Coolest convertible

It was curiosity that got me over my 4993 builders block. To stay true to the spirit, what kind of car was it meant to be? I read around for opinions. Z3? Luckily not. MX5? Ooh, that would be nice, ah but wait no, Lego blurb talks about a V8. Hmmm, an old MG? Maybe. And then darthdc said “AC Cobra” and particularly, around the rear, it’s a good match.

And then I found the Slalom Snake edition with the red stripe and I was convinced. Street legal rocket on a go-kart, baby! Designed for after-market modifications too, which is so apt. The throttle had a habit of sticking open and nearly killing its owner 😳 Oh yes, exactly the kind of barn find a Japanese tuner could love and obsess over.

And so I riffed off of that.

Features? We got features.

Power

  • 427 cubic inch big-block V8 to replace the stock 289.
  • Old school supercharger …
  • … which then needs an inter cooler natch.
  • Nitrous obvs.

Body

  • Lowered ride height
  • Wider and longer (and harder and faster)
  • Chopped roof
  • Evil eyes beefy front face
  • A proper rear spoiler
  • Retaining the spirit of the original stripes

Safety

  • External electric cut out, internal fire extinguisher.
  • Police radar detector and generally ridiculousised dashboard.
  • All round disk brakes

Playability

  • Rack and pinion steering connected to…
  • … an in cabin steering wheel (a homage to some of the oldest kits I’ve got 🙂 )
  • And, as every schoolboy knows, the bigger the exhaust, the faster the car. This beast is so over-tuned 2m flames slide out when you let off the gas!
  • Worm gear screw lock bonnet clips (a homage in turn to Tamiya RC cars)
  • And those wonderful stock doors and roof.

You can download the model from Rebrickable (adblock advised) but I didn’t feel like making actual instructions this time so you’ll need to figure things out yourself from within the amazing stud.io. Should be simple enough though.

I’d be delighted if you had a go with the build, particularly if you have the original kit. But be warned it’s not Lego standard. The steering catches, the bonnet falls off, the NOx comes loose but hey, that’s the nature of a high performance vehicle. Always in the shop!

Coming up with this just gave me more admiration for the official designers who have to make kits that are not only cool and functional but also robust and buildable. Harder than you might think. Shout out to the 4993 designer Jamie Berard who incidentally also did my second favourite set of all time. Did you notice how I stole those inlets for my pipes? 😁

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