Bugatti Chiron Built with Legos Draws a Crowd in Los Angeles

Lego Bugatti Chiron holds two people and moves under its own power.

There are lots of high performance machines on display at the 2019 Los Angeles Auto Show, but none are quite like this Bugatti Chiron. This unique hypercar is made almost entirely of Lego bricks. It was built to promote the Lego Technic Series Chiron model, but it isn’t just a display piece. You can actually drive this all-Lego Bugatti at speeds up to 12 miles per hour, with a passenger riding shotgun.

Life-Sized Lego Bugatti

The Lego Bugatti Chiron was built by a team of experts from the Lego brand. The car took some 13,000 hours to assemble, with more than one million individual bricks going into the project.

To create the rounded form of the Chiron, the build team created a pliable skin that was then snapped down over the chassis. The majority of the chassis is made of Lego bricks, with the only non-Lego components being the Bugatti wheels, factory tires and a pair of steel subframes that carry the wheels. The steel reinforcements were needed for this 3,600-pound Lego car to be able to move under its own power.

The doors of this Lego car open to allow a driver and passenger to be seated on all-Lego seats. An all-Lego steering wheel controls the functional steering system. It even has a throttle system, allowing the car to move under its own power. However, rather than a quad-turbocharged W16, this Bugatti packs electric power.

Lego Technic Motors in Action

Some of the models in the Lego Technic Series come with small electric motors. The Bugatti Chiron moves under its own power with help from 2,304 of those tiny, electric motors. When they are all working at their peak capacity, this electric Chiron packs 5.3 horsepower and 68 lb-ft of torque, leading to a top speed of 12 miles per hour.

The output of the power plant and the top speed aren’t all that impressive, but we are talking about a 3,600-pound car using Lego motors. The fact that it moves at all an impressive enough for us. Although, we have to wonder how you stop, as the brake rotors and calipers appear to be made out of plastic bricks.

A Brilliant Display

Once considered children’s toys, the Lego brand has grown to accommodate adults who enjoy building the blocky models. The company has several automotive-based model lines, but the Technic cars are the most advanced. The Bugatti Chiron is part of the Technic Series and it has an MSRP of $350, serving as one of the most expensive automotive kits available. These kits are more involved, so while kids may be able to work through them, they are designed for older builders.

At the Los Angeles Auto Show, this life-sized Lego car is sure to draw spectators of all ages, as it is one of the coolest displays on the grounds.

Photos for 6SpeedOnline by Derin Richardson

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Patrick Rall

"Before I was old enough to walk, my dad was taking me to various types of racing events, from local drag racing to the Daytona 500," says Patrick Rall, a lifetime automotive expert, diehard Dodge fan, and respected auto journalist for over 10 years. "He owned a repair shop and had a variety of performance cars when I was young, but by the time I was 16, he was ready to build me my first drag car – a 1983 Dodge Mirada that ran low 12s. I spent 10 years traveling around the country, racing with my dad by my side. While we live in different areas of the country, my dad still drag races at 80 years old in the car that he built when I was 16 while I race other vehicles, including my 2017 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat and my 1972 Dodge Demon 340.

"Although I went to college for accounting, my time in my dad’s shop growing up allowed me the knowledge to spend time working as a mechanic before getting my accounting degree, at which point I worked in the office of a dealership group. While I was working in the accounting world, I continued racing and taking pictures of cars at the track. Over time, I began showing off those pictures online and that led to my writing.

"Ten years ago, I left the accounting world to become a full-time automotive writer and I am living proof that if you love what you do, you will never “work” a day in your life," adds Rall, who has clocked in time as an auto mechanic, longtime drag racer and now automotive journalist who contributes to nearly a dozen popular auto websites dedicated to fellow enthusiasts.

"I love covering the automotive industry and everything involved with the job. I was fortunate to turn my love of the automotive world into a hobby that led to an exciting career, with my past of working as a mechanic and as an accountant in the automotive world provides me with a unique perspective of the industry.

"My experience drag racing for more than 20 years coupled with a newfound interest in road racing over the past decade allows me to push performance cars to their limit, while my role as a horse stable manager gives me vast experience towing and hauling with all of the newest trucks on the market today.

"Being based on Detroit," says Rall, "I never miss the North American International Auto Show, the Woodward Dream Cruise and Roadkill Nights, along with spending plenty of time raising hell on Detroit's Woodward Avenue with the best muscle car crowd in the world.

Rall can be contacted at QuickMirada@Yahoo.com