A bit too late to order a coveted Bugatti Chiron? More of a do-it-yourselfer? Why not make one from Lego Technic parts? That's what Lego has done, building a full-sized, functioning Chiron almost entirely from Legos, right down to the powerplant. It may not be fast, but it's really dang cool.
The Lego Technic team (based out of the company's Kladno factory in the Czech Republic) used about a million pieces to build the life-sized Bugatti Chiron, after having scaled one a few months ago as an apparent test run towards the real thing. The full-sized Lego Chiron is a faithful reproduction of the design lines of the world's fastest production car, and is the first large-scale movable construction developed and powered entirely by Lego motors. The full-sized model is packed with 2,304 Technic motors, 4,032 Technic gear wheels, and enough Lego pieces to total 1.5 tonnes (1.65 US tons or 3,300 lb).
The car's thousands of motors produce a total of 5.3 horsepower (3.95 kW) and about 67.9 pound-feet (92 Nm) of torque. Compare that to the actual Chiron, which weighs in at about 2 tonnes and produces 1,500 horsepower (1,118.6 kW). While the real Bugatti might fly around the track at record speeds, the Lego Chiron won't kill you in a top-speed collision. Especially if you wear the recommended helmet, as did Bugatti test driver Andy Wallace when he got behind the Lego Chiron's wheel and took it for a top-speed spin of 20 km/h (12 mph) along the Ehra Lessien proving ground in Germany.
Joking aside, the Lego Technic version of the Bugatti Chiron is a full-sized achievement. The Lego vehicle is made entirely from bricks and parts, from its fascinating outer skin structure to its interior seating and steering wheel. A working rear spoiler, front and rear lighting, a brake pedal, and more were constructed using 339 types of Lego Technic elements and over 13,000 work hours of development and construction. None of the parts are glued together, and load-bearing parts are almost entirely Lego pieces. The Chiron does include about 58 types of custom-made Lego parts in its construction. That includes its functional speedometer. Tires and wheels were supplied by Bugatti.
Side-by-side with the original Bugatti Chiron, the Lego version is amazingly accurate in its design elements and detail. "When I first saw the Lego Chiron, I was immediately impressed by the accuracy of the model and the minute attention to detail," says Wallace. "In fact, from about 20 meters away it's not obvious that you are looking at a Lego car."
The Lego Technic Bugatti Chiron model will be unveiled officially at the Grand Prix Formula 1 race in Monza, Italy on August 30, 2018. It can be seen in action, in the video below.
Source: Lego
