The Chevrolet Corvette has been a jaw-dropping vehicle since the seventh generation launched. Honestly, with its all-new interior and excellent driving dynamics, it's no wonder why General Motors is able to move so many units.
It's a really great car. Too bad GM can't seem to get the formula right with the rest of its products.
If you thought that the standard Stingray and the Z06 would be the only two offerings, well, you'd be wrong. Chevrolet has come out with an all-new version dubbed the Grand Sport. This isn't a huge surprise given the C6 featured a Grand Sport model as well.
Geneva Motor Show
Essentially, the Grand Sport's role is to take the standard Stingray and give it some better equipment to make it "track ready." Buyers get the following: Michelin Pilot Super Sport tires, a Brembo big brake kit, standard magnetic ride control, an electronic limited slip diff, a V8 good for 460 horsepower and a dry-sump oil system, and a dual mode exhaust. To really get the most out of the Grand Sport though you can tack on the Z07 package, which will give you the carbon ceramic big brake kit and a carbon fiber aerodynamics kit that will provide you with more downforce should you need it for track duty.
According to GM, a Grand Sport optioned with the Z07 package is one second slower than the C6 ZR1. That's mighty impressive given that was a 600+ horsepower flagship model Corvette. Obviously, the Grand Sport is a serious performer.
No word on pricing yet, but the Grand Sport will go on sale this summer.
Geneva Motor Show
Chevrolet's press release follows:
2017 Corvette Grand Sport Has Racing Roots
A ‘purist’ model that leverages a half-century legacy of motorsports success
- Lightweight architecture and track-honed aerodynamics
- An engine offering an estimated 1.05g in cornering capability and up to 1.2g with the available Z07 package
- Coupe and convertible available this summer in U.S. and fall in Europe
- Grand Sport Collector Edition available later in model year
GENEVA – With Corvette Racing in its DNA, the all-new 2017 Corvette Grand Sport is a pure expression of the car’s motorsports-bred pedigree. It was introduced today at the Geneva International Motor Show.
Like the 2015 Le Mans-winning Corvette C7.R GTE Pro race car, the new Grand Sport combines a lightweight architecture, a track-honed aerodynamics package, Michelin tires and a naturally aspirated engine.
The 2017 Corvette Grand Sport offers an estimated 1.05g in cornering capability – and up to 1.2g with the available Z07 package.
Heritage-inspired design cues and exclusive features acknowledge the historic Grand Sport legacy, established in 1963 to take on the world’s best sports cars. Only five were built before a corporate decision suspending direct motorsports involvement ended the project.
“Racing has been part of Corvette’s essence for more than 50 years and that track experience has helped us build better, more capable cars,” said Mark Reuss, executive vice president of Global Product Development and Global Purchasing and Supply Chain. “The global acclaim for the seventh-generation Corvette validates that direct link and the 2017 Grand Sport takes its track-bred technology to a new, exciting threshold.”
The Corvette Grand Sport coupe and convertible go on sale this summer in the U.S. and in the fall in Europe.
No holding back
Engineers adapted the chassis tuning, upgraded cooling systems, and performance technologies of the Corvette Z06 to give the new Grand Sport capability commensurate with its racing-derived history.
“We didn’t hold back with the new Grand Sport,” said Tadge Juechter, Corvette chief engineer. “For the first time, buyers can equip the Grand Sport with a Z07 performance package – which adds carbon-ceramic brakes, Michelin Sport Cup 2 summer tires, and carbon-fiber aero package that delivers true downforce.”
The result is a potent track car. In fact, the Grand Sport with the Z07 package is less than one second off the track record for the previous-generation Corvette ZR1 on the road course at GM’s Milford Proving Ground.
Content highlights for Grand Sport include:
- Michelin Pilot Super Sport summer tires: 285/30ZR19 (front) and 335/25ZR20 (rear)
- Specific Grand Sport wheel design: 19x10 inches (front) and 20x12 inches (rear)
- Brembo brake system with (355 mm) 14-inch rotors and six-piston calipers in front and (340 mm) 13.4 inch rotors and four-piston calipers in the rear
- Standard magnetic ride control, specific stabilizer bars and unique springs
- Standard electronic limited-slip differential
- LT1 V8 engine rated at (343 kW) 460 hp, with dry-sump oiling system and active exhaust
- Seven-speed manual transmission with active rev match and available eight-speed paddle-shift automatic with specific performance calibration
- Available Z07 package adds carbon ceramic-matrix brakes and Michelin Pilot Sport 2 Cup tires.
In addition to track-focused aero elements, the Grand Sport also features specific front fender inserts, a Z06-style grille and wider rear fenders – a distinctive design package that gives the car a track-ready attitude.
Grand Sport models are offered with the Stingray’s full exterior and interior color palette. 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.
“The choices are almost endless,” said Harlan Charles, Corvette product marketing manager. “The packages take personalization to an unprecedented level, enabling customers to create their own Corvette Grand Sport statement like no other.”
Grand Sport Collector Edition
The Grand Sport Collector Edition features an exclusive Watkins Glen Gray Metallic exterior with Tension Blue hash-mark graphics, satin black full-length stripes, black wheels and a unique Tension Blue full leather and suede-wrapped interior.
The Tension Blue color is a bold, modern take on the hue historically associated with the Grand Sport. Inside, a three-dimensional representation of an original Grand Sport race car is embossed in the headrests and that shape is also used on an instrument panel plaque that carries a unique build sequence number.
The Collector Edition will be offered later in the model year in the U.S. and Europe.