Back in the early ‘60s, the “father of the Corvette,” Zora Arkus-Duntov, was tasked with creating a new Vette-based racing machine to take the fight to Ford and the Shelby Cobra. Enter the 1963 Corvette Grand Sport, a lightweight track killer with enormous performance potential. A total of 125 units were slated for production to meet homologation standards, but unfortunately, General Motors brass killed the project after just five examples were built. Those five examples are now seen as some of the most desirable Corvettes in the world, with such racing legends as A.J. Foyt, Dick Thompson, Jim Hall, and Roger Penske among the names to grace the hot seat.
Now, Duntov Motor Company has produced several replicas of the famous Chevrolet Corvette Grand Sport. In 2009, the company was given exclusive licensing to recreate the 1963 race car, and with the blueprints and molds from the original No. 2 Corvette Grand Sport in hand, the result is considered the most authentic recreation of the famous racer on the market today. Now, the first example of this new replica run, GS011, is up for auction.
Interestingly, this particular model proved its competitiveness, put through its paces over the course of two seasons and winning “virtually every race [it] entered.”
Originally equipped with a 460-cubic-inch race motor throwing down more than 875 horsepower, this Corvette Grand Sport replica now equips a more street-friendly Chevy 427 V8 rated at 480 horsepower and 490 pound-feet of torque.
Yep, you read that right – this thing is street legal.
The V8 mates to a T56 six-speed manual transmission, and the vehicle comes with a new power steering rack. Race-ready, four-wheel hydraulic disc brakes haul it down, while front independent suspension with coil springs and a rear independent suspension with transverse leaf springs keep its shiny side up.
This replica was recently refinished in the original racing livery with Sunoco Blue paint.
Now, this 1963 Chevrolet Corvette Grand Sport replica is offered by Worldwide Auctioneers as Lot 52.
How much would you pay for this beauty? Let us know in the comments, and make sure to subscribe to GM Authority for more Chevrolet Corvette news, Chevrolet news, and around-the-clock GM news coverage.
Source: Worldwide Auctioneers
Comments
Holy cow! That is one sweet vette!
I could place a bid but I’m sure this beauty will go way out of my price range. To bad it’s not on Bring a Trailer, it would be fun to follow.
A California company, Superformance, also builds Grand Sport replicas, also under license from GM. Their replicas are scratch-built from the ground up, with almost all production done in-house.
This is the first I’ve heard of DMC.