The Corvette Grand Sport is back – and just like its 1960s ancestors, it’s ready to hit the track.
Chevrolet engineers give the high-performance homage specific front fender inserts, a Z06-style front grille, and wider rear bodywork. Output from the LT1 V8 remains unchanged at 460 horsepower. The inevitable high speeds made possible by that are scrubbed off by 14-inch front and 13.4-inch rear Brembo brakes surrounded by exclusive Grand Sport wheels wrapped in Michelin Pilot Super Sport summer rubber. Magnetic ride control is standard. So is an e-LSD…
…and an estimated 1.05g of cornering ability. That only goes up – to 1.2g – with the addition of three little characters: Z07.
Yes, like the almighty Z06, the Grand Sport is now being offered with a Z07 package, which adds carbon-ceramic brakes, Michelin Sport Cup 2 summer rubber, and carbon-fiber aero bits. It even narrows the gap between the Grand Sport and the 638-horsepower C6 ZR1 on the road course at GM’s Milford Proving Ground to less than one second. Wow.
All Grand Sports will be offered with either the rev-matching seven-speed manual or the paddle-shiftable eight-speed auto. They’ll also be available in the Stingray’s full range of exterior and interior colors. According to Chevrolet, “An available Heritage package includes hash-mark fender graphics in six colors, with the hash-mark detail carried onto the interior’s brushed aluminum trim. Full-length stripes are also offered.”
Look for the 2017 Grand Sport, in coupe and convertible forms, in U.S. Chevrolet showrooms this summer. A Grand Sport Collector Edition in Watkins Glen Gray Metallic with Tension Blue hash marks and other unique interior and exterior touches is coming later in the 2017 model year.
Derek Shiekhi's father raised him on cars. As a boy, Derek accompanied his dad as he bought classics such as post-WWII GM trucks and early Ford Mustang convertibles.
After loving cars for years and getting a bachelor's degree in Business Management, Derek decided to get an associate degree in journalism. His networking put him in contact with the editor of the Austin-American Statesman newspaper, who hired him to write freelance about automotive culture and events in Austin, Texas in 2013. One particular story led to him getting a certificate for learning the foundations of road racing.
While watching TV with his parents one fateful evening, he saw a commercial that changed his life. In it, Jeep touted the Wrangler as the Texas Auto Writers Association's "SUV of Texas." Derek knew he had to join the organization if he was going to advance as an automotive writer. He joined the Texas Auto Writers Association (TAWA) in 2014 and was fortunate to meet several nice people who connected him to the representatives of several automakers and the people who could give him access to press vehicles (the first one he ever got the keys to was a Lexus LX 570). He's now a regular at TAWA's two main events: the Texas Auto Roundup in the spring and the Texas Truck Rodeo in the fall.
Over the past several years, Derek has learned how to drive off-road in various four-wheel-drive SUVs (he even camped out for two nights in a Land Rover), and driven around various tracks in hot hatches, muscle cars, and exotics. Several of his pieces, including his article about the 2015 Ford F-150 being crowned TAWA's 2014 "Truck of Texas" and his review of the Alfa Romeo 4C Spider, have won awards in TAWA's annual Excellence in Craft Competition. Last year, his JK Forum profile of Wagonmaster, a business that restores Jeep Wagoneers, won prizes in TAWA’s signature writing contest and its pickup- and SUV-focused Texas Truck Invitational.
