This may be the C7 Corvette to end all C7 Corvettes. The 2017 C7 Corvette Grand Sport is merely one-second off from the C6 Corvette ZR1’s posted lap time at the Milford Proving Ground, it carries over track-honed aerodynamics and offers up to 1.2 G in cornering capability. And, it’s running the naturally-aspriated 6.2-liter LT1 V8 engine.
The 2017 C7 Corvette Grand Sport made its debut (after being semi-spoiled by Corvette Racing’s Oliver Gavin) at the 2016 Geneva Motor Show, where Gavin and lead Corvette engineer Tadge Juechter unveiled the latest Grand Sport.
“Racing has been part of Corvette’s essence for more than 50 years and that track experience has helped us build better, more capable cars,” said Mark Reuss, executive vice president of Global Product Development and Global Purchasing and Supply Chain. “The global acclaim for the seventh-generation Corvette validates that direct link and the 2017 Grand Sport takes its track-bred technology to a new, exciting threshold.”
The 2017 C7 Corvette Grand Sport adapted the chassis tuning, upgraded cooling systems, and performance technologies of the Corvette Z06 to create a Grand Sport to proudly carry on what the nameplate stands for, and its storied racing history.
“We didn’t hold back with the new Grand Sport,” said Tadge Juechter, Corvette chief engineer. “For the first time, buyers can equip the Grand Sport with a Z07 performance package – which adds carbon-ceramic brakes, Michelin Sport Cup 2 summer tires, and carbon-fiber aero package that delivers true downforce.”
Technical highlights of the 2017 Corvette Grand Sport include:
- Michelin Pilot Super Sport summer tires: 285/30ZR19 (front) and 335/25ZR20 (rear)
- Specific Grand Sport wheel design: 19×10 inches (front) and 20×12 inches (rear)
- Brembo brake system with (355 mm) 14-inch rotors and six-piston calipers in front and (340 mm) 13.4 inch rotors and four-piston calipers in the rear
- Standard magnetic ride control, specific stabilizer bars and unique springs
- Standard electronic limited-slip differential
- LT1 V8 engine rated at (343 kW) 460 hp, with dry-sump oiling system and active exhaust
- Seven-speed manual transmission with active rev match and available eight-speed paddle-shift automatic with specific performance calibration
- Available Z07 package adds carbon ceramic-matrix brakes and Michelin Pilot Sport 2 Cup tires
The 2017 Corvette Grand Sport doesn’t just take Z06 design cues and call it a day. The Corvette team carefully blended Z06 and Stingray to create a unique look to the Grand Sport. Specific front-fender inserts, a Z06-style grille and wider rear fenders help bring the Grand Sport to life in this seventh-generation of Corvette.
The 2017 Corvette Grand Sport will be available with the slew of exterior and interior trimmings currently available, but an available heritage package will bestow your very own C7 Corvette Grand Sport with hash-mark fender graphics.
If none of this sounds special enough, the Grand Sport Collector Edition may tickle your fancy, as it quite tickles ours. The Grand Sport Collector Edition adds an exclusive Watkins Glen Gray Metallic exterior hue with Tension Blue hash marks and satin black full-length stripes. Inside, Tension Blue suede and leather washes the interior cabin to create a stunning contrast from the Watkins Glen Gray exterior.
The seat headrest also receive an embossed, 3D representation of the original Grand Sport race car, with the same shape adorning the instrument panel plaque. The plaque also houses the Grand Sport’s build number.
Prepare yourself, because the 2017 C7 Corvette Grand Sport invades the U.S. and Europe this coming summer, with the collector edition following later in the model year.
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Comments
Now, Corvette have a 3 levels of trim
Corvette base/Z51; this Grand Sport is similar in concept like a C6 Z06; and the Supercar Z06 like the old ZR1 badge
That blue interior color doe!!! ????
vic1212,
Ditto.
Cheers,
Sean
let me win the 2017 CORVETTE
I’m with you David. Stealth black on the outside, the killer blue trim inside. I’m pretty sure GM has lo-balled the HP and torque numbers again. I hope you win man. I have a ZL1, and it’s a handful too keep straight when you hit the go pedal.
From a standstill, it becomes stable at 60mph, and that takes about 2 seconds. I’m fairly sure we can all agree the corvette, whether driving fast or slow, is a true ground pounder. I also respect everybody’s opinion on the GS. Positive or negative. One last point of view, and I’ll keep my thoughts too myself. Why GS? Every time I hear those two letters, it reminds me of a Buick. Any thoughts on that, guys and gals?
that blue interior is awesome
Jesus H “Tap Dancin” Christ. That black and blue is amazing.
Make mine with red instead of blue and I’m sold. Even yellow might be nice. Beautiful in any trim though. Wonder what the pricing is going to be. If more than the $4625 difference between the LT1 & LT4 as crate motors, then it may be a better choice as even a few aftermarket parts will put the LT1 well over 500HP. To go one step further, TT’s would be my choice to spank any Ferrari 488 out there. I’ll take the lag, if any, over the blower for efficiency and ultimate power without parasitic loss. IMHO..
I like the blue interior. I remember when the c7 first came out and jay Leno did a video about it with Ed Wellburn and jay, referring to the red on red interior, asked “so if you get say a yellow or blue exterior then you can get a matching yellow or blue interior?” to which Ed said yes I got very excited but then was bummed out when I found out you could only get red on red. I hope Chevy does more color interiors like this.
The biggest surprise of the 2017 Chevrolet C7 Corvette Grand Sport is the fact it has a starting price of 56,395 which means General Motors is doing their best to keep the car as affordable as possible and this will mean that Corvette will continue to suck the air out of the sales segment as anyone shopping for a sports coupe will need to consider a C7 Corvette.
The price you quote is an msrp for the 2016 base 1lt and most certainly not the starting price of a GS. C&D was deceptive and you have to click on the info tab to see what I just posted. Even the article itself states a speculation, “Chevrolet hasn’t yet said how much the Grand Sport will cost, but we expect that, like the previous-generation model, it will cost only a few thousand bucks more than a standard Corvette Stingray.” I’ll personally speculate that the base GS will cost between $65-$70k being it’s a Z06 less the supercharger.
Now this is a real Z06! A Vette with a good’ole NA V8 instead of the supercharger, but it still has all the aero goodies of the Z06! I’d rather have one of these than the current model!
call me crazy but I’d take this over anything. i just love it.
This is a great version of the corvette and just shows how great GM is at building different levels of performance for the corvette, Camaro, CTS-V, ATS-V, but if anyone thinks this is better then the current ZO6 they are sadly mistaken!
I agree: the Z06 is 100% undeniably better… at blowing it’s engine!
Actually, come to think of it, on a regular day, with it’s broken supercharger, isn’t the Z06 exactly the same as the Grand Sport? :p
Finally, they made the C7 that I would buy! Now to start stacking some GS money.
top dog go chevy rock on mine smokes the tires in 3rd up to 70 an does only 3300 rpm at 165 mph
What’s the price o the 2017
I wish they had continued the white stripe across the front to back, like the C4 version.