Corvette revives Grand Sport name for 2010 model

The legendary Grand Sport name is being revived for the 2010 Corvette, Chevrolet said on Friday.

The 2010 Grand Sport lets Corvette buyers give the two-seater a meaner look and tighter suspension without going all the way to the Z06 model. And it lets you do this with the options of an automatic transmission and folding top, if you choose. The Z06 remains a fixed-roof coupe with only a manual transmission.

With the Grand Sport's arrival, Chevy will drop the Z51 performance-suspension option for 2010.

But opting for the Grand Sport gets you front and rear styling that mimics the Z06, beefed-up suspension bits, functional cooling ducts in the bodywork, Z06-sized brakes and large wheels--18-inch units up front and 19-inchers in back--with low-profile tires.

The Grand Sport gets the Corvette's base LS3 V8, rated at 430 hp and 424 lb-ft of torque. Adding the optional two-mode exhaust brings an extra 6 hp and 4 lb-ft of torque. And Grand Sport buyers who spec the coupe with the manual six-speed manual transmission get a dry-sump lubrication system for the engine, a differential cooler and the battery mounted in the rear of the car.

GM says the Grand Sport will pull 1 g on the skid pad, and it cuts two-tenths of a second off the 0-to-60-mph time of the base Vette.

You can get the Grand Sport package with any of the Vette's exterior colors and with any trim level. The distinctive hash marks on the left fender are available as an add-on with the Heritage package.

The Grand Sport name last appeared on the Corvette in 1996, commemorating the end of the C4 era. Only 1,000 copies were built, all painted Admiral Blue.

It also pays homage to five hand-built racing Corvettes from 1963 ordered up by chief engineer Zora Arkus-Duntov.

By Dale Jewett