Technic

NASCAR Next Gen Chevrolet Camaro ZL1

LEGO's first proper NASCAR car, and those holographic 75s really do catch the light.

Brick Rated Score

3.6/5

Set 42153 · 2023

Pieces672

Minifigsn/a

Year2023

Set number42153

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The verdict

This was the first full NASCAR set LEGO ever made, timed to the sport's 75th anniversary in 2023, and the holographic '75' stickers are the thing that actually got me.

As a Technic build it's honest but modest: steering, an opening hood, and a little V8 with moving pistons, nothing you haven't seen at this scale before. At the original 49.99 it never asked to be more than a tidy shelf model, and for a race fan that is exactly enough. If you want clever Technic engineering, this is not the set that will win you over.

Best for: NASCAR fans and younger Technic builders who want a quick, satisfying race car

The full review

What it is

This is the first full NASCAR set LEGO ever produced, and the timing was not an accident. NASCAR turned 75 in 2023, the car wears the number 75, and the whole thing is stitched together around that milestone. The first time I stood it under a lamp I understood the appeal instantly. The '75' graphics are printed on a holographic silver foil, and when the light hits them they shimmer in a way that photos completely fail to capture. It measures about 28cm long, so it has real presence on a shelf, and the Next Gen Camaro body reads as unmistakably NASCAR even to someone who has never watched a race.

The catch

I will be straight with you about what this is and is not. Under the shell you get steering geared from the rear, an opening hood, and a small V8 with pistons that move as the rear wheels turn through a differential. That is a perfectly respectable feature list, but none of it is new for a Technic car at this size, and reviewers across the board landed on the same word: uninspired. The bigger caveat is the stickers. This set relies on them for almost all of its color and identity, which means careful application matters more here than in nearly any Technic model before it. Get one crooked and the illusion cracks. The hood, too, is a slightly fiddly letdown, the panel is small and the pins holding it are too light for the feature to sit and work the way you want.

Who it's for

So who is this actually for. If you love NASCAR, or the Camaro, or you just want a good looking race car you can build in an afternoon and set on a desk, this delivers cleanly and it did it at a friendly price. It is also a lovely entry point for a younger builder stepping up into Technic, with enough moving parts to feel real and not so many that it overwhelms. If you are chasing complex gearboxes, suspension, or the kind of engineering that makes you stop and admire a mechanism, skip this one and spend your money further up the Technic range. It knows exactly what it is, and it does not pretend otherwise.

The parts story

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

Building it is a smooth, relaxed few hours across four numbered bags. Two build the chassis, the steering and the little engine, and the rest wrap the body panels around that core. It never gets genuinely tricky, which is part of the charm if you want a low-stress evening, and part of the frustration if you were hoping to be challenged. The pace is quick enough that one reviewer's nephew reportedly put it together in half an hour.

The standout parts here are the graphics rather than the bricks. The number and livery come on beautifully printed stickers laid over a sparkly silver foil backing, and the holographic '75' is the single best detail in the box. LEGO also printed the rear wheel arches rather than leaving them to stickers, which is a blessing for durability and, some builders felt, a slight curse since it locks that section into one look. Beyond the graphics you get a healthy pile of Technic panels, the race wheels and low-profile tires, and the usual pins and gears, all solid value for the piece count but nothing rare or new to hunt for.

Fun facts

01This was LEGO's first ever full NASCAR set, released March 1, 2023 to mark the sport's 75th anniversary, which is why the car carries the number 75.
02The '75' graphics use a holographic foil that shimmers under direct light, a finish reviewers singled out as the model's most memorable feature.
03It was the most affordable of the four Technic sets in its 2023 release wave at 49.99, and left shelves at the end of 2024.