BMW and LEGO Collaborate to Make Life-Sized Model of the LEGO Technic Hover Ride Concept

Designers from LEGO have never been strangers of looking toward the automotive world for inspiration. Especially with its Technic line, LEGO has reached out to various automotive groups to ensure that its vehicle models are accurate as possible.

For its latest LEGO Technic model, LEGO worked directly with BMW Motorrad to reproduce the popular BMW R 1200 GS Adventure motorcycle in a brick-based form. This collaboration between the two companies ultimately led to the creation of something new and unexpected.

BMW and LEGO collaborated to make a life-size model of the LEGO Technic Hover Ride concept.

In order to make the LEGO version of the BMW R 1200 GS Adventure as accurate as possible, LEGO’s team of designers worked directly with BMW’s design team. BMW even shipped a R 1200 GS vehicle to the LEGO team so that the designers could observe the motorcycle up close and in-depth.

“BMW Motorrad approached LEGO Group with the idea of a collaboration because the two companies have much in common: they both successfully combine innovation and tradition in their brands and products, providing unforgettable experiences for young and old alike all over the world,” says Heiner Faust, Head of Sales and Marketing for BMW Motorrad.

Both LEGO and BMW Motorrad were impressed with how accurate the brick-based replication of the BMW motorcycle turned out to be. The LEGO Technic model, made up of 603 pieces, manages to capture some of the more fine details of the BMW R 1200 GS Adventure, such as its front-wheel suspension and the BMW Motorrad two-cylinder boxer engine.

However, the building sets in the LEGO Technic line often come with an alternate model for LEGO enthusiasts to build, and the LEGO BMW R 1200 GS Adventure was no exception.

Once again, the two design teams from LEGO and BMW worked together to develop this alternate model. This time, LEGO shipped numerous copies of the set to BMW so that its designers could help develop a conceptual BMW vehicle using the same parts.

Ultimately, the teams from LEGO and BMW came up with a LEGO Technic Hover Ride, a futuristic motorcycle which uses hover-based technology, for the alternate build. The development of this conceptual hover bike would be impressive on its own. Nevertheless, the BMW Junior Company Munich decided to take things one step further.

BMW Junior Company Munich is a training unit within the BMW company composed of trainees from various departments. The members of the BMW Junior Company work together on projects to hone their design and crafting skills.

For their latest project, the BMW Junior Company trainees decided to bring the LEGO Technic Hover Ride to life with a full-scale model of the concept vehicle. Using parts from the actual BMW R 1200 GS Adventure and the LEGO alternative build as a guide, the BMW Junior Company team assembled a replica of the Hover Ride.

In order to complete the project, the BMW Junior designers did have to create some of the vehicle’s components from scratch, like the propeller. Although the model doesn’t actually possess hover capabilities, it is still an impressive look out the future of BMW vehicles.

In fact, the teams at BMW and LEGO were so impressed with the model that they are taking it on tour. The full-sized Hover Ride design concept made its official debut on February 16^th at LEGO World in Copenhagen, and it is now set to travel to various sites in Denmark.

“It was incredibly inspiring to see colleagues from different disciplines working with our trainees,” says Markus Kollmannsperger, BMW trainer for technical model-making. “Everyone involved in this project learned an awful lot.”

You can witness the entire design process behind the LEGO BMW R 1200 GS Adventure and the Hover Ride Design Concept model in the video below:

With a little imagination and a lot of LEGO bricks, there is seemingly no limit to what the designers at BMW can create.