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If you asked a Corvette enthusiast what he/she thinks of the Grand Sport, the answer you get might depend on his/her age. Those of us of a "certain age" i.e. old enough to remember the early '60s, would no doubt spout the performance numbers of the 5 original Grand Sports, those lightweight racers built by Zora Arkus-Duntov and his cohorts at Chevrolet to do combat against the then new Shelby Cobras. GM management, in its infinite wisdom, quickly pulled the plug on the Grand Sport racing program, relegating the cars and the name to the history books.
An enthusiast coming of car age in the '90s would no doubt know that the Grand Sport name was resurrected and given to a special model to honor the last year of production of the fourth generation Corvette in 1996. Only 1,000 '96 Grand Sports were produced - 810 coupes and 190 convertibles - and all featured model specific Admiral Blue paint with a wide Arctic White stripe. All were powered by the 330 hp LT-4 engine and all had the six-speed manual transmission. Options included two suspension choices, and either an all black, or a black and red interior.
The newbie enthusiast would no doubt tell you the features of the new for 2010 Grand Sport. Yes, GM has given the name to a special Corvette model featuring an enhanced handling suspension and the "wide" body formerly available only on the 7-liter Z06. The newest Grand Sport is available in coupe or convertible body styles in a variety of colors, with either manual or automatic transmission, and a host of other Corvette options.
The five original Grand Sports are still around, each having been restored to like-new condition. Should you feel compelled to have one of the originals, plan on digging deep into your wallet. These icons rarely come up for public sale and when they do, the price is well into seven figures. Grand Sport 002 was offered for sale at RM’s auction in Jan. of 2009, but was a no sale at a high bid of $4,900,000 (that’s not a typo).
’96 Grand Sports are available, although with their limited production and now being 14 years old, exceptionally good ones are becoming harder and harder to find. The convertibles with the red/black interior are the rarest of these Grand Sports, only 53 having been produced, and those with very low mileage have begun to appreciate in value.
There are no plans to limit production of the latest Grand Sport iteration. This may be your best chance to enjoy a great car with the history and magic of the Grand Sport name.
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Copyright 2009 Bruce H. Troxell
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