1963 Grand Sport

Born to battle Carroll Shelby’s Cobras the Corvette Grand Sport was Chevrolet’s secret weapon. Nearly 1000 pounds lighter than the production Sting Ray and packing 500 horsepower it was designed for dominance in GT World Championship racing.

But General Motors’ corporate ban on factory-backed racing killed the project almost as soon as it began. Of the planned 125 cars only five were built in 1962 before the program was axed. And without the 100 cars required to run in GT the Grand Sports were forced to compete in C Modified a class far from their intended battlefield.

At the heart of the Grand Sport was Zora Arkus-Duntov Corvette’s visionary chief engineer and “Father of the Corvette.” Determined to showcase his lightweight creation’s potential Duntov and a group of Chevrolet engineers “on vacation” in the Bahamas upgraded three Grand Sports with 377-cubic-inch aluminum V8 engines for the 1963 Nassau Speed Week. Entered under privateer John Mecom’s name the cars driven by Roger Penske Jim Hall and Dick Thompson stunned onlookers by handily defeating the Cobras in a series of thrilling races.

After Nassau the five Grand Sports continued to make appearances on American tracks. Campaigned by privateers they ran in SCCA events at Sebring Watkins Glen and Bridgehampton earning occasional victories and cementing their reputation as fierce competitors. Even as newer more advanced race cars emerged the Grand Sports held their own for several seasons and became beloved icons among enthusiasts.

Though their time on the track was brief the Corvette Grand Sports remain one of Chevrolet’s most celebrated “what might have been” stories. With only five ever built these cars stand as rare symbols of Zora Duntov’s vision and the untapped racing potential of the Corvette.