Monday, October 3, 2011

Ford Rolls Out Life-Size Lego Explorer

Daily Mail: To celebrate the opening of Legoland in Florida on October 15, Ford has built a very special car as a token of goodwill towards the amusement park.

The Michigan-based car company made a life-size Ford Explorer out of Lego bricks - 382,858 Lego bricks to be exact. A team of Ford engineers at the Chicago assembly plant designed and constructed the toy car which took them more than 2,500 hours to complete.

Ford Motor Company is one of Legoland's sponsors and a company statement said they provided the car as part of a 'long-term alliance between Ford and Legoland Florida theme park'. The Lego Explorer will be an exhibit at the park once it opens, featured in front of one of the park's attractions, the Ford Driving School for children.

Kids as young as three can attend, where they will learn 'the difference between the accelerator and the brake — and move on to stop lights and stop signs,' said Ford in a statement.

'Children then have the opportunity to drive in their own electric vehicles on curbed roads with maximum speed limits of three mph,' said the car giant.

According to Jalopnik.com, while the Ford Explorer is made with 2,500 parts, the Legoland Florida Explorer is made with 382,858 Legos. Also, the Ford Explorer was built by 2,500 employees at Ford's Chicago Assembly Plant, while the Legoland Florida Explorer was made in Connecticut by 22 employees over about 2,500 hours. The Lego Explorer weighs in at 2,654 lbs, while a real one weight almost double that at 4,503 lbs.

Ford said the vehicle will be loaded on to a trailer with transparent sides so motorists can see the Lego Explorer on its road trip to Florida.

Legoland Florida General Manager Adrian Jones said in a press release: 'We're less than a month from opening and the anticipation level is incredibly high. This is the only park of its kind in the world built exclusively for kids ages two to 12, and it will be a total departure from anything families with young children have seen before. It's a completely immersive experience, engaging kids' imaginations and their sense of adventure through interactive play.'

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