Artist recreates life-size McLaren F1 car out of paper and fans are struggling to spot any differences

We have seen F1 cars built out of building blocks in the past, perhaps most famously when the McLaren challenger was reconstructed entirely from Lego, but this time, a car has been made completely out of sheets of paper.

In what should surely be categorised as origami meeting motorsport, Florian Weber has compiled a breathtaking piece of art.

It wasn’t through a matter of chance or simply just picking up a passion project.

Rather, Weber studied the design of cars in his formative years and used this to supplement his knowledge of building things using just A4 sheets of paper.

He runs a company called Paperlegend and makes miniature sculptures on a full-time basis.

He has made miniature versions of the Mercedes G-Wagen, Lamborghini Countach and Porsche 911, but in creating a McLaren F1 car, this was his first attempt at a life-size reincarnation using paper.

“When I started my journey as Paperlegend, I created 1:8 scale paper sculptures of legendary cars, but I had always dreamt of creating a full-scale paper sculpture of a race car,” Weber said.

“I never expected that the dream would become a reality, especially in partnership with my favourite team, the McLaren Formula 1 Team. Through VELO Love The Unexpected my passion for motorsport has been taken to the next level, with a paper racecar of epic proportions.”

The McLaren F1 car that Weber made was initially designed on the computer, before laser technology was used to cut the pieces out.

McLaren F1 made of paper. Credit: topgear.com
McLaren F1 made of paper. Credit: topgear.com
Real McLaren F1? Think again!. Credit: topgear.com
Real McLaren F1? Think again!. Credit: topgear.com
Real McLaren F1? Think again!. Credit: topgear.com
Real McLaren F1? Think again!. Credit: topgear.com

It was eventually assembled by hand.

“We are proud to have such passionate, driven and creative fans around the globe,” Louise McEwen, McLaren Racing’s executive director, brand and marketing, said.

“Florian’s paper sculpture of our F1 car is truly unique, and an inspiring representation of his dedication to McLaren.”

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