Electric Lego C7 Corvette ZR1 With Manual Transmission Is One Sweet Toy

Fully functioning C7 Corvette ZR1 Lego model is a true feat of engineering thanks to its home-built drivetrain.

Legos were once considered a kid’s toy, but they’ve quickly become all the rage with adults, too. Many of us who grew up building cars and other things from blocks are now reliving our childhoods, albeit with much more expensive, complicated, and capable bricked creations. That includes this amazing and quite fascinating electric Lego C7 Corvette ZR1 from YouTuber Hyper Blue.

Of course, Lego doesn’t sell a C7 Corvette ZR1 model with a fully-functioning electric powertrain and four-speed manual transmission. But perhaps they should. This nifty creation also packs lights, engine and wheel speed sensors, an accelerator pedal, and a dyno screen. That last tidbit comes in handy when its creator wants to test out the power the Corvette’s DC motor lays down.

The Lego Corvette is quite the functional masterpiece, as its creator explains. “I added a small DC motor controlled by a Raspberry Pi computer,” he says. “I created an ignition system which is a three-step process. I have a key here that I put into the ignition, giving us our first green light. Then there’s the covered switch that turns on the electronics. The third green light means everything is ready to push the starter button.”

Amazingly enough, Hyper Blue even recorded the sound of an LT1 V8 from a base Corvette on a cold day to play when the Lego car starts up. Packaging issues necessitated some changes, however. The electric motor is actually mounted perpendicular in the cabin, for example. But everything else works like a real car. Power flows through the transmission to a differential and the wheels, as we’d expect.

Ironically enough, this C7 Corvette ZR1 model is technically mid-engine, like its predecessor, the C8 Corvette. “Traction is no problem,” our host notes. “But the car is pretty much just power limited. I created this lift system at the back which lifts the rear wheels off the dyno about a half an inch or so. This alleviates the rear axle weight so third and fourth gear can can run really fast.”

The whole thing is, quite honestly, impressive to watch in motion. Mainly because this is no simple feat of slapping a few bricks together – it’s an entire, well-thought-out feat of engineering.

.

‎