Flip through the latest issue of Gulf Weekly.
TALENTED toastmaster Hitesh Megchiani was momentarily lost for words after winning a prize McLaren in a GulfWeekly competition and was just as delighted with the punch-line of … it’s only a toy!
The new McLaren 720S is already well on the way to achieving cult status, joining the legendary McLaren P1 TM in the LEGO Speed Champions range of model cars.
And good sport Hitesh, 31, who lives with his wife, Manisha, and 14-month-old daughter, Hanisha, in Um Al Hassam, picked up the perfectly-formed package from the McLaren showroom at MODA Mall from Kanoo Motors head of McLaren Bahrain, Trevor Fletcher, and said: “I’m delighted! I love sports cars and LEGO!”
His prize boxed LEGO Speed Champions McLaren 720S was the first to arrive in the kingdom. Available now, it costs just BD12, whereas the real McCoy starts at around BD120,000.
The model comes accompanied by a car designer mini-figure and design studio desk, complete with coffee cup, original design sketch and the 3D-printed model car.
Builders aged seven-plus and supercar enthusiasts alike can show off their design skills and build it, then put on a racing helmet and switch from supercar designer to racing driver!
Hitesh, who runs Arteco - Arabian Technical Equipments, and drives a Subaru, had no problem putting his imagination to the test by test-driving the original LEGO McLaren P1 TM around the showroom.
That model name was the answer to the quiz question posed in the GulfWeekly competition and his correct entry was the first out of the bag.
Born in Bahrain, Hitesh’s family originates from India but has roots in the kingdom dating back 65 years with links to the pearling industry and hospitality sector too.
A fun-loving member of Bahrain Toastmasters, he was once acclaimed on social media for giving a ‘talented performance’ as a joke master. The organisation is part of a worldwide network of clubs set up for the purpose of helping members improve their communication, public speaking skills and leadership.
The imagination and complexity required to create a representation of the aerodynamically shrink-wrapped, sculpted body shape of the 720S, meant that it took a LEGO designer a year to perfect and freeze the design of the new model.
“The LEGO interpretation of the McLaren 720S reflects the most exciting part of the design process, when a two-dimensional sketch is transformed into a physical, three-dimensional model,” said McLaren Automotive chief designer, Rob Melville.
“Building a model like this gives the next generation of McLaren enthusiasts a taste of just how exhilarating that moment is for designers,” added Trevor.
LEGO, a Danish family-owned company is best known for the manufacture of toys, consisting mostly of interlocking plastic bricks, and Hitesh fondly remembers his first set as a child making a space ship … and the McLaren goes like a rocket too!
The real McLaren 720S was unveiled at the Geneva International Motor Show, introducing the second-generation McLaren Super Series. Powered by a new, twin-turbocharged 4.0-litre V8 en-gine developing 720 horsepower, the supercar accelerates from standstill to 200km/h (124mph) in just 7.8 seconds and has a maximum speed of 341km/h (212mph).
To find out more about the LEGO Speed Champions McLaren 720S or the actual road going new McLaren 720S call 80007878.
