BOWLING GREEN, Kentucky — The 2010 Chevrolet Corvette Grand Sport model debuted here on Friday at the National Corvette Museum, harking back to GM’s glory days. The introduction was a bright spot amid the gloom about the automaker’s dramatic summer plant shutdowns and with the continued threat of a possible GM bankruptcy lurking in the background.
The Grand Sport replaces the Corvette’s previous Z51 package and bundles such items as wider front and rear fenders, Grand Sport badges, a Z06 front splitter and tall rear spoiler and an optional two-mode exhaust system. It comes in coupe and convertible models with either a six-speed manual or six-speed automatic transmission. The Grand Sport gets the LS3 6.2-liter V8, which delivers 430 horsepower and 424 pound-feet of torque with the standard exhaust system. The optional two-mode exhaust system bumps power ratings to 436 hp and 428 lb-ft of torque.
Chevrolet spokesman Adam Denison told Inside Line on Friday that pricing is not yet available. He said the car will go on sale in September. He would not comment on production numbers.
GM describes the original Chevrolet Grand Sport as “a promising idea stymied by GM’s agreement to stay out of manufacturer-backed motorsports.” The planned 125 production models required for racing-class homologation were never built, but five prototypes based on the styling of the 1963 Corvette were hand-assembled under the supervision of Corvette engineer Zora Arkus-Duntov. The five Grand Sport prototypes saw extensive racing experience throughout the 1960s in the hands of so-called “private” racers.
Chevrolet offered a limited-edition Grand Sport production model in 1996, commemorating the original racing cars.
