Gothenburg, Sweden—Swedish man David Gustafsson has taken the concept of life-size Lego vehicles to a whole new level. At the recent Ecar Expo in Gothenburg, Sweden, Volvo proudly showcased Gustafsson’s fully functional, drivable 1:1 scale Lego Volvo wagon.
Rather than opting for the simplicity of an older boxy Volvo model like the 240 or 740 wagon, Gustafsson decided to recreate his own V70 wagon, a third generation model known for its intricate curves.
Moreover, unlike most life-size Lego replicas that are just static displays, Gustafsson’s creation has a fully functional interior with turning climate control knobs, doors that swing open, and a working gear selector. It also features pivoting side mirrors and active headlights that follow the movement of the steering wheel.
What sets Gustafsson’s Lego V70 apart is its ability to actually drive, all thanks to an electric motor and a battery pack. With the use of a remote control, the vehicle can start, move, steer and brake, but cannot reach high speeds.
The Volvo incorporates only a few non-Lego components: the wheels, tires, metal frame and powertrain.
Gustafsson dedicated over a year on this project and used over 400,000 Lego pieces to complete the vehicle. His victory in the 2020 Lego Masters competition provided him with most of the pieces needed for the project. The bricks in total weighed 1.2 tonnes.
With support from Volvo Cars, Gustafsson’s Lego creation is embarking on a tour across Sweden, visiting events throughout the country from February 22 to August 4. The completion of this project marked the fulfillment of Gustafsson’s lifelong dream of building a full-size vehicle out of Lego.
