LEGO built a functioning, full-sized model of a Bugatti Chiron out of Technic blocks to prove the slogan, “Build for Real.” The car was unveiled on Thursday during the Grand Prix Formula 1 in Monza, Italy—an event that attracted over 185,000 fans last year.
The 1:1 reproduction was made out of over a million LEGO Technic elements and drives up to 18 mph, using 2,304 Technic motors and 4,032 Technic gear wheels. The rear spoiler raises, the speedometer works and the whole interior from seats to steering wheel was recreated entirely in Technic LEGO blocks. LEGO even created new types of transparent and load-bearing Technic parts just for this project.
“We wanted to push the boundaries of our own imagination,” Lena Dixen, senior vice president of product and marketing at the LEGO Group said in a statement. “[The Bugatti Chiron model is] a fascinating example of the LEGO Technic building system in action and its potential for creative reinvention.”
LEGO won’t be winning any races with its Technic Bugatti, but the project is a first for the brand. It is the first fully-functional, self-propelled, life-size car made of LEGO Technic blocks. Despite its complexity, the blocks have not been glued together.
The project was developed through a partnership with Bugatti who lent its official pilot, Andy Wallace, to test drive the finished LEGO model. In June, LEGO released a 1:8 Bugatti Chiron set that included 3,600 pieces and numerous details, down to an overnight bag under the hood. The set’s designer, Aurelien Roufflage, and his team decided that taking the kit full-sized would be the ultimate challenge in difficulty.
Not every consumer will be able to afford a $2.9 million Bugatti Chiron or the million parts needed to build their own full-sized version out of LEGO. However, the project succeeds in proving a point about the Technic block capabilities overall.
LEGO Group reported a decline in revenue for 2017 but CEO Niels B. Christiansen assured investors they would stabilize the business through product investment, effective global marketing and improved execution.
As for Bugatti, the luxury sports car brand is promoting its new Chiron model through several brand partnerships that include a watch by Parmigiani Fleurier and a limited edition bicycle by PG.