A couple of weeks ago, when I was checking Facebook, I happened to see the following announcement about the life-size Bugatti Chiron coming to Orlando. It was two days before the actual event, and Orlando is a three-hour drive away from us, but I knew I had to go. I have been following the journey of this car ever since it was first revealed (see video below). While I’m normally not so much into sports cars, I always liked the Chiron due to its unique shape, and I was amazed by the beauty of the LEGO version. Not to speak of the amount of work that went into making it fully functional! 🙂
I knew the life-size LEGO Bugatti Chiron has been touring Europe, and being in the U.S. I was sad that I will probably never see it in person. I had no idea it was also going to come to the U.S., with the Orlando LEGO store as its first stop! But, it was only going to be there for three days! So, after the fairly long drive, we got to the LEGO store at about 1 PM on March 23rd – the second day of the Bugatti being on display.
I haven’t been to this store for while, and it has been redesigned since our previous visit. The store was absolutely packed. Frankly, I don’t like the new layout. It is a big open space with a sea of people moving in every direction. LEGO sets are on shelves next to the walls. It was difficult to get to them, as people in front of the shelves were three persons deep. In the open space, there were a few sets built and on display (much less than I remember from our previous visits), and a couple of play-stations, which were also very crowded. There were less community display windows, and they were smaller than before. And the noise of so many people talking, kids shouting, and loud music was almost unbearable. Also, I remember the Pick-A-Brick wall being much larger than it is now. The selection of the PAB wall was very basic. I did fill up a small cup, but mainly because I rarely visit this store, and I felt I should get at least a little something.
The life-size LEGO Bugatti Chiron was displayed at an open wall section of the store, so people could stop by and check it out even without walking into the store (and avoid the madness). There were lots of people around the car, taking pictures, videos, and playing around with the control panel to operate the different lights and make the engine roar.
Unfortunately, neither visitors nor the staff members were allowed to touch the car. So, moving features like the doors and the rare spoiler were not demonstrated, and we could not see the engine. However, there were a couple of staff members standing around and passing out cards with some of the basic info about the vehicle, as listed below.
- The engine contains 2,304 LEGO Power Functions motors, 4,032 LEGO Technic gear wheels, and 2,016 LEGO Technic cross axles.
- The full-size LEGO Bugatti Chiron uses over 1 million LEGO Technic pieces.
- 339 different types of LEGO Technic elements were used to make the model.
- It took 13,438 man-hours to complete from development to construction.
- The LEGO Bugatti Chiron reaches just over 12.43 mph at full speed.
- No glue was used in the assembly of the LEGO Bugatti Chiron.
- The model contains the first ever LEGO Technic transparent elements on the lights.
- It was road tested at the Ehra-Lessien proving ground in Germany, where the real Bugatti Chiron was first tested.
- The LEGO Bugatti Chiron generates 5.3 horsepower and an estimated 92NM of torque.
- The car weights a whopping 1.5 tons.
- Powered exclusively using motors from the LEGO Power Functions platform.
- The model comes with real Bugatti Chiron wheels and emblem.
- Includes fully functional read spoiler, speedometer, front and back lights, detachable steering wheel, and break pedal.
I took quite a bit of time to check out every inch of the car and take pictures. The honeycomb style skin is beautiful, and it actually had several layers to it that I was not aware of. I was surprised by the size of the car. I have never seen a Bugatti Chiron in real life, and I expected it to be similar to other, smaller sports cars. Based on the LEGO version, which is a 1:1 scale model, it was clear that this is a large and aggressive vehicle. One of the staff members told us that the wheels on the car the same as on the real Bugatti Chiron, and they costs $25,000 each. A quick Google search tells me that the standard Bugatti Chiron starts at around $3 million. I wonder how much the LEGO version costs…
I also checked over the car to see if I find any loose or missing elements. But I found none. LEGO Technic is a truly remarkable building system. I did notice that the roof and the hood was somewhat sagging on the driver’s side, but that’s expected with such a large model, especially with all the transportation and moving around it had to endure (plus some real test drives!).
In summary, I would say that if you have a chance to see the life-size LEGO Bugatti Chiron, go and check it out! You are not going to regret it. It is the most beautiful car LEGO ever built, period. I do not know the touring schedule of the car, but my guess is that future stops will be listed at LEGO’s Facebook page under the events section (which is where the Orlando event was listed). And, if you want to get your own LEGO Bugatti Chiron, take a look at the 1:8 scale #42083 LEGO Technic Bugatti Chiron replica model with a wealth of luxurious features, including aerodynamic bodywork with an active rear wing, logoed spoked rims with low-profile tires, detailed brake discs and a W16 engine with moving pistons. The model measures over 5” (14cm) high, 22” (56cm) long and 12.5”(32cm) wide, and includes 3,599 pieces. Although it’s not as big as the life-size version, it is still an impressively large LEGO model. You can find it at the LEGO Technic section of the Online LEGO Shop.
What do you think? How do you like the life-size LEGO Bugatti Chiron? Have you had a chance to see it yet? Or are you planning to visit it while it’s on tour? And do you have the #42083 LEGO Technic Bugatti Chiron model? How do you like it? Feel free to share your thoughts and discuss in the comment section below! 😉
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