Three and a half years ago, Larry Hofer started building something most Corvette enthusiasts would have immediately dismissed as impossible: an 8.1-liter direct-injected big block C8 Corvette. Today, the project has reached one of its biggest milestones yet. The insane sports car is now running, driving, and undergoing real-world testing as what appears to be the world's first big block-powered Chevrolet C8 moves closer to completion.The project isn't completely finished yet. A handful of tuning issues remain, including intermittent misfires under load. But the previous timing and torque management issues previously covered have mostly been resolved. Now, after a year, considering where this build started, the fact that the car is now driving on public roads is arguably the biggest achievement so far. The World's First Big Block C8 Corvette Is Finally Driving Youtube / Greg QuirinGetting an engine swap to start is one thing. Getting it to behave like a modern production vehicle is something else entirely.According to Hofer, the Corvette has made significant progress in recent testing. The drivability has improved dramatically, the check engine light is gone, and recent tuning adjustments have helped smooth out many of the issues that previously plagued the car. During freeway testing, however, the team still observed misfires on cylinders one and seven, with scan tool data showing dozens of misfire events occurring under certain conditions. Fortunately, the issue appears to be far less severe than before, and additional tuning changes have already shown promising results.One of the biggest improvements came after enriching the engine's fuel mixture. According to the team, the revised calibration reduced many of the drivability concerns that had previously shown up during testing, moving the project another step closer to functioning like a factory-built car rather than a science experiment. And honestly, that's what makes this build so impressive. Plenty of wild engine swaps exist. Very few ever reach the point where they're comfortably driving on the freeway. Now The Big Block Is Getting Eight Individual Throttle Bodies Youtube / Greg QuirinAs if stuffing an 8.1-liter direct-injected big block into a mid-engine Corvette wasn't ambitious enough, Hofer has already moved on to the next phase of the project. The current plan involves replacing the existing intake setup with a custom-built intake manifold featuring eight individual throttle bodies. The setup is designed to improve both performance and visual drama, creating an engine bay that looks every bit as outrageous as the powertrain itself.What's remarkable is how much of the system had to be engineered from scratch. Hofer and his team modified factory C8 throttle body components, fabricated custom brackets, and developed an entirely unique control strategy to make the individual throttle bodies communicate properly with the Corvette's electronics. Even getting the throttle blades to open and close correctly required custom solutions and extensive testing. The result should be one of the most visually dramatic C8 engine bays ever created, assuming everything works as intended. This May Be The Wildest C8 Corvette Build On The Planet What separates this project from many other high-profile engine swaps is that there was never a blueprint. Nobody had already built an 8.1-liter direct-injected big block C8. There wasn't a kit to buy, a forum thread to follow, or a catalog full of swap parts waiting to be ordered. Nearly every challenge required a custom solution, from engine management and tuning to throttle control and intake design. That's why the remaining misfires aren't necessarily a sign of failure. If anything, they highlight how close the project is to completion. The Corvette is already running, driving, and putting miles on the road. The issues being chased now are the kinds of refinements that happen near the end of a build rather than the beginning.More than three years after the project started, the world's first known 8.1-liter big block C8 Corvette is no longer a crazy idea on a shop floor. It's a functioning car that can drive down the highway under its own power, and somehow it still looks like the most ridiculous Corvette build anyone has attempted in years.Source: Youtube / Greg Quirin