Yahoo Autos Drivable LEGO Bugatti Chiron Has 2304 Electric Motors, 1 Million Pieces, Goes 12 MPH
Bugatti's Chiron hypercar is among the world's most superlative-friendly vehicles. It achieves a 261 mph top speed using a quad-turbocharged 16-cylinder engine. There are diamonds used in the audio speakers, because they're better than other materials at making crisp noise. It costs more than $3 million. There simply isn't anything else like it on the road. So, could a life-size model built from Legos possibly match up?
Actually, yes, yes it can. Lego's skilled modelers have assembled a strikingly real-looking, 1:1-scale Bugatti Chiron using pieces from its Technic line, and there are enough jaw-dropping fun facts to match the real deal's cascade of jaw-dropping fun facts. The Lego recreation uses more than 1 million Technic pieces, and lest you think that's merely a Chiron-like Lego skin fitted over a real car chassis of some kind, it isn't: Over 90 percent of the car's structure is Lego (save for metal front and rear subframes that support the actual Bugatti wheels and Michelin tires) and can support two passengers and move under its own power.
The Lego Chiron one-ups the real-life Chiron's single W-16 engine and seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission with 2304 electric Technic motors working in tandem through 4032 Technic gears. According to Lego, that hive of motivators combines for 5.3 horsepower and 68 lb-ft of torque. Those figures, unimpressive in their own right, also fall superlatively short of the real Chiron's 1500 horsepower and 1180 lb-ft of torque. Ditto the Technic model's 12-mph top speed, which is a mere 249 mph shy of the real deal's.
No glue was used in the car's construction, and all of those Lego bits were assembled by hand. Construction took over 13,000 hours of labor. The car's skin, in particular, proved a challenge: In order to faithfully recreate the Bugatti's curvy body, Lego engineers came up with a flexible Technic "skin" that's literally screwed to the structure using Technic screw-drive components. The team employed 339 distinct Technic pieces, and even created a few new-to-Technic bits, including Technic's first-ever clear pieces for the headlights and taillights, which mimic the real Chiron's mesmerizing startup sequence and are fully functional. The model weighs 3306 pounds, roughly 1000 pounds shy of an actual Chiron's curb weight.
In an epic video we've embedded below, you can watch as the Lego Chiron works its way up to its 12-mph top speed at the Ehra Lessien test track where the real Chiron set its record top speed. Extra cheek points are awarded for Lego's use of none other than Le Mans winner and Bugatti test driver Andy Wallace for the feat. Be sure to watch the behind-the-scenes video also embedded below for a glimpse of just how much effort Lego put into this project. Sadly, you won't be able to purchase the big Bugatti-the real Chiron wheels and badging alone would be too rich, let alone the 1 million Lego pieces-but remember, you can buy a fairly large, exceptionally detailed 1:8-scale Lego Technic Chiron for $350.
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