1996 Chevrolet Corvette Grand Sport

Description

There are so many things to like about this car. Speed. It has a potent LT4 V8 with the F45 Active Suspension system. History. It pays homage to the original Grand Sport Corvettes produced in 1963. Exclusivity. It is only the second Corvette ever offered with a sequential VIN number separate from all other production Corvettes of that year. Mileage. It only has 20,832 miles on it.

Let's start with the look of this car which is a nod to the original 5 Grand Sport Corvette prototypes of 1963. They were built to challenge the dominant endurance racers of the day like the Ferraris and are painted in Admiral Blue with a bold Arctic White racing stripe down the center just as they were back then. The red "Sebring" stripes on the left front fender were there to help the crew distinguish otherwise identical cars during the race. Of the 1000 1996 Grand Sports (built with unique and sequential serial numbers), 810 were Coupes and this is one of 206 also optioned with the Black interior and F45 suspension. The Coupes had more rubber on the road than the convertibles thanks to those wider, black, 5-spoke wheels and tires borrowed from the ZR-1 so there were additional flares added to the rear fenders in order to clear them.

The Black interior on this C4 is definitely not a stripped-down racing cockpit like the original cars. It has all the comforts and conveniences one would expect of a modern Sport Luxury car tastefully trimmed out all in Black. You may notice the "Corvette" trim on the door sill as you get in. That is not factory stock but has thoughtfully been added to prevent damage to the sill from scuffing shoes across it. Settle into the seats with Grand Sport embroidered into the headrests and take a minute to adjust it perfectly to your build and preferences. Both the driver and passenger seats are power adjustable at three different levels up and down the back as well as having adjustability to the side bolsters. Nice. A leather wrapped steering wheel feels good in your hands as does the shifter for the manual transmission. Modern conveniences also include air conditioning, a nice sound system, cruise control, power windows and locks. It also includes an adjustable Active Suspension system that can be set to Tour, Sport, or Performance mode depending on your preference or need that day.

Under the hood you will find the powerful 5.7-liter LT4 V8 with a dress up kit that includes red painted components and red spark plug wires. It is a special high-performance version of the already powerful LT1 engine with a more aggressive camshaft, 1.6:1 roller aluminum rocker arms, along with a redesigned intake and cylinder heads that generates 330 horsepower and 340-foot pounds of torque. It is nestled into a very clean and tidy engine bay with signs of routine maintenance. The power it makes is sent back through a 6-speed manual gearbox to those massive 315/35R17 rear tires sourced from the ZR-1. Balancing out that traction up front are 275/40R17s. The suspension that keeps those tires planted on the road is the driver adjustable, F45 Active Suspension system that uses sensors and accelerometers at each wheel and adjusts shock damping every 10 to 15 milliseconds.

Speed, history and exclusivity with less than 21,000 miles on it. Call or come down to check out this very special car and see what you think.