Some LEGO sets are built and forgotten. The Technic McLaren P1 isn’t one of them. Two years after it first hit shelves, the 1:8 scale P1 (42172) is still on sale, still $449.99, and still the car that most of LEGO’s newer supercars get measured against.

The numbers

3,893 pieces, built at 1:8 scale, finishing at over 23 inches long, 9.5 inches wide and 5.5 inches high. It’s an 18+ set, sold through LEGO.com and LEGO Stores, and it sits in LEGO’s Technic Ultimate line, the one-car-every-other-year series reserved for the most ambitious builds.

What makes it special

This is where the P1 earns its reputation. Inside, there’s a 7-speed gearbox with a shifter drum and a V8 with moving pistons, all tied to working wishbone suspension and steering. The rear wing lifts from road to race height, the butterfly doors swing up, the rear hood comes off to show the engine, and a single central exhaust finishes the back.

The detail we love most: every box includes a unique serial-number tile, just like the plate on a real P1, and it unlocks exclusive content online. LEGO’s own designer, Kasper René Hansen, says the attention to detail in the P1 is unsurpassed, and once it’s on the shelf it’s hard to argue.

The P1 vs. the new Koenigsegg

LEGO’s newest Ultimate car, the Koenigsegg Sadair’s Spear (42232), is technically its successor. It costs the same $449.99 and packs 211 more pieces. But the P1 is the cleaner, more iconic shape, and McLaren’s hammerhead-inspired body is still one of the best-looking things LEGO has ever put in a box.

McLaren’s big LEGO year

The P1 isn’t McLaren’s only set in 2026. In March, LEGO Technic released the McLaren MCL39 F1 car (42228), the car McLaren won the 2025 Constructors’ Championship with, at 1:8 scale with push-rod and pull-rod suspension, a V6, a 2-speed gearbox and working DRS, for $229.99. And at the other end, the Speed Champions McLaren W1 (77257) is a $27.99, 287-piece pocket version of the car built to mark 50 years since McLaren’s first F1 world title.

Our take

If you’re only getting one LEGO hypercar, get the P1. LEGO hasn’t announced a retirement date, but Technic Ultimate sets don’t stay on sale forever, and this one is still sitting at full retail. Don’t wait for it to become a resale story.