Showing posts with label LT1. Show all posts
Showing posts with label LT1. Show all posts

Friday, February 10, 2017

1996 Corvette Grand Sport: Throw Back to the '63 Corvette Grand Sport

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When it comes to fourth-generation Corvettes, they shared a common trait with all other American Sports Cars at that time, their power was not all that impressive. So when it came to the fourth-generation Corvette's final year (1996), Chevrolet decided that putting something special on the market would be a boost for their brand and bring big attention to the on-deck sixth-generation Corvettes of 1997.

To bring the spotlight back to the Corvette, Chevrolet's solution was to go back to 1963 when they made one of their meanest Corvettes of all time and revive the name and color scheme. For 1996, Corvette decided that 1,000 models would get special treatment for better performance, a louder color combination, and they would place the Grand Sport badges on the Vette just like they did in '63.

Giving the Corvettes What They Needed
Corvette engineers slapped the 1996 Grand Sport Corvette with an LT4 that originally pumped out 300-hp, but for this special edition Corvette, engineers managed to squeeze 30 extra horsepower out of them. They accomplished this with a more aggressive camshaft, higher-flow aluminum heads, larger valves, higher-compression pistons, new high-flow fuel injectors, and roller rocker arms.

Crazy colors followed – Admiral Blue Metallic paint was accented with a big white stripe that ran down the center of the body. Two red hash marks were placed on the left fender and matched the red interior. Black painted five-star rims completed the color scheme and made up the Corvette that some people ended up loving and some people ended up hating.

Grand Sport Corvette Handling Options
When it came to performance handling, the 1996 Corvette Grand Sport didn't get much more than the original standard Vettes did except for a bigger set of tires for the coupe: 275/40ZR-17 Goodyear radials in front and 315/35ZR-17s in the rear. The convertibles received the same size tires as the non-Grand Sport Corvettes did but there were options. 

On the 1996 Corvette Grand Sport, just like with other Corvettes, you could spring for the $350.00 Z51 handling package which came with stiffer springs, new Bilstein shock absorbers, and front and rear stabilizer bars. There was also an optional Selective Real Time Damping system that cost an extra $1695.00. That system used sensors and accelerometers at each wheel to give the semi-active suspension the ability to readjust the shock damping in 10-to-15 milliseconds, sort of what they use today on the Corvettes just not nearly as sophisticated.

All-and-all, I always loved the look of the 1996 Corvette Grand Sport, it's one my favorite from the fourth-generation, although there wasn't much competition. The next year Corvette changed its style and engine, and the left over LT4s motors found their way into the 1997 30thAnniversary Camaros.




Thursday, June 2, 2016

Mid-Engine Corvette Going To Happen - Update




Updated Again: 10/8/2018

Update
So a quick update on what could be one of the most exciting automotive days in my life. Living in the Motor City there has been a lot more talk that seems to be more fact than fluff about the new Mid-Engine Corvette.

Car and Driver, The GM Authority, Auto Week, Jalopink.com, etc. has all been posting on what might be - but I like facts. From sources I can't mention, the word is there should be renderings from Corvette designers (renderings that matter) out as soon as later this year and prototypes at the North American Auto Show in January of next year. And if anyone knows how Corvette does business, when they put something in the North American Auto Show, even if it is a prototype, that means unless something goes drastically wrong, it's going to make it into production.

My hope is Corvette (GM) takes a page out of the Ford Motor Company's play book and does something similar to what they are doing when it comes to purchasing-eligibility for the 2017 Ford GT supercar. Clients who want a chance to get put on the waiting list for the limited-edition Ford GT supercar have to fill out an application. The idea behind the application is to make sure that people who purchase one of Ford's limited-edition supercars will drive it, take it to car cruises and car shows and not stick them into their personal museums to be dusted off 20 years later and sold at an auction for profit. 

Along with the above-mentioned reason, most auto companies that create such wonderful works of art usually store a few of those priceless cars in their own museums anyway. Ford Motor Company, as like most auto companies want to see their vehicles driven, they want to see their beautiful designs being used for what they were designed for, having fun in them.  

But time will tell what happens, the closer Ford comes to getting their supercar out, Corvette will push harder to get their mid-engine Vette rolling and hopefully the competition will roll on harder than ever. 
6/1/2016


I have talked about the mid-engine Corvette in the past, its possibilities of finding its way into the Corvette lineup and what it would mean for GM, Chevrolet and Corvette. After many exciting years of maybes, it's possible, it's just a cool thought and nothing more – the Godfather of the Corvette, Zora Arkus-Duntov, has made it pretty clear that the public will see a Mid-Engine Corvette revealed possibly as soon as the L.A. Auto Show late this year.

Although this would be new to the public eye, it is a well-known fact that Corvette has been working on and has come up with a pretty permanent version of a Mid-Engine Corvette. The drivetrain solutions are said to include a seven-speed manual transmission and an LT1/LT4 700-hp twin-turbocharged engine.

Unfortunately, the many renderings I have seen, which is not much to my surprise, looks almost just like a Ferrari with Corvette badges. And I say not much to my surprise because if you look at a 2016 Corvette Z06 and compare it to a 2016 Ferrari F12, put them in the same color, you can very easily mistake them for one another from a distance (my opinion).  

When this does happen, the word out is that most of the front-engine Corvettes will still be very much a part of the Corvette lineup and most likely none will be bumped out as a result of an extra Corvette coming in. The front-engine Corvette is part of the iconic brand as we know it. If anything, the Mid-Engine Corvette will be more for just breaking track records, giving the Ford GT and other Mid-Engine competitors a run for their money, and or to sit in a rich person's car collection.



When the Mid-Engine Corvette does become an available vehicle for the public to purchase, you won't be able to just go to any dealership and buy one or have one serviced by any dealership under warranty. Selected dealerships with a great reputation for sales and customer service will be high on the list of places that will have the honor of selling and promoting the Mid-Engine Corvette, and of course, three other things will help decide where they will be available at – location, location, location.

The price tag for one of these Corvettes is going to most likely be out outrageously high. That is why location will be a huge part of deciding where they will be sold. If Corvette is thinking about competing with the Ford GT, and when has Chevy ever not tried to compete with Ford, the price tag will likely find its way up into the $350,000 to $400,000 range. That is a supercar status price tag, but Chevrolet has yet to fail on any attempt to make a sports car or supercar worth every penny in the past 10+ years.

3/16/2016