2010 Corvette Grand Sport: Legendary car is back in 4 seconds and change

By Mike Blake, Carlisle Events

Tuesday, July 13, 2010

The historic Corvette Grand Sport was a vision on wheels conceived by Corvette chief engineer Zora Arkus-Duntov as a light-weight, factory-built speed machine built to compete on domestic and foreign race tracks in 1963. Only five hand-assembled cars were built, as GM chose to refrain from participating in manufacturer-backed motorpsorts, and they were all driven by racing Hall of Famers including A.J. Foyt, Roger Penske, Jim Hall, Bob Bondurant, Dick Guldstrand and Dick Thompson, who won the Watkins Glen Sports Car Club of America race in a Grand Sport in August, 1963.

The light track cars, manufactured with thinner-than-normal fiberglass body panels and a light steel-tube frame, raced with various engines, but the most common among the plants used was the uncommon GS engine, an all-aluminum 377ci small-block V-8 with four Weber side-draft carburetors, combining to stampede out 550 horses.

Nostalgic in 1996, Chevrolet produced a limited-edition Grand Sport, which marked the end of the C4 (production was set to begin on the C5 – 5th generation Corvette). Only 1000 1996 Grand Sports were built and all wore Admiral Blue paint with a white center stripe and red “hash mark” graphics on the left front wheel arch, a graphic scheme that mimicked the look of some of the original race cars. The 1996 GS was offered with a 330hp LT4 V-8 engine that produced 340 lb-ft of torque.

In 2010, the legendary Grand Sport makes its third appearance – second in the Corvette line-up – as a full new model. This time out, it borrows from the standard C6 Corvette and melds it with the wider-bodied Z06, offering both Coupe and Convertible versions while supplying an optional automatic transmission. Though many of us scoff at anything other than a stick in such a renowned race car – my test vehicle was endowed with a sturdy and forgiving short-throw shift – GM maintains that 70 percent of its target market prefers automatic performance in entry level Corvettes.

Built in Bowling Green, KY, and looking like the C6, with some nods to its big brother, the Z06, the 2010 GS has built up its muscle and shows it off with wide fenders, a functional splitter on the hood, tall rear spoiler, fender vents on both front sides, wider front and rear fenders, unique 18-inch front and 19-inch rear wheels and large 275/35ZR18 tires in front and 325/30ZR19 tires in the rear.

The GS measures a stealthy 175.6 inches long, road-hugging 75.9 inches wide and stable 48.7 inches high on a 105.7-inch wheelbase; from any angle, it screams Corvette.

Grand Sport performance is also legendary and the 2010 version lives up to the legacy. Weighing in at 3311 lbs, GS has power to launch with its cast aluminum 6.2-liter LS3 V-8 engine with sequential fuel injection that thunders out 430hp and 424 lb-ft of torque. Some tests have shown that the vehicle can do a sub-4-second sprint, but my test GS, turned as one would drive it off the car lot, blazed down a local track in a jetlike 4.2 seconds en route to a 12.7-second quarter-mile. The Grand Sport turned heads around town and on the highway. Passing cars with ease, accelerating effortlessly, with stability and extreme braking power.

Stiff springs, tough anti-roll bars, beefy suspension and wide tires made for awesome grip, responsive turning on autocross courses and virtually no understeer or oversteer.

EPA rated at 16/26, my test Grand Sport averaged 14mpg in city stop-and-go traffic, and a comfortable, quiet, Corvette-waving 28mpg in highway driving.

In the cockpit, Grand Sport fits like the proverbial racing glove. With the top down, experiencing open-air driving exhilaration, there is nothing like Corvette. With the compartment closed, the driver and passenger are surrounded by leather, electronics and comfortable seating, with headroom a cozy 38 inches, legroom a spacious 43 inches and shoulder and hip room a cavernous 55 and 54 inches.

The convertible 2010 Corvette GS 1LT starts at $58,550, assembled with the LS3 6.2 engine, 5-spoke silver painted wheels, and the short-throw six speed manual gearbox with launch control. My test Grand Sport had the 3LT trim, that began at $64,780 and included such additional standard items as a power convertible top, sport buckets with perforated leather seating surfaces, Bluetooth wireless, power passenger seat, parcel net, memory seats and mirrors, heated seats, Bose 7-speaker sound system, XM satellite radio, heads-up display, power telescoping steering column and universal home remote transmitter.

Full leather would add about $4k to the base price. A six-speed automatic transmission as favored by many Corvette enthusiasts would add $1500 to the mix, but the stick is reliable, fun and gives more of a race car thrill and feel. An upgraded audio system with navigation would add $1750, and there is even an option available that supplies a hash mark sticker to be applied to the front fender of your Grand Sport, just like the race cars had.

My test ride finished with no extra options and a drive-off of $65,730 plus tax and license after adding destination charges of $950.

The 2010 Corvette Grand Sport … it’s a car for the ages.

Visit www.CarlisleEvents.com for more on the automotive hobby.

Mike Blake, former editor of KIT CAR magazine, joined Carlisle Events as senior automotive journalist in 2004. He's been a "car guy" since the 1960s and has been writing professionally for about 30 years.

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