LEGO Is Riding Once Again On The Success Of The 60s and 70s

And for a good reason. Those times produced some epic icons…

I’m a weird one. I know, I’m a dude, and traditional wisdom would argue that I should be into cars. But I’m not. I never really could get very excited about cars in real life, and if you read any of my articles about climate change, energy consumption and the environment, you’ll know by now that I’m kind of against cars, and prefer other means of transportation. Yet, when it comes to LEGO, I want all the cars! Including the 1970 Ferrari 512M and the 1968 Chevrolet Corvette. Don’t ask me why. For me, LEGO cars are just a whole other deal than real ones.

To be perfectly honest, I chose to pair these two cars in the review for no other reason than their age. In every other way, if you ask me, they have little in common, apart from the price of the sets which is 20–25 bucks each. If you’re lucky, you can get them for less.

1970 Ferrari 512M set #76906

This is another 2022 set, and it seems to remain on the shelves in 2023 as well, which is great news for Ferrari fans. It comes with 291 pieces, which makes this a pretty good parts to dollar ratio. The obligatory minifig but this time without the wrench, in a white Ferrari branded outfit paired with a white helmet. The Ferrari 512 M model measures over 1.5 in. (4 cm) high, 6.5 in. (15 cm) long and 2.5 in. (7 cm) wide. Plenty of room for a driver minifigure and lots of authentic detailing.

While the set does come with an array of stickers, it also features a good number of printed elements, some for the lights, others for the Ferrari logo on 1×1 plates. You’ll be happy to know that the red on the stickers matches almost exactly the red of the bricks, which makes this particular Speed Champions one of the most authentic-looking brick-built replicas out there. Where the red is less of a success, is the custom-printed windscreen, as it’s a tad darker than I would expect to see it. That being said, that same windscreen does have a trick up its sleeve, as it’s the only one I know of that actually flips open rather than having to just plop the whole thing off to get the minifig in and out.

In terms of building techniques, I am not sure who the designer was, I must say, it employs by far the most clever and unexpected techniques to achieve the iconic shape of the car. While SNOT building techniques are pretty traditional for Speed Champions, this one goes beyond anything I have seen before and uses not just that, but also a lot of hinging and brick reversal solutions as well. If you never had a LEGO set and this is your first, you’ll learn so much about building with LEGO, you could consider yourself an advanced builder by the end of it.

The 1970 Ferrari 512M set packs an unexpected amount of fun in a crazy small package. If you can get just one Speed Champions set, get this one.

1968 Chevrolet Corvette set #76903

While the Ferrari is not something you’d expect to see parked outside someone’s house, the 1968 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray, definitely is. The Ferrari is a race car, after all, while the Stingray is a sports car. There is a considerable difference.

While the set itself is 512 pieces, that’s actually for two cars, the classic and the Chevrolet Corvette C8.R Race Car, so you’re looking at around 250 pieces per car. The race car I won’t review here simply because I’d like to pair it with something else more suitable, so will be focusing solely on the classic 1968 model. You get the obligatory minifig too in blue and black outfit and a black helmet, this time with a wrench!

In terms of stickers, this is the set that gets it completely right. While, sure, there are a good number of them, they’re all transparent stickers, and it makes me wonder why LEGO doesn’t make this standard across all their sets. This way there is no annoying colour mismatch between the stickers and the bricks. It’s a no-brainer!

When it comes to building techniques, compared to the Ferrari, this is far easier to put together, and while SNOT techniques are present, it’s all fairly standard with a couple of pin connections here and there. Not becoming a LEGO builder expert, just by building this car, doesn’t take away from its value, though. The end result is one of my favourite Speed Champions cars, if not the favourite. The only one I can realistically see it competing with is the 007 Aston Martin DB5, which I reviewed earlier.

As much as I love this set, and would highly recommend it to anyone, there is one issue I cannot get over. Due to the shape of the windscreen, placing the minifig inside is a pain, and you’ll find yourself having numerous goes at it. The trick is to get the arm of the minifig really high up, where the end result looks like she’s having a migraine while driving. I know, it’s nitpicking, but still… 🙂

If you’re into classic cars, the LEGO 1968 Chevrolet Corvette is an unmissable set. Too bad, though, you have to get it bundled with the C8.R Race Car. It would have been a lot more popular on its own.

Attila Vago — Software Engineer improving the world one line of code at a time. Cool nerd since forever, writer of codes and blogs. Web accessibility advocate, LEGO fan, vinyl record collector. Loves craft beer! Read my Hello story here! Subscribe and/or become a member for more stories about LEGO, tech, coding and accessibility! For my less regular readers, I also write about random bits and writing.