Technic

NEOM McLaren Extreme E Race Car

A pocket-sized off-roader that turns and rolls, but doesn't ask much of you.

Brick Rated Score

3.4/5

Set 42166 · 2024

Pieces252

Minifigsn/a

Year2024

Set number42166

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The verdict

I built this one on a lazy afternoon and it was done before my tea went cold, and that's really the whole story of this set.

The steering wheel actually turns the front tires, the suspension has a bit of give over rough ground, and those big knobby tires look properly gnarly next to LEGO's usual road car rubber. I just wish there was more car here for the build time, because it's over almost as soon as it starts.

Best for: a young or newer builder wanting a quick, satisfying Technic win, not a display-shelf centerpiece

The full review

What it is

This is LEGO's small-scale nod to Extreme E, the off-road racing series where electric SUVs get thrown at sand dunes, glaciers, and desert tracks to make a point about climate change. McLaren's NEOM-backed team gets its own little model here, and the two things that stood out to me building it were the tires and the steering. Those oversized, deeply treaded tires immediately read as off-road rather than track, and turning the exposed steering wheel to swing the front wheels left and right is a genuinely satisfying bit of Technic mechanism packed into a tiny chassis.

The catch

I'll be straight with you about where this one falls short. At 252 pieces it's built in well under an hour, and once the steering function is done there isn't a second act, no real suspension travel, no opening panels, no second surprise waiting for you. For the asking price it feels thin compared to what LEGO's small Technic cars have offered in other years, and a few builders online made the same complaint about value for piece count.

Who it's for

If you or a young builder in your life wants a first taste of how Technic steering actually works, or just likes the Extreme E livery, this is a fun quick build and it looks sharp sitting next to a keyboard or on a desk. If you're after something you can sink an evening into, or a Technic model with real engineering depth, skip this one and put your money toward one of the larger licensed cars instead.

The parts story

What the build is actually like, and the pieces worth knowing about.

The build itself is a short, cheerful one. You start with the steering rack and front axle, then wrap the frame around it, and the whole thing goes together in tidy, obvious stages with almost no backtracking. It's the kind of build I'd hand to someone building their first Technic set, because every step teaches you something about how the mechanism works without ever getting fiddly or confusing.

There's nothing rare here in terms of new molds or printed pieces, this is a parts-practical set built from LEGO's existing Technic catalogue. The pieces that do the heavy lifting visually are the oversized off-road tires and the black roll cage beams that frame the cockpit, both of which sell the Extreme E look far more than the piece count would suggest. It's a set where the tires and the livery stickers are doing most of the personality, not any single standout element.

Fun facts

01Extreme E races a spec chassis called the Odyssey 21, an electric off-road SUV built by Spark Racing Technology, so every team including NEOM McLaren races an identical car under different livery.
02The real-world series is deliberately raced in remote, environmentally sensitive locations like deserts, glaciers, and former industrial sites to draw attention to climate change.
03This set sits among the smallest licensed vehicles LEGO has put in the Technic line in recent years, aimed squarely at a quick, accessible build rather than a display piece.