Our friends at our favourite charity, Fairy Bricks, have let us know about an amazing fundraiser coming up. An online Catawiki auction of a Pagani Huayra BC recreated in LEGO® Technic by Jeroen Ottens is taking place so that Fairy Bricks can continue their work of bringing LEGO sets to children in hospitals. To tell us the unusual story of how this has come about, meet Grum.
In 1983 at the age of 19 I had a motorcycle accident in which my neck was broken leaving me a C4/5 Tetraplegic. I was completely paralysed from the upper chest down with no use of my hands and very impaired movement of my arms.
About eight years ago my grandson Jake, who was three years old at the time, was playing with a little LEGO police car which he dropped on the floor, breaking into lots of pieces. He was so upset and asked if I’d put it back together for him. I told him I couldn't do it but he kept asking so I said "OK, I'll try" and, after nearly a week, I’d done it. All 23 pieces put together by mouth. I had such a feeling of achievement and found the concentration needed really helped my tinnitus. Since then I’ve built Jake, and now his younger brother & sister, many more models.
I now build LEGO Technic by mouth for myself, with the biggest to date being almost 4,300 parts. When building I post photographs of progress on the Eurobricks Technic forum along with a few words about the build process on my topic, Grums Shed. Over the years I’ve received a great deal of support and much kindness from my fellow members.
One such act of kindness came from former LEGO Technic designer Jeroen Ottens who contacted me a few months ago with an extraordinary offer: to design and build a model of my choosing. To say I was blown away is an understatement. As it came completely out of the blue and because for the life of me I couldn’t think what I’d done to warrant such an offer, I dismissed it as a hoax but after an exchange of messages Jeroen convinced me the offer was indeed genuine.
Knowing the enormous amount of time and effort that would be involved, I declined the offer. It was simply too much. Jeroen however, wouldn’t take no for an answer so I decided that this most unexpected offer, so very generous in its giving, should be made to benefit more than just myself. I said yes but on condition that the completed model be auctioned and 100% of the proceeds be given to the wonderful charity Fairy Bricks, to which Jeroen agreed.
The model I chose is the Pagani Huayra BC. I can think of no other vehicle as much at home in an art gallery as on the open road. It's an automotive work of art.
The design & building is now complete and the finished model has the following functioning features:
- Independent cantilevered suspension on all wheels
- Working steering, with working steering wheel
- 8-speed sequential gearbox with D-N-R switch
- Working gear lever to switch between D-N-R and up/down when in Drive
- Adjustable ride height on the front axle (operated via a knob in the dashboard)
- Opening boot, bonnet and gull-wing doors
- Fully adjustable seats
- Fake V12 engine
- Aeroflaps on the front and rear that move with the steering
Furthermore the interior, the engine and engine bay are replicated in great detail.
Pagani have endorsed our project and have been very supportive. They’ve very generously donated two 2x1 metre computer line drawings of the Huayra, hand signed by Horacio Pagani himself, to help increase the total raised.
The auction is being hosted by Catawiki and will go live on the 19th April and run for five days. They’ve very kindly agreed to waive all their usual fees so Fairy Bricks will receive 100% of the selling price.
All images are ©Jeroen Ottens.
That's awesome. All of it.
ReplyDeleteHehe, yes every aspect!
DeleteHow inspiring. :)
ReplyDeleteIsn't it just? :)
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