Lego makes toying with super cars a memorable experience

High performance cars like Porsche 918 Sypder, McLaren Senna, Bugatti Chiron, Ferrari LaFerrari are available at a fraction of their price. They can even sit comfortably atop your wood panelled desk.

Intrigued? Getting hold of these limited edition models has never been easier, especially when art, engineering and bricks have combined to create them.

Danish toy-maker Lego has partnered with Ferrari, McLaren, Porsche and a host of super automobile majors to make these seriously awesome toy cars.

From the likes of the amazing Porsche GT3 RS to the legendary Ferrari F40, it has contributed to making these expensive and luxurious cars a coveted collector’s edition.

McLaren meets Lego

A car company known for making expensive sports cars, McLaren debuted its Senna model last year. Only 500 cars were made and sold out for about $1 million each.

Then McLaren had one more Senna made, built out of Lego. End-March 2019, a life-sized version of the most extreme track-focussed road car built by McLaren was made, with interlocking plastic bricks replacing carbon-fibre.

McLaren debuted the Lego version of its full-scale McLaren Senna in partnership with the toy company. The life-sized car incorporates interior parts from the real Senna, including lightweight, carbon-fibre seats, steering wheel and pedals.

The Pirelli tires are exactly as specified on the actual car and the doors open vertically. Though one can’t drive this version, aficionados can climb inside the 1:1 model, operate the working lights and infotainment system on the model, sit behind the wheel and hear a simulation of the car going at 208 miles per hour.

Built to click with fans the world over, the company also built a toy size version, which can be owned by collectors seven years and above. Like the real thing, the collectible model promises hours of engaging fun.

What more could one ask for? Rohan Mathur, Head Of Marketing, Emerging Asia, at Lego Group says. “In total, 4,67,854 individual Lego elements were used in the construction of the Lego McLaren Senna, which are almost two lakh more bricks than what were used to construct the 720S model two years ago.”

Teams of up to 10 people worked shifts around the clock to click together all the pieces for the Lego McLaren Senna, he adds. It took 2,725 hours, nine times longer than it takes to produce the hand-assembled real Senna (300 hours).

Mathur says the McLaren Senna is the first Lego McLaren to incorporate interior parts from a real car, underlining its authenticity.

“Inside the extreme, driver-focussed cabin is the lightweight carbon-fibre driving seat, steering wheel and pedals from the real Senna. Actual McLaren badges were fitted and the wheels and Pirelli tyres were exactly as specified on the real car,” he elaborates.

The dihedral doors were made using Lego bricks and can be removed to allow people easy access to the cabin.

As the toy-maker scouts the entertainment world for partnership opportunities, properties, licenses and platforms that can enhance its global reach, it chanced on sports cars and decided to enhance brand value.

Though their toy boxes that bring out the child in us are filled with Doctor Who, Darth Vader, Spider-Man, Batman and Disney princess mini-figures, the luxury automobile and sports car range, called the Lego Speed Champion range, has a significant fan following.

More Lego hypercars

Along with the McLarens, the Speed Champion range has featured small, blocky versions of some pretty eclectic and mouth-watering machines, including hypercars like the Ferrari LaFerrari and Porsche 918, a range of F1 cars from Ferrari and McLaren, GT3 racers, as well as cars from Porsche and Audi.

Auto major Lamborghini only made 20 coupes and 20 roadsters, and both have been recreated by Lego. The Ferrari F40, a 1968 Ford Mustang Fastback, a Porsche 919 Hybrid, and Bugatti Chiron, among scores of others, have all been painstakingly recreated by the toy company.

Bugatti is known for assembling super fast, mindbogglingly expensive cars by hand. The toy brick company decided it wanted in, and built a life-sized working replica of a Bugatti Chiron.

Lego recreated the sculpted lines of the super sports car, considered a masterpiece of craftsmanship, architecture and technology, and included the flow of the dashboard, the flat-bottom steering wheel, and the complex instrumentation.

A unique aspect of these Lego sets are that the wheels on each model are replicated to match the ones you will find on the actual supercars. You also get a Lego wrench... do whatever you desire with it.

Serious branding efforts have gone into the toy models. Each of them comes personalised with its own unique serial number, carefully stored under the hood. Also hidden discreetly under the hood is an additional authentic Bugatti Chiron detail — the stylish Bugatti overnight bag.

Staying true to Bugatti’s heritage, the model features the classic duo-tone blue colour scheme reflecting the brand’s signature colour, and a set of identifiable stickers for additional detailing and authenticity.

Fans are also urged to dive deep into the inspiration behind the design with series of nine exclusive podcasts featuring Bugatti and Lego experts. The model encapsulates the magic, power and elegance of the Chiron, and offers an authentic building experience for car enthusiasts and Lego fans of all ages.

Lookout for partners

Mathur says the company is always on the lookout for potential partners with whom it can bring innovation and excitement to the market. “Apart from Bugatti and McLaren, we have also partnered with Porsche in 2018 to create a life size model of the Porsche 911 Turbo,” he says.

Explaining why auto majors chose Lego to build these awesome creations, Mathur believes that most companies like to stay relevant and create innovative things “to not only connect with the audience but also to showcase their innovation and technology expertise.”

Ensuring that these sportscars remain accessible to fans across the world was the core philosophy. As was the branding initiative. Never mind if you are not able to pick up an authentic version of any of these uber luxury models. At least you can fiddle around with the Lego versions.

Noting that Lego bricks are building blocks of pure creativity, Mathur adds the bricks are perfect to brew innovation with. And since co-creation has been a prevalent approach taken by corporates who excel in innovation, companies and consumers can jointly create value at multiple points of interaction.

That aside, replicating authentic, realistic buildable cars amidst a pillar of bricks, helps grown men to continue to dabble and play with Legos, and recreate some childhood memories.

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