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Lego Technic's first McLaren kit is an 830-piece Senna GTR

Autoblog may receive a share from purchases made via links on this page. Pricing and availability are subject to change. McLaren and Lego have worked together on several projects since 2015, but the British supercar manufacturer's models have never appeared in the more advanced Technic line of kits. That's scheduled to change in early 2021 when the Senna GTR comes to your favorite retailer's toy aisle with a surprising realistic set of features. Designed for builders aged 10 and up, the Senna is an 830-piece kit that's 12 inches long when fully assembled. It's far more accurate than the Senna that's in the standard Lego catalog thanks to features like a V8 engine with moving pistons and a functional suspension system, but the coolest part of the kit is that the dihedral doors open just like in the real car. The Senna GTR's roof-mounted air scoop and its huge rear wing are on the kit, too. "Recreating a car that is so extreme to the core as the McLaren Senna GTR with Lego Technic gave us an incredibly interesting challenge. This track car is not like any road car I've worked on before. It's got some unique details, like silhouettes and the awesome rear spoiler, which differentiates the building experience from others," explained Uwe Wabra, one of the Danish brick-building company's senior designers, in a statement. Lego Technic's McLaren Senna GTR will be available on Lego's official website, in Lego stores worldwide, and at select retailers starting on January 1, 2021. It's priced at $49.99, which makes it relatively affordable. Lego Technic's recently-announced Ferrari 488 GTE kit costs about $150, and the real Senna GTR starts at $1.65 million. Featured Gallery Lego Technic's McLaren Senna GTR Auto News Motorsports McLaren Coupe Racing Vehicles

FIA levels F1 playing field for Honda

Formula One may place a high emphasis on technical innovation, but it also demands an equal playing field. So after the FIA regulations handed Mercedes a technical advantage for next season, a loophole was opened up to allow Ferrari and Renault to update their engines throughout the year. That left engine-supplier-to-be Honda in the dust, but now the motorsport governing body has awarded the Japanese automaker the same courtesy. As is often the case, the issue revolves around the specific wording of the regulations. Ferrari and Renault successfully argued that, contrary to its spirit, the letter of the law (or regulations, in any event) didn't actually specify when existing engine suppliers had to complete their revisions for the upcoming championship. The thing is that the rules were more clear when it came to new suppliers, so Honda was told that it would have to complete its design before the start of the season – unlike Ferrari, Renault and Mercedes, which would be allowed to continue development (albeit on a limited basis) throughout the year. Recognizing the inherent injustice of the resulting regulations, the FIA has consented to Honda's request that it be afforded the same opportunities as its rivals. The Japanese manufacturer, which returns to the paddock this season with McLaren, will therefore be allowed to make adjustments to its engines as its first season back on the grid progresses, just like the other engine suppliers. News Source: AutosportImage Credit: McLaren Motorsports Honda McLaren F1 fia regulations

McLaren testing an EV, but challenges remain to electrify a hypercar

There are new details on McLaren's ongoing quest to build an all-electric supercar. Autocar reports that the specialty carmaker has been testing an EV mule to evaluate driver engagement and has discovered it's still a big leap to fully electrifying a track car. The biggest stumbling block remains the battery technology and the enormous energy demands of track racing. "Let's say you want to drive on a track for half an hour," Dan Parry-Williams, McLaren's engineering design director, told Autocar. "If that was an EV, that car would have over 500 miles of EV range, and it would be flat as a pancake at the end. The energy required to do really high performance on track is staggering. And then you have to recharge it." He notes that the technology is improving but adds that "there's a lot more investment" going into range-extending energy-dense batteries than into the kind of power density needed for supercar performance. McLaren has been talking about making fully electric versions of its cars for a while now, but it sounds like a pure EV hypercard is still a ways off. Meanwhile, expect it to focus on hybrids: McLaren plans to have half of its fleet feature hybrid powertrains by 2022. Its P1 already has a hybrid powertrain, as will the forthcoming BP23. "You can potentially manage (a flat battery) with a niche car," Parry-Williams told Autocar. "If you exhaust the battery but then have to do one recharging lap, that strikes me as being OK. But if you haven't got an on-board generator (and) you've got a full EV, you haven't got the luxury of doing that."Related Video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. McLaren 720S First Drive | Autoblog