If you were to go to the dealership today to buy a Chevrolet Corvette, the choice between base car and Z06 is hardly a choice. The Z06 is a full 50 percent more expensive, which makes the decision for some, and isn’t available as a convertible or with an automatic. If you want the wind in your hair or have a serious aversion to clutch pedals, you have no choice.
To bridge the gap between the already capable base car and the wild-eyed maniac Z06, Chevrolet has announced the 2010 Chevrolet Corvette Grand Sport, available either as a coupe—with a removable targa top unattainable on the Z06—or convertible and with either a six-speed manual or a six-speed automatic transmission. Like the Z51 performance-suspension package it displaces, the Grand Sport will upgrade the base Corvette chassis with more-aggressive shocks, springs, and anti-roll bars. Chevrolet claims the Grand Sport will be capable of generating 1.0 g of cornering grip, up from the 0.95 we recorded in our last test of a base Vette.
It looks the part, with wider fenders front and rear that endow it with the same 75.9-inch width of the Z06 and ZR1, and a Z06-style front splitter and rear wing. Unique wheels are fitted, 18-inches up front wearing fat 275/35 rubber, and 19s in the rear wrapped in sprawling 325/30s. Behind those wheels are tucked Z06 brakes measuring 14.0 inches up front and 13.4 in the rear and squeezed by the same six- and four-piston brake calipers fore and aft. An additional bit of Grand Sport historical flair is available in the Heritage package, which bundles front-fender hashmarks and two-tone seats with Grand Sport embroidery.
Grand Sport–specific ratios in manual-equipped cars and a unique final-drive ratio for cars with the automatic are said to drop 0-to-60-mph times by 0.2 second despite a modest weight gain; the last manual car we tested did the deed in 4.0.
While the Grand Sport will bring a measure of the Z06’s track focus to the rest of the Corvette lineup, a degree of exclusivity will still be reserved for the harder-core buyer. Opt for a manual coupe, and you’ll get a dry-sump oiling system, a differential cooler, and a rear-mounted battery for better weight distribution.
The Grand Sport will be in dealers in September. Expect pricing to begin around $57,000 for a coupe and $60,000 for a convertible.
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