Life-Sized LEGO Cars: Brick-Built Autos From Simple to Stunning

Any LEGO fan can’t help but be impressed by large LEGO sculptures. In recent years life-sized car models have become an increasingly common subject. Join BrickNerd as we look at a sampling of these models and try to separate the mundane from the truly inspirational.

California – The Land of Cars

via elsief1

The first time I saw a life-sized LEGO car was at LEGOLAND California in 2004. The driving school attraction had just gotten Volvo as a sponsor and an XC90 SUV was placed outside the school entrance. It was certainly impressive just due to the sheer scale of the model! The curves of the vehicle were well represented using basic bricks and plates, while black bricks were effective for the glass of the windows. If I’m recalling correctly, the model was initially displayed on the ground before the raised simulated rock platform was added.

As part of the corporate sponsorship, a real Volvo was parked by the main park entrance with a brick-built family of four getting out of the vehicle to enjoy a day at LEGOLAND. Taking this cobranding a step further, there were a handful of reserved parking spots for Volvo drivers. There was even a Volvo Dring School promotional brick issued for the new sponsor.

Detour Ahead

Bear with me as I take a slight detour. During one of my many visits to the park, there was a special event for Volvo employees. I happened to meet one of these employees at one of the park’s building areas and struck up a conversation. He said one of the perks for the event was a Master Model Builder build activity of a small two-dimensional model of a Volvo SUV. Well, it turns out we were distant relatives (back to Adam), and he offered to “adopt” me into his family to join the build activity. While not the most amazing model, it was still nice to be able to participate. The keen-eyed reader will spot that this was built during the transition from old grey shades to bluish grey (bley) shades.

A few years later the model shop team decided to prank the park general manager. The GM just “happened” to be driving a Volvo at the time (what a coincidence!) and they swapped out his real Volvo with the brick-built car. You can see for yourself here or below. If my trusty collection of park maps is to be believed, it seems the Volvo sponsorship had ended by 2013.

Florida Joins the Trend

When LEGOLAND Florida opened in 2011, I was very surprised to see their driving school was sponsored by Ford, concurrent with the Volvo sponsorship in California. Naturally, there was a full-sized LEGO Ford Explorer on display. There has also been a full-size classic 1964 Ford Mustang and F-150 pickup truck on display in subsequent years. These Fords were similar in construction with black windows and brick-built wheels and tires. Checking their website while preparing this article I didn’t see any reference to Ford, so the partnership has likely ended.

The driving school at LEGOLAND Deutschland is currently sponsored by Hyundai. I’ve seen several photos of real vehicles parked outside the park and the attraction entrances, but surprisingly, I haven’t seen any sign of a full-sized LEGO version. (Come on Hyundai, get with the program!) At least there were promo bricks to commemorate the partnership.

As impressive as these LEGOLAND models were, I now have to put them in the mundane category in comparison to what comes next. Just like with retail LEGO sets, there have been some increasingly complex and inspirational car models in subsequent years that have eclipsed these earlier cars. Besides adding features such as opening doors, functioning lights, and detailed interiors, we’ll read about some amazing functions added to some of the recent cars.

Technic Supercars

The 2016 introduction of the 1:8 scale Porsche 911 GT3 RS (42056) not only was the start of a wonderful product line, but also fueled the construction of some equally wonderful full sized LEGO models. The LEGO Group chose to replicate the Technic model design rather than the design aesthetic of the actual car. The full-sized Porsche 911 was on display at various car shows and public venues around the world for a few years. The model was last reported parked in the LEGO Hotel and conference center in Billund.

2018 brought the Bugatti Chiron (42083) to the LEGO portfolio. While the LEGO model and the actual car are wonderful, the full-sized LEGO model is the high-water mark for LEGO cars. Not content with just another large LEGO car, they made this one to be drivable and powered by 2,304 actual Technic Power Functions motors! The subtle curves of the outer body were replicated with geometric technic subassemblies that were joined together in a flexible skin to create a more organic form than traditional LEGO models. While all the full-sized models use hundreds of thousands of parts, the Bugatti takes the prize using over 1,000,000 unglued Technic elements! After touring the world, this model is now on display inside the LEGO Campus building.

There is an excellent video about the car on YouTube. I was a little amused how renowned race car driver and Bugatti test driver Andy Wallace put on all his traditional racing protective gear to pilot the car up to the amazing speed of 20 km/hour. Amazing for a LEGO powered car weighing 1.5 tons!

2020 continued the biannual tradition with the Lamborghini Sián (Sian) FKP 37 (42115). This version used Technic curved panel elements joined to create hexagonal shapes to depict the skin. There was a full interior and an elaborate moving light display. There is an embedded video on this LEGO web page you can check out. The retail LEGO model was unusual in that it was being developed concurrent with the actual car design being finalized. While the retail Technic model was plagued by lime green color variations, the full-sized version was professionally painted by Lamborghini!

via lamborghini

The Ferrari Daytona SP3 (42143) arrived in 2022. One of the unique aspects of this LEGO product launch was release of a coffee table-style book documenting the car and the model. I’m not aware of a full-sized LEGO version being produced for the initial product marketing. But fear not, this oversight was corrected in conjunction with LEGOLAND Windsor, as we will soon read about.

The latest Technic supercar release in 2024 is the McLaren P1 (42172). Once again, I’m not aware of this car joining the full-sized club yet. I would be shocked if one isn’t eventually produced, both to continue the trend, and since there have already been three supersized McLaren models!

Yes, 1:10 is Smaller Than 1:8 Scale!

While not part of the Technic 1:8 scale series, now is a good time to cover the 1:10 scale Technic Peugeot 9X8 24H Le Mans Hybrid Hypercar (42156). Developed to celebrate 100 years of racing at Le Mans, the Peugeot demonstrates how form follows function in racing car design. While I personally think the model has a face only a mother could love, the full-sized version brought an exciting new twist to LEGO building.

via lego

Rather than building a typical model, they developed and built “hyper elements” to replicate Technic elements and subassemblies. These 711 hyper elements were then assembled live during the 24 hour Le Mans race in much the same manner as the 1,775 elements in the retail Technic set are assembled.

via lego

I imagine the team went through many practice sessions to ensure that not only would it be finished in 24 hours, but also that it wouldn’t be completed too early. There’s a short video showing the process embedded in LEGO’s site here.

While the Peugeot set may have been smaller than the super car series, it is interesting to note that the geometry of real Technic elements was best replicated in a 11:1 scale. That means this LEGO model is actually larger than life-sized at approximately 110%!

Meanwhile, in the LEGO Marketing Department….

Beside the premium Technic 1:8 scale models, a number of other LEGO automotive products have been built full-sized in recent years.

The full-sized McLaren 720S model from 2017 was unusual in that it was intended to be an interactive display model. The public was invited to place “missing” orange bricks over the exposed gray portions of the body in order to complete the model as part of a charity fundraiser. This was a large marketing tool for the modest LEGO Speed Champions (75880) set.

Via mclaren

Raising the bar significantly over the previous McLaren was an impressive Senna model in 2019 featuring opening doors and a full interior. The body shaping used a traditional brick construction technique but was very convincing. This was another example of a full-sized model based off the much smaller Speed Champions (75892) set.

via mclaren

The flagship LEGO Retail Store in Leicester Square added a full-sized Aston Martin DB5 during the 2022 store remodel. This is a large-scale version of set 10262 from 2018 and the tiny 76911 Speed Champions from 2022. While not including all the Bond gadgets, the big version has a functional rotating license plate frame.

via lego

Seeing Red in LEGOLAND Build and Test (Race)

Starting in 2022, LEGOLAND parks started renovating/rebranding the Build and Test areas where park guests build small LEGO cars to race and send through obstacles. So far, four of the parks now have upgraded LEGO Ferrari Build and Race attractions. LEGOLAND California has an impressive full-size Ferrari F40 model in the entrance to the area.

You would expect other parks to use the same model car to reduce design time, but it turns out the four parks each have a different LEGO Ferrari on display. LEGOLAND Billund has a unique Monza SP1 with a single seat cockpit. I can’t help but assume that Kjeld (third generation owner) had something to do with this choice. After all, the original 2005/06 LEGO Inside Tour exclusive set was based on Kjeld’s single seat red sports car design!

via lego

LEGOLAND Florida has a 296 GTS, a two-seater Berlinetta spider concept powered by a 120° V6 engine coupled with a plug-in electric motor. Meanwhile, LEGOLAND Windsor has the missing Technic supercar Daytona SP3 which was delivered in an equally impressive box!

via euro amusement professional

via legoland

While I was initially impressed by the F40 on display in California, I can’t help but feel a little bit cheated now by the other park displays! While the V8 F40 from 1987 is nice, it’s sort of a “Chevy” compared to other more impressive Ferrari models. Okay, that was a little too harsh, but you get the idea….

Independant Contractors

The LEGO Group model shops aren’t the only ones producing full-sized LEGO cars. LEGO Certified Professionals (LCPs) have built a number of them over the years, including the previously discussed McLaren 720S.

via brickman

The Brickman (Ryan McNaught) and his team built a full-sized version of the LEGO Technic McLaren Formula 1 (42141) race car in 2022. This car has recently been put on display at The LEGO House in Billund. The car joins the trend of large-scale models promoting LEGO retail products. This model goes back to basics with brick and plate construction right down to the brick-built tires. The model also tries to replicate the Technic set rather than the actual car. While not elevating the model building techniques, the model will certainly impress visitors at The Home of the Brick.

AFOL Cars

via david gustafsson

Even AFOLs have tried their hand at these large-scale models. BrickNerd has already told you about Swedish LEGO Masters winner David Gustafsson using his prize of bulk bricks to build a drivable full-sized Volvo. While the idea may have started off as an offhand answer to the LEGO Masters host, David has followed through with this monumental building task.

Joining the drivable Bugatti and the 24 hour Le Mans hyper element Peugeot, I consider the pneumatic powered AFOL car to be among the three most truly inspirational full-sized cars.

via raul oaida

Designed by Romanian AFOL Raul Oaida with assistance from Australian entrepreneur Steve Sammartino in 2013, this car actually pre-dates my other favorites. The car used over 500,000 LEGO elements and reportedly cost about $25,000 in 2013. The car was originally built in Romania and then shipped to Australia. Sammartino used his notoriety to help recruit crowd funding and generate publicity for the project.

Technic pistons were used to create four 64-cylinder radial LEGO engines which were then coupled to power the hotrod styled car. This method of distributing the power requirements among many smaller components was the same method LEGO would use several years later with the electrical motor-powered Bugatti. The hot rod has a theoretical top speed of 20-30 km/hour, but they have kept the speed much lower to prevent the heat generated from causing catastrophic results.

LEGO (Car) Capital of the World

For those of you keeping score at home, to the best of my knowledge, there are currently five full-sized LEGO cars on display in Billund! Yes, all five are within a mile of each other at four locations.

LEGOLAND Hotel/Conference Center - Porsche 911 GT3 RS

LEGO House - McLaren Formula 1

LEGOLAND Billund - Ferrari Monza SP1

LEGO Campus - Bugatti Chiron and Peugeot Le Mans Hypercar

This article has by no means been an exhaustive list of all the full-sized LEGO cars. But we have tried to capture some of the history, trends and standout examples. We look forward to seeing what cars get the super-sized treatment in the future and what inspiring features get included using the limitless possibilities of LEGO!

Do you know of any other full-size brick-built vehicles? Let us know in the comments below.

Do you want to help BrickNerd continue publishing articles like this one? Become a top patron like Charlie Stephens, Marc & Liz Puleo, Paige Mueller, Rob Klingberg from Brickstuff, John & Joshua Hanlon from Beyond the Brick, Megan Lum, Andy Price, Lukas Kurth from StoneWars, Wayne Tyler, Monica Innis, Dan Church, and Roxanne Baxter to show your support, get early access, exclusive swag and more.