If you have a hankering to buy the very first 2017 Chevrolet Corvette Grand Sport Collector’s Edition, book a flight to Palm Beach for this Friday’s Barrett Jackson Auto Auction, which will include VIN #0001 for the new super-handling Corvette Stingray. The first of the C7 Corvette Grand Sports will hit the auction block Friday night and the proceeds of the auction will go to the Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Institute at Wayne State University in Detroit.
The 2017 Chevrolet Corvette Grand Sport is based on the Stingray, so it packs the LT1 V8 with 460 horsepower and 465 lb-ft of torque. The auction gives the winner the right to configure Grand Sport #1 how they wish, including their choice of the 7-speed manual transmission or the 8-speed automatic transmission and either the coupe with the removable roof panels or the full convertible. Since the first Grand Sport will be sporting the Collector’s Edition package, it will be painted Watkins Glen Gray Metallic with Tension Blue hashmarks on the front fenders and a satin black stripe that starts behind the hood vent and runs across the roof and trunk lid. This first Grand Sport will also wear black painted lightweight wheels and a Tension Blue interior in leather and suede.
In addition to the unique exterior and interior appointments of the Collector’s Edition package, C7 Grand Sport VIN #0001 will come with all of the goodies of this new high performance handling package, including the aforementioned lightweight wheels wrapped in sticky Michelin rubber, a big Brembo braking package, wider rear quarter panels, unique springs and stabilizer bars, a dry sump oiling system and Grand Sport badging.
Buyers can also add the Z07 package, which adds the Carbon Ceramic brakes and the Michelin Pilot Sport 2 Cup tires from the Z06 – which allows the C7 Corvette Grand Sport to challenge the C6 Corvette ZR1 on a road course.
In addition to the proceeds of the auction on Friday night, General Motors will contribute an additional $400,000 to the Karmanos group. Considering what the other C7 Corvette “number 1s” have gone for over the past few years, the first new Grand Sport could demand a million dollars or more – especially if Rick Hendrick gets involved with the bidding.
"Before I was old enough to walk, my dad was taking me to various types of racing events, from local drag racing to the Daytona 500," says Patrick Rall, a lifetime automotive expert, diehard Dodge fan, and respected auto journalist for over 10 years. "He owned a repair shop and had a variety of performance cars when I was young, but by the time I was 16, he was ready to build me my first drag car – a 1983 Dodge Mirada that ran low 12s. I spent 10 years traveling around the country, racing with my dad by my side. While we live in different areas of the country, my dad still drag races at 80 years old in the car that he built when I was 16 while I race other vehicles, including my 2017 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat and my 1972 Dodge Demon 340.
"Although I went to college for accounting, my time in my dad’s shop growing up allowed me the knowledge to spend time working as a mechanic before getting my accounting degree, at which point I worked in the office of a dealership group. While I was working in the accounting world, I continued racing and taking pictures of cars at the track. Over time, I began showing off those pictures online and that led to my writing.
"Ten years ago, I left the accounting world to become a full-time automotive writer and I am living proof that if you love what you do, you will never “work” a day in your life," adds Rall, who has clocked in time as an auto mechanic, longtime drag racer and now automotive journalist who contributes to nearly a dozen popular auto websites dedicated to fellow enthusiasts.
"I love covering the automotive industry and everything involved with the job. I was fortunate to turn my love of the automotive world into a hobby that led to an exciting career, with my past of working as a mechanic and as an accountant in the automotive world provides me with a unique perspective of the industry.
"My experience drag racing for more than 20 years coupled with a newfound interest in road racing over the past decade allows me to push performance cars to their limit, while my role as a horse stable manager gives me vast experience towing and hauling with all of the newest trucks on the market today.
