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Park Update
Start your engines
Susan Storey reports on Legoland Florida’s LEGO Ferrari Build and Race, the new interactive experience driving imagination and design
F
uture drivers and would-be racers alike are putting their best car designs to the test at Legoland Florida Resort’s newest attraction, LEGO Ferrari Build and Race. The latest collaboration for Merlin Entertainments and
Ferrari, the experience puts park visitors in the driver’s seat to build, test and race a LEGO Ferrari of their own design. Complete with multiple build tables, three distinct track styles to evaluate the mini builds and cutting-edge digital technology that races the designs against “real” course obstacles, the new interactive, indoor experience is perfect for families. With a working mechanic’s garage theme, the experience begins the
moment guests enter the building, and are immediately standing in front of a one-of-a-kind model, the world’s only life size LEGO Ferrari 296 GTS. The bright red two-seater convertible race car was built brick by brick to replicate the real thing. “Our master model builders worked on this car down to the finest detail,”
shared Ryan Wood, a master model builder at the Florida park. “For instance, Ferrari was very specific about the design and look of the car’s headlights. Guests will notice the headlights are not just transparent lights. We actually used a combination of transparent and smoke-colored pieces to ensure the two-tone look and lights themselves are as close to the Ferrari 296 GTS as possible.” And while guests may not immediately notice that exact attention to detail,
they do have fun turning said headlights on and off, as well as revving the engine. The two interactive elements add to both the creativity and realism of the LEGO model. “Car fans quickly notice we have several Ferrari-specific parts on this
model” Wood continued. “It has a real Ferrari steering wheel, and the tires are real; but don’t worry, they are parked and won’t roll out of our garage!” The Ferrari LEGO model has another feature new and unique to the park’s previous car builds.
FEBRUARY 202 “While this is our third life size car, this one was designed to give our
guests the opportunity for the highest level of engagement possible,” Wood explained. “Our previous car designs were created to stand next to and pose beside. The LEGO Ferrari 296 GTS was designed for guests to really picture what it would be like to drive this 819-horsepower race car! The driver’s door is open, allowing guests to slide in behind the steering wheel and imagine what it would be like to race along the highway.” “Very few of us – adults or kids – will have the opportunity to sit in a real
Ferrari,” he continued. “This LEGO model makes Ferrari and its history of incredible car design and manufacturing accessible to everyone in the family.” Sharing its home among the 15,000 other Lego models at Legoland
Florida, the Lego Ferrari 296 GTS was built by a talented team that included a designer, six Master Models builders and three animators. Together, they worked for over 1850 hours to bring the 3300 lb (1496 kilograms) car to fruition, detail by detail. By the numbers, the result is a model race car that is 15 feet long by 7 1/2 feet wide by 4 feet tall and includes a whopping 424,402 Lego elements. “My favourite detail is the Florida license plate,” Wood noted. “It’s not
a generic plate randomly put on the back. This is a Florida license plate, celebrating our park’s state, built entirely of Lego. Its design features the iconic state of Florida with an orange graphic, and spells out 296 GTS. Those are the details that our guests love and remember when they talk about their visit to the park and what wowed them the most. Our Lego models are special.” Once guests have oohed, awed and posed for photos with the LEGO
Ferrari car, they move further into the large garage, ready to design and build Ferrari’s next race car. Three large LEGO build tables welcome guests to put wheels and bricks together in their own original design. Decorative LEGO Minifigures placed throughout serve as a pit crew of fun as everyone chooses from hundreds of pieces - all in Ferrari’s signature
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