Wonderfull Grand Sporting, for Less

Grand Sporting, for Less

We enjoyed the C6 Corvette Grand Sport’s affordable-performance vibe throughout that model’s two-year production run, and we’re excited by the C7 version. The idea of throwing top-notch, track-worthy suspension components and tires at an otherwise base-level Corvette dovetails nicely with legendary Corvette maven Zora Arkus-Duntov’s efforts to slip racing-spec bits into ’60s-era Vettes to give consumers an edge at the track. While everyone remembers the five original Grand Sports as greatly underutilized racing cars that were cut down in their prime by General Motors’ arbitrary internal racing ban in 1963, Duntov sneakily offered consumers larger brake and fuel-tank options, as well as the famous L88 big-block engine option, in order to keep Corvettes winning at the racetrack. Unbeknownst to him at the time, the cherry-picking of high-performance components from GM’s parts bin laid the groundwork for the future Grand Sport line.

The supercharged, 650-hp Corvette Z06 is today’s halo Corvette, and while it remains a performance bargain at $80,395, its suspension, tires, and brakes are the critical components for track duty. (Okay, the extra 190 horsepower ain’t bad, either.) Chevrolet hasn’t yet said how much the Grand Sport will cost, but we expect that, like the previous-generation model, it will cost only a few thousand bucks more than a standard Corvette Stingray. For those jonesing for a track weapon on a budget, that makes the Grand Sport the ultimate toy. As bonuses, it can pull double duty as a daily driver—and leaves one with plenty of Z06 savings for replacement tires and brake pads.