2010 Chevrolet Corvette Grand Sport

It’s common practice for sports-car makers to introduce a special model toward the end of a car’s product cycle in hopes of reinvigorating interest and sales, and Chevrolet has done this more than once in the last few years before a new-generation Corvette takes its bow. One such memorable model was the limited-production Grand Sport of 1994 in the third-to-last year of the fourth-generation (C4) Corvette’s long run before the all-new C5 arrived for 1997. Only 1,000 were built, each featuring, among other things, a set of bold, slanted fender stripes that harkened back to a series of five special racing Grand Sport Vettes in 1963.


But this time around is very different. For starters, these 2010 Grand Sports are hardly low-volume specialty models—though they could be streetable racers. Available in roadster and removable-roof coupe body styles with a choice of 6-speed manual or 6-speed automatic transmission, they are essentially Z06s in body and suspension, minus the aluminum frame. Knowledgeable enthusiasts agree that Chevy’s current C6 Corvette is the best ever, and few question that the racer-like limited-production 505-horsepower $75,000 Z06 and the faster-still, and surprisingly refined supercharged 638-horse $108K ZR1 models are the best high-performance sports-car values on the market. But until now, there has been a substantial price gap between the roughly $50K base Corvette and that Z06. These Grand Sports fill that gap for $5-6K premiums over the base models. Chevrolet expects them to account for nearly half of 2010 Corvette sales, and—given their aggressive good looks and outstanding performance value—we see no reason to doubt that prediction.

Z06 Design and Dynamics

For 2010, these Grand Sports replace the former Z51 handling package with a happy marriage of Z06 looks and dynamics and the standard Corvette’s 430-horsepower 6.2-liter V-8. In addition to triple functional gills behind the front wheels, Grand Sport badging and (optional) dual front-fender “hash marks,” they share the Z06’s wider fenders, wheels, tires, front and rear tracks and aerodynamic front splitter and rear spoiler. The front fender stripes are a visual salute to those five Grand Sport racing prototypes built in 1963 by Corvette Chief Engineer Zora Arkus Duntov as well as those 1,000 limited edition 1994 Grand Sports.


Past Corvettes have taken hits for plain, cheap-looking interiors, but today’s C6 models are substantially improved over their predecessors. Their dual-cockpit cabin features high-quality craftsmanship and materials, including leather-like foam trim on the instrument panel and doors. An optional leather-wrapped interior offers wall-to-wall two-tone leather with padded door armrests, an embroidered “Corvette” on the dash and crossed-flag emblems on the headrests. Controls are ergonomically excellent, and the full set of instruments is highly precise and readable.

Powertrain and Chassis

Purists complain that Corvette V-8s (like Chrysler’s HEMI V-8s), with their single camshaft nestled deep in the center of their blocks driving overhead valves through pushrods and rockers, are inefficient “old tech” compared to other modern engines with camshafts mounted atop their heads. Yet the many advantages of cam-in-block construction—including lower cost and complexity, lower weight and center of gravity, easier build and serviceability and smaller overall size for a given displacement—provide truly impressive performance for the money. Few complain about this 6.2-liter non-turbo LS3 V-8’s prodigious power and torque and surprising fuel efficiency (16/26 EPA city/highway mpg) at the Corvette’s fairly affordable price. And if the standard 430 horsepower and 424 lb.-ft. of torque are not sufficient, an optional two-mode exhaust system bumps those impressive numbers to 436 and 428.


Amazingly (at the price), the LS3 engines in six-speed-manual Grand Sports are hand built alongside Z06 and ZR1 V-8s at GM’s Wixom, MI special engine build facility and boast racer-like dry sump lubrication with a remote oil reservoir to prevent oil starvation during extended hard cornering, plus a differential cooler and a rear-mounted battery. Also standard with the six-speed manual is a terrific launch control system that modulates full-throttle torque 100 times per second to maximize available traction. The driver can simply stand on the gas and side step the clutch for consistent four-second 0-60 launches.