I didn't come close to exploring the limits of the 2010 Chevrolet Corvette Grand Sport that I had for the weekend. For that, I'm quite sure I'd need to visit a racetrack. As it was, our bright red Corvette coupe with shiny chrome wheels attracted plenty of attention on its own, without me breaking any of Ann Arbor's notoriously enforced speed laws. I did drive it to a Big Fat Greek Wedding, though, which seemed appropriate, since the Corvette is, to me, the epitome of a big, fat sports car. I can never get over how wide the rear end of the Corvette is. I continue to maintain that the Corvette should be about 4 inches narrower and between 6 and 10 inches shorter in overall length. But I quibble.
There's lots to like here besides the historic Grand Sport name. Even though the Grand Sport is the mid-level Corvette model, garnering a $6000 premium over the base car but costing significantly less than the purist Z06, it's still an absolute performance bargain, with power, braking, steering, and grip that need make no excuses to any six-figure import. Since our test car had a manual transmission, it also had a rear-mounted battery, a dry-sump oil system, and a differential cooler, items the Grand Sport with an automatic transmission doesn't get. All Grand Sport models have wider tires, thanks to the same wider fenders as the Corvette Z06; narrow spoiler; bigger brakes and a stiffer suspension; and a hood scoop. Exterior changes also include front fender badging and some additional fender slits. People definitely seemed to notice. Luckily, the police didn't.
Joe DeMatio, Executive Editor
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