Full-size drivable Lego McLaren P1 is the ultimate track toy
McLaren’s hypercar gets recreated in Lego – and F1 star Lando Norris has tested it at Silverstone
McLaren and Lego have added a new addendum to the definition of track toy, with the creation of a full-size McLaren P1 made out of Lego. And the best bit? It’s drivable, with potential Formula 1 championship protagonist Lando Norris having taken it for a lap of Silverstone.
It moves thanks to eight motor packs, each comprising 96 Lego Power Functions motors. Effectively, the eight packs imitate the hybrid V8 powertrain that a real P1 features, although doubtless it doesn’t have the same 900bhp+ potency…
What it does have is working lights, though while the rear wing is up, there isn’t functioning active aero as on the real car. In total, the car is made up of 342,817 Lego Technic pieces, with 393 different types of components used. It took 8344 hours to develop and construct, and it really is a one-to-one scale model of the P1 as well, at 4980mm long, 2101mm wide and 1133mm high.
And yes, McLaren F1 hotshoe Norris really did take the 1220kg model – lighter, incidentally, than a real P1 – for a lap of the Silverstone track, a full 3.66 miles around its F1 GP format. This is the first time that a Lego model of this kind has been able to drive around corners. As a consequence, this is the first lap of its type.
Ben Gulliver, McLaren test and development director, said: ‘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.
‘I hope that through this collaboration we are able to inspire the next generation of designers and engineers to push the boundaries of automotive innovation.’
Naturally, a full-sized Lego McLaren P1 hasn’t just materialised out of the blue. It’s part of promotional activities for the new Lego Technic McLaren P1, a 1:8-scale model made up of 3893 pieces and featuring functioning steering, a V8 piston engine, dihedral doors and other advanced mechanisms. Unsurprisingly, it’s not cheap, costing £389. Cheaper than a real P1 or, indeed, the full-size Lego one, though.
