared to the original. The McLaren P1 measures 4,588 mm x 1,946 mm x 1,188 mm (L/W/H).

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The special feature of this LEGO model is not only that it closely resembles the original in scale, but that it can also be driven. This was demonstrated by racing driver Lando Norris from the McLaren Formula 1 team on the legendary Silverstone Circuit—appropriately under British skies.

342,817 LEGO Technic parts in use

If you would like to purchase the vehicle, you'll certainly have to dig a bit deeper into your pockets. In addition to the estimated material costs of around 150,000 euros (approx. 166,000 USD), there's also an intangible value added. The P1 model was created, among other reasons, to promote the new 1:8 LEGO model of the P1. This set comes with a more affordable mid-three-figure price tag.

Now let's delve into the technical details of the McLaren P1 made from interlocking blocks. According to their own statements, it took 23 specialists from the fields of design, engineering, and construction at LEGO and McLaren Automotive a total of 8,344 hours to develop and build the life-sized model. They used 342,817 LEGO Technic parts, weighting about 380 kilograms. The complete model ultimately weighs 1,220 kilograms, as elements such as the tires, steering wheel, and battery are, of course, not made from the interlocking bricks that LEGO dreams are made of.

The developers faced the challenge of finding a flexible building pattern that would allow for the replication of the P1's curves, as they did not want to use carbon fiber parts. Therefore, they used 393 different types of LEGO Technic elements. Eleven of these were specifically designed for this model of the McLaren P1.

Breathtaking: The steering

The model itself wouldn't be so special and unique if it weren't the first large LEGO model that can be driven and steered around corners. Therefore, it was hardly surprising that Lando Norris was allowed to drive the vehicle around the nearly six kilometers of the Silverstone Circuit to test the cornering capabilities.

Naturally, the LEGO-P1 did not move as fast as a Formula 1 car or as fast as the real P1 with its V8 engine, which has a top speed electronically limited to 350 km/h (217 mph). The LEGO-P1 reached speeds of just under 65 km/h (40 mph) (at Silverstone. Regarding steering, Norris had no concerns, but he was more worried about the wobbling side mirrors of the model as he drove over the curbs of the racetrack.

The vehicle features an electric motor composed of LEGO Technic function batteries as well as an electric car battery. Specifically, it uses eight motor packages, each consisting of 96 LEGO Power Functions motors, meaning a total of 768 motors work to mobilize the model; this is further than any other LEGO model has ever moved. Depending on the specific motors used, the power output was likely around 3 to 3.5 kW. For comparison, the electric motor of the P1, which is used in addition to the 3.8-liter V8, alone produces 132 kW.

"McLaren's expertise in automotive and engineering was invaluable and helped us produce a model that is as authentic as possible to the original McLaren P1™. This allowed us to turn a dream into reality,"celebrates Lukáš Horák , Senior Project Manager of Installations at LEGO Group, following the successful completion of the project. (sb)

This article first appeared on our sister website www.ElektronikPraxis.de (German language)