Chevrolet unveils the 2017 Corvette Grand Sport at the Geneva Motor Show, a tribute to General Motors’ ‘Grand Sport’ legacy that began in 1963.
[Not a valid template]Introduced to the public at the Geneva Motor Show, the new 2017 Corvette Grand Sport is represents ‘a pure expression of the car’s motorsports-bred pedigree’ according to Chevrolet. And what that basically means is ‘expect track-honed aerodynamics, a formidable engine and a crapload of black paint’.
Let’s start with the looks. Built on a lightweight platform derived from that found on the 2015 Le Mans-winning Corvette C7.R GTE Pro race car, the Grand Sport uses chassis tunes and upgraded cooling systems as found on the Z06, as well as restyled front and rear fenders and a Z06-style grille. Track-focused aerodynamic bodywork meanwhile means the new Corvette is capable of 1.05g under cornering (1.2kg with the available Z07 package). The whole package runs atop 20in specific Grand Sport wheels, clad with super sticky Michelin Pilot Super Sport performance tyres.
Lift the lid and you’ll find the same 6.2-litre LT1 V8 – mated with a seven-speed manual gearbox – punching out 460bhp, just below the lunatic Z06. Hefty Brembo brakes measuring 355mm at the front and 340mm at the rear reign in the power, though the Grand Sport uses the same magnetic ride control suspension as found on the base Corvette, albeit tweaked.
For those of you curious about the name, General Motor’s Grand Sport legacy began with in 1963 as GM targeted victory in that year’s 24 Hours of Le Mans. Only five of the originally planned 125 homologated models had been completed though before the plug was pulled on GM’s factory GT racing program, its Le Mans challenge falling with it. Private competitors – among them Roger Penske and A.J. Foyt – would run them throughout the 1960s though before the name made an official return with the fourth generation Corvette in 1984. The ‘Grand Sport’ nomenclature was last seen in 2014 on the C7.R racer.
Source – Chevrolet
