If your first thought after seeing the 2007 Chevrolet Corvette shown in our gallery is "it looks like a Hot Wheels," you're right on the money. Built and owned by Michael Tran, this C6 was selected by a panel of judges as a semifinalist in the 2021 Hot Wheels Legends Tour.
Held annually since 2018, the Legends Tour's aim is to travel across America (and abroad) in search of the best and most outlandish custom-built cars; there's no sense in entering your low-mileage, unrestored, and unmodified 1962 Volkswagen Beetle, however gorgeous it might be. The wilder, the better. Tran's Corvette won the latest round held in Houston, and it fits the bill perfectly: it's a one-of-a-kind build.
Nothing suggests this hot rod — which is nicknamed Soo Sik — started life as a Corvette. No one in Bowling Green would recognize it. Tran has been building cars since 1998, and he kept only parts of the chassis and the engine during the customization process. It features a redesigned body that gives it an exotic look, an open rear end that provides a view of the extra-large exhaust system, a massive rear wing, and 21-inch wheels. It's a similar story inside, where the steering wheel and the upholstery are among the aftermarket parts installed.
While this build retains the Corvette's V8, Hot Wheels notes the engine has been fitted with a pair of rear-mounted turbos to increase its output to approximately 1,000 horsepower. For context, the C6-based ZR1 was rated at a monstrous 639 horsepower.
Soo Sik will move on to one of the two global semifinal rounds, which will be livestreamed on various social media channels on October 28 and November 4. It will compete against previous semifinalists, including a 1975 Opel Manta restored and modified in about six months, a chopped 1929 Ford Model A nicknamed Loosie, and a heavily-modified 1969 Dodge Charger with 740 horsepower. The final round of the 2021 Legends Tour is scheduled for November 13, though the event's location hasn't been revealed yet, and the winning car will be turned into a 1/64-scale Hot Wheels car. The last Legends Tour winner was a 1970 Pontiac Firebird TransAm with a front-mid-mounted engine.