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Lego fantasies take flight with "hovering" BMW concept

Lego fantasies take flight with "hovering" BMW concept
The Hover Ride, pictured in a hangar – no, it doesn't actually float in mid-air
The Hover Ride, pictured in a hangar – no, it doesn't actually float in mid-air
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The Lego model that formed the base of the Hover Ride Concept
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The Lego model that formed the base of the Hover Ride Concept
The full-size Hover Ride Concept in its element – "hovering" just off the ground
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The full-size Hover Ride Concept in its element – "hovering" just off the ground
The team at BMW gets the Hover Ride ready in Lego form
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The team at BMW gets the Hover Ride ready in Lego form
The project was carried out by students who are part of BMW's trainee programs
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The project was carried out by students who are part of BMW's trainee programs
The Lego R1200 GS alongside its full-size counterpart
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The Lego R1200 GS alongside its full-size counterpart
Parts of the R1200 GS have been repurposed to create the Hover Ride
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Parts of the R1200 GS have been repurposed to create the Hover Ride
The Hover Ride will tour Denmark and significant parts of the BMW family
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The Hover Ride will tour Denmark and significant parts of the BMW family
The Hover Ride, pictured in a hangar – no, it doesn't actually float in mid-air
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The Hover Ride, pictured in a hangar – no, it doesn't actually float in mid-air
The Hover Ride looks like a traditional BMW bike, besides the wheel that has been turned into the propellor
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The Hover Ride looks like a traditional BMW bike, besides the wheel that has been turned into the propellor
View gallery - 9 images

One of the best things about Lego is the world of possibilities it opens. You can follow the instructions and build accurate cars and monuments, or you can let your imagination run wild and turn that average vehicle into something much more exciting. That's exactly what the team at BMW has done with its R1200 GS Adventure motorbike, creating the Hover Ride from tiny bricks before handing it over to the production team to give it life.

The R1200 GS has only been available as a Lego kit since the start of January this year, but the creative team at BMW has already completely taken it apart and turned it into a much wilder machine. Whereas the R1200 kit faithfully recreates the real-world bike, right down to its complex suspension and horizontally-opposed engine, the Lego Technic Hover Ride uses the same 603 pieces to envision a future where off-roaders don't need wheels.

Although it wears a BMW badge, the Hover Ride wasn't penned through the usual design team in Munich. Instead, it was developed by Junior Company Munich, a unit where members of the company's training program come together to work on smaller projects. Trainees from the second, third and fourth year of their courses used the pieces of a full-size, production R1200 GS Adventure to build a life-sized (but non-functional) model of the Lego Hover Bike.

The Hover Ride looks like a traditional BMW bike, besides the wheel that has been turned into the propellor
The Hover Ride looks like a traditional BMW bike, besides the wheel that has been turned into the propellor

Some of the parts from the bike have been repurposed for life in the air – the front wheel has been turned into a propellor, while the boxer engine remains in place. There's no word on what's actually powering the concept, nor any detail about what would make it float. Like the best Lego creations, we're going to assume there's a gleeful kid holding it in the air making vroom-vroom noises.

The full-size model of the Hover Ride Concept will be shown in Copenhagen from the 16th of February. From there it will make its way around Denmark, before touring the BMW Group Research and Innovation Center and other BMW sites in Munich. Those unable to see the model in person can also build it as part of the R1200 GS Adventure Lego kit.

Source: BMW Motorrad

View gallery - 9 images
4 comments
4 comments
JimFox
What's the POINT, please?
Imran Sheikh
Utter nonsense, a stone with tiny wings it is.. Let me work with you and I'll give you a bike that really flies within a year. - Imran Sheikh
Bob Flint
What's in it for the kid that divulges the anti-gravity formula in a few select tones of vrooooommmmmsss........
HoppyHopkins
When BMW actually produces one of those that works, they will have a winner and will have people beating down the doors to get one