An old and rare 1963 Grand Sport is up for auction. These were built with the purpose to compete with the Shelby Cobras. So they are stripped down sleds with the most powerful V8 of the time wedged into them. Nice looking cars and an interesting piece of competitive automotive history.

Technology moves so fast these days. I have owned three Corvettes now, one from each of the last generations; and the leaps in technology, drivability and quality are significant. My old 1988 Corvette with its 250hp does not compare to the C6 I have and its digital-microchip everything pumping out 400hp and traction control.

The Grand Sport is a lovely car, but probably a road going Corvette is now faster and safer than it. IIRC Top Gear did a show where they compared a racing car from the 80s and then put them on a track with a modern road going car. A road-going Evo VIII beat the pants of an Audi Quattro rally car and so forth. Technology is rapid.

The wide body versions of the C6 Corvette such as the Z06 and ZR1 look much better than the standard body frame. They have wider arches on the front and rear wheels and are lower in stance which gives them a much better look.

The wide bodies are so popular that regular C6 drivers have been converting their Corvettes to the wide body on their own or using kits. The Z06 is more expensive, but it also has a fixed roof - neither are available as convertibles either - and does not come with an automatic transmission. So those that want the wider stance with a removable roof, an automatic and the standard LS2/LS3 engine are left with no choice but to make the wide body modification themselves.

I suspect it is out of the popularity of the wide body modifications that Chevrolet will offer the Grand Sport in 2010. It has the wide body panels in both the removable roof coupe form and the convertible body. There are some performance changes but I suspect the main benefit is cosmetic in that you can get a ZO6/ZR1 wide body with the possibility of driving with the wind in your hair and the standard engine rather than a race tuned one.

According to Jalopnik it is intended to rid the Corvettes of the Z51 packages (both my last two Corvettes have had this package):

Chevrolet's plan is to rid the lineup of the Z51 package Vettes, instead replacing it with a uniquely designed new Grand Sport model. Everything that you know and love about the Z51 will be here, but now, with the help of new Z06-derived bodywork you won't be confused with those driving lesser base-model Vettes.

But again, I still think the main benefit (other than the Z51 spec) is that a normal Corvette is on the popular and attractive wide body look.

The Grand Sport has a bit of a history. It was originally from a Chevrolet attempt to beat the Ford Cobra in racing events. Carroll Shelby had matched the big Ford V8 to the lightweight British AC Cobra frame and it was tearing up the local race circuits. General Motors stripped down a C2 Corvette and sent it out racing.

Garrett Brown photograph of C2 Grand Sport

The nameplate was resurrected in the 1990s with the C4 body (my favorite body shape of the Corvettes, and yes, I miss my old dark silver C4 even though it was a mechanical money pit). The C4 Grand Sports had more horsepower and were in lurid blue and white with black wheels.

Akula's photograph of C4 Grand Sport

They were also available in coupe and convertible form; consequently they have become highly collectible.

I am completely comfortable with my next Corvette being a Grand Sport.

The Corvette Grand Sport has its own website now. A standard Corvette with the Z06 body and the LT4 options including HUD is probably the ideal Corvette for me.

This article on the Corvette by Edmunds is a trollfest and sure enough it raised the ire of several websites such as gminsidenews and the corvetteblogger. The articles main argument is now that the Corvette is lame and the Grand Sport is an example of this new poseur lameness. From the article:

And now to make matters worse, there's the Corvette Grand Sport, a new model recently reviewed by the great Dan Pund on this very Web site. It's basically a standard Vette that looks like a Z06. Market research must have showed GM's product planners that there's an untapped poser market. A big block of gold chainers clamoring for a slower, cheaper, inauthentic version of the Z06.

As a current C6 Corvette owner and since I said the Grand Sport is probably the ideal Corvette for me I should explain why. The Z06 is too much car for me. I don't want to stick shift. I drive in traffic. Not on the race track.

430hp is also enough for me. The standard LS2/LS3 is a pretty solid and maintenance free engine. The LS7 is hand built and basically a racing engine, with it comes the expense of maintaining an engine that is maximizing what a small block can do.

I used to own an 1960s Australian muscle car that was at the absolute edge of what the old 202 (208) red motor could do. It was a pain to maintain as the slightest changes were enough to affect its performance. I don't want to do that again.

The Z06 also has a fixed roof. I have owned and driven three Corvette coupes now and one of the fun parts of the car is the targa top. The Z06 does not come as a convertible either.

The Z06 only comes as a manual. There has been discussions of the Z06 being offered as an automatic as well. It would be a good move, give customers what they want, and if they want 500hp with an automatic, who is Chevrolet to say otherwise. It seems instead that option is coming with the Grand Sport.

There is also little doubt that the wide body looks better on the Corvette. The cars have a better stance with the wide body. It looks good enough that many Corvette owners modify their standard Corvettes to have the wide body arches on the front and rear wheels. If people are going to that expense on their own, there are probably more who will pay Chevrolet for it - hence the Grand Sport.

My vette's have been the Z51 package mainly because I cannot do without the heads up display. The Grand Sport is basically the Z51 performance package from the old Corvettes with a new body.

The article from Edmunds is a trollfest and it got the desired result. But for someone like me who doesn't want the Z06 or ZR1 - which are road legal racing cars, and wants a sports car instead. Then the Grand Sport is ideal.