Last updated October 25, 2018 at 1:19 pm
Every kid’s dream comes to life with this life-sized Bugatti Chiron made from the toy blocks.
The Bugatti Chiron meets its LEGO counterpart. Credit: LEGO
Legendary toy company LEGO have revealed the best big-kid toy of all time – a life-sized, fully functional Bugatti Chiron hypercar made almost entirely of the toy blocks.
Constructed using more than 1 million LEGO Technic pieces, and using absolutely zero glue, the car weighs 1.5 tonnes. In all, LEGO makes up 90% of the car – obviously parts such as the wheels and tyres couldn’t be made from LEGO.
What’s even better is that it actually drives. Packing 2,304 LEGO Power Function motors making 5.3 horse power, the car is propelled to a maximum speed of around 20 km/h. It’s safe to say, you’re unlikely to ever get into a crash big enough to test the questionable safety provided by a LEGO structure.
However, just to be sure, the LEGO Chiron was test driven by sportscar ace Andy Wallace.
As a comparison, the Chiron as supplied by Bugatti makes nearly 1500 horsepower and has a top speed of 420 km/h, as set by a limiter.
Bringing the big-kids toy to life required 13,000 hours of building over a year, and more planning and designing. However the engineers quickly found out that the complexity meant that much of the car would have to be designed as it was built.
One of the challenges was matching the smooth curves that give the Chiron its iconic shape. To create the form, the LEGO engineers created a system of triangles that could be draped and bent to follow the curves of the car. This fabric of triangles was draped over the car, and then adjusted into its 3-dimensional shape using a specially designed tool (also made of LEGO).
The motors are arranged in 24 blocks of 96 individual motors, driving a steel chain linked to the main drive shaft driving the rear wheels. The idea of having smaller motors driving each wheel was considered, however rejected due to the tight space in the front compartment (which holds the batteries instead).
The end result is stunning – engineering on a level that even Bugatti would be impressed with. From its fully functional front and rear lights, to its adjustable electric rear wing, the shape, and the ability to drive, the LEGO Chiron might be a marketing gimmick, but it’s also a surprisingly hardcore piece of automotive engineering.
It’s every kid’s dream come to life – from lounge room to race track.
