LEGO® Builds Full-Size Peugeot 9X8 Le Mans Hypercar

Le Mans, the iconic endurance race, celebrated its 100th anniversary in northwest France with a remarkable tribute from LEGO®. The renowned toy company embarked on an ambitious mission to construct a life-size replica of Peugeot’s 9×8 Le Mans hypercar. The colossal undertaking demanded a staggering 626,392 LEGO pieces and an innovative assembly technique known as “hyper elements.” Against all odds, a team of twelve builders accomplished this awe-inspiring feat within the allotted 24-hour timeframe.

The scale of this LEGO project surpassed the dimensions of the actual Peugeot 9×8, with the plastic interpretation measuring approximately 204.7 inches in length and 86.6 inches in width. Comparatively, the real car is about 7.9 inches shorter and 7.1 inches narrower. Furthermore, the LEGO hypercar weighed over 1,980 lbs, adding another layer of complexity to the build.

The Le Mans build introduced LEGO’s new assembly technique known as “hyper elements.” These upscaled versions of standard elements were crafted from hundreds of their smaller counterparts. A remarkable total of 623 different LEGO Technic elements were employed throughout the construction, with 720 hyper elements pushing the boundaries of creativity and design. This innovative approach enabled the builders to tackle the project efficiently and effectively, leading to its successful completion.

While a typical life-sized car build involves a team of eight individuals and a leisurely timeline of over five months, the LEGO team only had twelve builders and a significantly reduced timeframe. With relentless dedication and tireless effort, they surpassed expectations by working around the clock. 

“Our designers are always ready for the next challenge, but building this iconic model for real certainly pushed their building expertise to the limit,” said Joanna Katharina Lazar, Vice President Global Product and Marketing Development at the LEGO Group. “Watching their creativity as they tackled the pioneering build live at Le Mans next to the real model, and hearing the crowd cheering them on was truly a once-in-a-lifetime moment. The challenge really shows that with LEGO Technic and some imagination, you can build anything for real.”

“We have been working closely with LEGO Technic on the PEUGEOT 9X8 and are so happy that it is now available for fans across the world to buy,” said stated Linda Jackson, Peugeot CEO. “This weekend, here at Le Mans, are seeing the LEGO Technic PEUGEOT 9X8 come to life in the size of our race car! What a great idea to challenge the team to do it within 24 hours and it was exciting to see the team rise to the challenge.”