![]() The Grand Sport is, naturally, exactly as wide as the Z06, with which it shares its body panels and suspension setup. ![]() Measuring 77.4 inches at its widest, the Grand Sport is only 3.5 inches wider than a standard Corvette, but it seems six inches. The Grand Sport has the stance of a thick-bodied lizard and the feet of a gecko. Opt for the automatic and Chevy specifies the Z51 automatic’s 2.73:1 final-drive ratio in place of the regular Vette’s 2.41:1 ratio. In the case of the manual, it carries the Z51’s shorter gearset for livelier acceleration. Have you ever tried to fully exploit 650 horsepower on the street for anything more than a fleeting moment? If so, are you currently reading this story from the comfort of the prison rec room?Īs a full member of the Corvette brood, the Grand Sport is available with either the seven-speed manual or the eight-speed automatic transaxles. It is only in a world where less than $100,000 can buy you a factory-warrantied 600- or 700-hp car that 460 sounds unimpressive. This level of output is what Rolls-Royce used to refer to, in typical winking understatement, as “adequate.” It produces the same 460 horsepower at 6000 rpm and 465 pound-feet of torque at 4600 rpm. This particular concoction starts with the Stingray’s drivetrain, the naturally aspirated LT1 6.2-liter V-8, but fitted as standard here with the dual-mode exhaust system that’s optional on the base Stingray, plus the dry-sump arrangement of the Z51 version. And like the C6 version of the GS-as with a number of Porsche 911 variations and almost all Taco Bell menu items-the new car is an assemblage of known parts. For whatever the Grand Sport once was, it is now a full-fledged model within the Corvette lineup. Still, adding a hot, updated version a couple of years into a product’s life is never a bad idea.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |