Introduction
For 2010, Chevrolet has once again resurrected the Grand Sport name, introducing a new Corvette Grand Sport production model at the 12th annual C5/C6 Corvette Birthday Bash, held at the National Corvette Museum in Bowling Green, Kentucky. Available in coupe or convertible body styles and with a 6-speed manual or 6-speed automatic transmission, the new Grand Sport model offers a host of performance upgrades and replaces the former Z51 handling and performance package available on previous base Corvette models. The Corvette Grand Sport includes larger wheels, tires and brakes; wider front and rear fenders—including specific front fenders with integrated Grand Sport badges; a Z06-style front splitter and tall rear spoiler; and functional brake ducts that provide extra cooling, all contributing to the Grand Sport’s enhanced handling capabilities.
Critical Knowledge:
First applied to a handful of purpose-built, lightweight, race-ready prototypes in the early 1960s, the Grand Sport moniker has become synonymous with racing among Corvette enthusiasts. And although corporate politics kept the original, 1960s-era Grand Sport from becoming a production model, there is no denying the Grand Sport’s influence on the Corvette over the years. In fact, as recently as 1996, Chevrolet offered a limited-edition Corvette Grand Sport production model, commemorating the original race cars and marking the end of the fourth-generation Corvette (known as the C4). All 1,000 of those were painted Admiral Blue and featured a white center stripe and red “hash mark” graphics on the left front fender, a graphic scheme that mimicked the look of some of the original racecars.
For more information:
2010 Chevrolet Corvette Grand Sport Preview
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