Write About Everything

id=”article-body” class=”row” section=”article-body”>

Lego

Building Lego’s scale Bugatti Chiron model will likely take you some time, but its long build time pales in comparison to how long it took Lego to build a fully functioning, full-size Bugatti Chiron.

Now playing: Watch this: You can actually drive this full-size Lego car

3:06

Yes, you read that correctly, and your eyes are not deceiving you. This is a 1:1-scale Bugatti Chiron built from Lego’s standard pieces with a few special bits in there to ensure functionality. Lego’s team took over 13,000 work hours to put the car’s 1-million-plus pieces into place, and the result is a car that actually drove under its own power. Imagine the price tag on that one.

Building it

In total, the full-size Lego Chiron relies on 339 different kinds of Lego pieces, connected entirely by traditional Lego methods, https://foursquare.com/user/588174920 meaning no glue was used. Some pieces are custom, only because Lego didn’t produce the right kinds of pieces in the right colors for this project.

Lego started with a steel frame, which it deemed necessary based on the estimated final weight of the product. The steel frame connects to axles and parts that help affix Bugatti’s wheels to the real Chiron. The brake system is borrowed from a go-kart, and the power steering system comes from an all-terrain vehicle, both of which are also attached to the frame. There’s also a steel roll cage for added safety, and the chassis has four real lift points that can be used to put the car in the air. There’s no suspension system because of space and complexity constraints.

On top of that frame, Lego used a variety of Technic frame pieces to create an inner structure that could support all the exterior body panels.

After laying out the shape of the car using a basic skeleton, Lego’s team used a bunch of triangular segments to form the vehicle’s body panels. It relied on a special fabric to mimic the car’s exposed carbon-fiber bits. The front grille looks pretty darn close to original, thanks to Lego’s propeller-hub pieces.