Category: Grand Sport Corvette

1963 Grand Sport Corvette Sting Ray 004 replica Larry Taylor

C2 Corvettes / Corvette News & Opinions / Grand Sport Corvette / Grand Sport Corvettes

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Larry Taylor’s 1963 Grand Sport Corvette #004 Replica, VIDEOS

When Grand Sports #003, #004, and #005 arrived in Nassau under the banner of the “Mecom Racing Team”, they were loaded for bear. This is the now classic Grand Sport look; fat racing tires on wide knockoff wheels, aggressive vented hood, and big wheel flares. And under the hoods were Duntov’s latest engine jewels, the all-aluminum 377 small-block Chevy with 58mm side-draft Weber carbs. It was a romp for the grand Sports, as the Cobras were thrashed.

Three months later, the 1964 class win at the 12 Hours of Sebring with Roger Penske at the wheel of Grand Sport #005 would be the high-water park for the Grand Sports. This time period saw extraordinary advancement in racecar technology, such that by the end of 1965, the three-year-old cars were outdated.

C4 Corvettes / Grand Sport Corvette / Grand Sport Corvettes

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Tale of Two C4 Grand Sport Corvettes in a Tiny Florida Town

Lake Placid is also home to two of the rarest special edition Corvettes, a 1996 Grand Sport Coupe and Convertible. And here’s the kicker – they both reside within two blocks of one another! Ron Ellerman is the original owner of the 1996 Grand Sport Corvette Coupe and John Meyerhoff is the owner of the 1996 Grand Sport Convertible.

C2 Corvettes / C4 Corvettes / Grand Sport Corvette / Grand Sport Corvettes

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Duntov Files, Pt. 6 – Zora Looks Back at the 1963 Grand Sport Adventure

This story, “Zora Looks Back” offers some interesting insights into Duntov’s tenure at GM, as well as the “Lightweight Grand Sport Corvette” experience. For instance, Duntov said, “It was a quick and dirty sledgehammer project that we put together in a couple of months. There were so many compromises and constraints that we made something of which I am not particularly proud.” Interesting. Well, we sure love them!

C2 Corvettes / Corvette History / Grand Sport Corvette / Videos - C2 Corvettes

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Bill Tower’s 40th Anniversary of Grand Sport #005 Ownership Celebration – VIDEOS

Milestone dates only happen once. In September 2018 I was talking with former Corvette development engineers Bill Tower and said to him, “Bill, do you realize that this December it will be 40 years since you bought your Grand Sport?” Bill sputtered a little and said, “Oh man, now you’re really making me feel old!” I said, “Ain’t we all, Bill!” and we both had a good laugh. Then I said, “You should have a party, or something, Bill.”

Bill thought about it and contacted his friend, Steve Hurley, owner of Stingray Chevrolet (a GREAT name for a Chevy dealership!), and Steve said, “Let’s do it here at the dealership. The 25-foot Christmas tree will be up and we’ll make it great!”

Grand Sport Build Up

C2 Corvettes / Corvette News & Opinions / Grand Sport Corvette / Grand Sport Corvettes / Videos - C2 Corvettes

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Vintage Grand Sport Corvette Films from 1962 and 1963 – 2 VIDEOS

Last week while finishing up a story about Bill Tower’s Grand Sport #005 Corvette for Vette Magazine, I came across two YouTube videos posted by GM Heritage Center. The videos are silent and were probably shot with an 8mm camera that someone brought along to the events. The film looks like hand-held and amateurish and not at all the same quality of the Jam Handy films from that era. But, you do get to see the Grand Sports in action.

C7 Grand Sport Corvette, Best Street Vette Ever?

C7 Corvettes / Corvette News & Opinions / Grand Sport Corvette / Videos - C7 Corvettes

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C7 Grand Sport Corvette, Best Street Vette Ever?

Some are describing the new Grand Sport as a “Z06 with a Stingray engine.” Chief engineer Tadge Juechter explained that the Grand Sport package is not simply a “plug’n play” with Z06 parts. While the Z06 parts work great on the new Grand Sport, the basic Stingray is unique and everything had to be calibrated. The Grand Sport has its own springs, anti-roll bars, Magnetic Ride Control, and Electronically-controlled rear differential programming. The Z06 wide-body offers plenty of extra venting and opens up the fenders for the extra-wide wheels and tires.