2018 720s Performance on 2040-cars

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Oregonians use supercar collection to make sick children smile

Portland, Oregon couple Eric Peterson and his wife Amity own ten exotic cars and, said Amity, they "didn't want the cars to sit." Instead of the random track day or regular trips to Cars 'n' Coffee, they started a project called Dream Drives for Kids, which brings ill youngsters to the Peterson garage and takes them for a ride in the car of their choice. The couple aims to take a new kid for a ride every week. Portland's KGW news covered the project while a four-year-old named Gideon, who has a rare childhood melanoma, stopped by for a jaunt in a McLaren MP4-12C. And Gideon's a champ in his own right: the kid likes cars so much he would take Hot Wheels to other sick children in the ward, and he gave the Petersons a box of Hot Wheels gift sets to give to other children when they come for rides. You can watch the heartwarming segment in the video above. News Source: Eric Peterson via YouTube, Motor Authority McLaren Coupe Luxury Performance charity portland

Fernando Alonso to retire from F1 at end of season

Double world champion Fernando Alonso will retire from Formula One at the end of the season, his team McLaren said in a statement on Tuesday. The 37-year-old Spaniard is competing in his 17th Formula One season and his fifth with McLaren, and has been widely expected to race in the Indianapolis 500 next year as he attempts to win the Triple Crown of motorsport. Alonso, a double Monaco Grand Prix winner, won the Le Mans 24 Hours on his debut with Toyota in June this year and is ninth in the Formula One drivers' championship standings. "After 17 wonderful years in this amazing sport, it's time for me to make a change and move on," Alonso said. "There are still several grands prix to go this season, and I will take part in them with more commitment and passion than ever." McLaren worked with Andretti Autosport to field a car for Alonso for the 2017 Indy 500 where the Spaniard put himself in contention, leading for 27 laps before suffering an engine failure with 21 laps remaining. McLaren has been exploring the possibility of working again with Andretti to field an IndyCar team to run the entire series next year or might consider putting together their own team. Ryan Hunter-Reay, winner of the 2014 Indy 500 and a team mate of Alonso's with Andretti for the one race, said the Spaniard would be welcomed back and would be a great addition to the series. "It would be appealing to me if I were him," said Hunter-Reay during a conference call ahead of this weekend's IndyCar race at Pocono. "I spent time with him as his teammate and know he's as hungry as ever to win. "We worked very well together and would welcome him, no doubt, but I have no idea where this whole thing is going right now. "I don't know where McLaren stands with it ... a lot of speculation at the moment, but I think he would be a great addition to IndyCar and have a lot of fun here." Alonso thanked Formula One Chief Executive Chase Carey and the sport's owner, Liberty Media, for trying to get him to change his mind and leaving the door open on a possible return to the circuit. "I know (McLaren) will come back stronger and better in the future, and it could be the right moment for me to be back in the series; that would make me really happy," he added. "I made this decision some months ago, and it was a firm one.

Lego built a full-size McLaren Senna, and it's glorious

Lego is not slowing down with its forays into the automotive scene. Today we bring you news of a full-size McLaren Senna model, built as a collaboration between Lego and McLaren. This brick supercar is built using 467,854 individual pieces, which if anybody is counting, is about 200,000 pieces more than Lego used to create the life-size 720S from awhile back. It's still not as complex as the over 1 million-brick Bugatti Chiron project, though. Construction took 2,725 hours from start to finish, while the design and development took just over 2,000 hours. The car itself is built to an exact 1:1 specification in size, and includes a ton of bits from the actual Senna. Borrowed parts include a seat, steering wheel, pedals and infotainment system. Those in the driver's seat are able to operate the lights and play around with the big center infotainment screen. When you push the "start button," an engine simulation plays over the speakers to try and convince you that the twin-turbo V8 is actually behind you. Real McLaren badges right off its cars are fitted anywhere you'd normally see one. Then the wheels and Pirelli tires from the Senna are mounted to the chassis. Getting in and out through the Lego dihedral doors is apparently a bit difficult, but they're removable to allow easy access to the seats. In total, the Lego Senna weighs a hefty 3,348 pounds, which McLaren says is 1,102 pounds more than the real Senna weighs. Keep in mind that this one doesn't even have an engine. It also took nine times longer to produce than a road-going McLaren Senna takes (which is 300 hours if you were wondering). The details and structures to make this thing stick together are impressive, especially that huge wing hanging out the back. McLaren fitted some properly insane aero to the production Senna, and replicating the shapes and angles with Legos couldn't have been easy. Sadly, this one doesn't appear to have any real ability to drive at low speeds like the Chiron does with its electric motor. McLaren plans to show it off at car shows and events like the Goodwood Festival of Speed this summer.