Lando, Levi's & LEGO at McLaren's British Grand Prix Outing
The first weekend of July was an instant classic for UK sports fans. The England National team beat Switzerland with penalties in the quarter-finals of the Euros, which was quickly followed by chants of “it’s coming home,” echoing throughout London.
Then, Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton did just that, the next day he brought it home for the UK, winning the F1 British GP alongside McLaren's Lando Norris at P3.
The racing pedigree in England runs deep; with Lewis entering the latter stages of his career (although still very much in his prime), English fans are looking to Lando to carry the torch through the rest of the 2020s.
And with Lando's racecraft, along with McLaren, it seems increasingly possible.
F1 also continues expand off-track with big-time collaborations and partnerships.
The latest sees McLaren and Levi’s entering the F1 apparel conversation with one of the strongest collabs in the sport so far.
This union is not just about bringing two iconic brands together, but about exploring the untapped areas of F1 apparel, specifically denim.
With unique features like chain-stitched graphics reminiscent of '80s pit gear and a flurry of miscellaneous patches, this collection effectively redefines F1 fashion.
To launch this new collection, Levi’s brought us out for a tour of McLaren’s Tech center to check out the past, present, and future of their racing pedigree.
Approaching the facility you quickly take notice of the massive flowing design of the tech center which was designed by GOAT architect Norman Foster, whose firm is also responsible for The Gherkin and even the Apple Loop.
The tour started with a look at the latest 720s models, made in the same factory. This was followed by a huge fan favorite, the McLaren F1.
This one came in three iterations, the first run of the model in green, then a grey version that actually won Le Mans in 1995.
Finally an orange McLaren LM limited to 6, two of them were sold in 2019 for $19,805,000 and $13,750,000, respectively.
As far as the most expensive Mclarens you could buy today, you have the McLaren Elva and the P1 GTR.
The Elva is a supercar made for simple thrills but with the power McLaren provides.
It’s topless, but thanks to the Elva’s engineered aero package, a stream of air is fed through the carbon splitter and out of the hood over the cockpit, providing a smooth ride as long as you’re not going over 70mph. At that point, you’ll need a helmet.
Beside that was the track-ready P1 GTR which has a sticker price of $2.5 million which will propel you from 0-60mph in 2.4 seconds and can reach a top speed of 217 mph.
Then, we have the heaviest McLaren ever created, a McLaren Senna made of nearly 500k Lego bricks.
At nearly 3,748 pounds, this Lego McLaren required 467,854 Lego pieces and took 30 LEGO masters 2,725 hours to build.
And finally we have one of the most iconic cars and liveries of all time: the 1988 F1 world champion McLaren, driven by the legendary Ayrton Senna.
This car won both the Driver’s and Constructor’s championship with arguably the most iconic livery of all time, the Malboro trimmed MP4-4.
Appropriately, this legendary car anchors the McLaren x Levi’s collab, informing much of the graphic design and representing a bridge between F1's past and its stylish future.
