With LEGO Technic we like to state that you build for real. And to prove this is, we decided to build a car – a life-size LEGO Technic car!

The Ultimate Challenge

With LEGO® Technic we like to state that you build for real. And to prove this is more than just a slogan, we decided to build a car. But not just any car. Our one would be a true 1:1 copy of the magnificent Bugatti Chiron, built from LEGO Technic elements. And if though that wasn’t enough, we also wanted our car – for the first time ever – to actually drive and be powered by the same Power Functions motor technology we use in our standard models.

The Idea

The idea to build a real-size 1:1 Technic version of the Bugatti Chiron originated within the LEGO Technic design team. Designer Aurelien Rouffiange and the team had just completed the 1:8 scale model of the Chiron and began to debate what the ultimate challenge for the LEGO Technic building system would be. A full-size, self-propelled vehicle seemed to provide the toughest test.

The Build

If you want to build large-scale models in LEGO® elements, then the place to go is the LEGO facility in Kladno in the Czech Republic. These LEGO designers specialize in creating complex models for LEGO stores and LEGOLAND® parks around the world. If anyone could make this idea a reality, it was them. They quickly put together a core team of 16 specialists, including design, mechanical and electrical experts, and used over 13,000 man hours creating the car piece by piece.

The Test

Bugatti Chiron in LEGO Technic, it’s another to make it actually happen. Months of development and testing came to a head in June on the Ehra Lessien test track outside Wolfsburg, Germany – the same track where the original Bugatti Chiron was tested – when we found out if the car would actually drive. We were even more excited when Bugatti’s official test driver and former Le Mans winner, Andy Wallace, agreed to test drive the Technic version of the Chiron on its first drive.

Facts & Numbers:

- Over 1,000,000 LEGO Technic elements in total
- 339 types of LEGO Technic elements used
- No glue used in the assembly
- Total weight: 1,500 kg
- Engine contains:
- 2,304 LEGO Power Functions motors
- 4,032 LEGO Technic gear wheels
- 2,016 LEGO Technic cross axles
- Theoretical performance of 5.3 HP
- Estimated torque of 92 Nm
- Functional rear spoiler (using both LEGO Power Functions and pneumatics)
- Functional speedometer built entirely from LEGO Technic elements
- 13,438 man hours used on development and construction