Frank Markus: I'm Frank Markus of Motor Trend and I'm here just outside the General Motors proving grounds Milford, Michigan with the newest Corvette model the Grand Sport. Grand Sport in the grand scheme of things will be replacing the Z51 Performance Package actually when it is kicking it up several performance notches by incorporating bunch of Z06 parts.
Basically, the wheels and tires and brakes, and the wider body work, the front splitter, all that kind of stuff is Z06. Still the steel frame, still the LS3 engine, although if you get the manual transmission, the LS3 engine is built along side the hand build engines, the LS9 and the LS7 in Ricksum, and it's hand made also with a dry-sump oiling system.
The dry-sump of course adds about 15 psi of oil pressure under most conditions and really works a lot better when the car is generating the 1g coring that's now capable of it the bigger wheels and tires. The car I've got here has the heritage package which buys you the dual geared Grand Sports stripes and also some embroidery on the seats.
Things have been kind of tough at General Motors lately and this is an interesting car way of making a brand-new model and interesting new model out of a lot of part who are already existing. As I mention we've got a lot of Z06 parts; the only thing we actually had to tool new was this front fender with the twin -- detail and actually on the convertibles the rear quarters.
Thus, the Grand Sport allows people to have the look of Z06, but get open air either a full convertible or with the removable targa top and a little bit less -- extreme performance although still incredibly high performance actually. 430 or 436 horsepower with the performance exhaust which everyone kind of thinks most of everybody will pick on this car, because it does sound really terrific.
I have actually had a chance to get out and drive this car and it feels amazing what it can do. I mean the braking never ceases to amaze me. 6 piston front calipers with 6 individual brake pads, 4 piston in the back, big drilled rotors. So just indefatigably, you go deeper and deeper into the turns with higher on the brakes each time around an over road course and never get on the shape.
Handling wise, the steering quite great, quite good. You can position the car exactly where you want it on the track at all times. I didn't give a chance to drive the Z06 beside it, but you do drive this and then say, jeez, do we still need that thing and of course more horsepower is always better.
Another really cool feature that's available on all manual transmission Corvettes for 2010 is a Launch Control system. I think it's about the nicest one I've tried. Basically, to set it up you just press the Track Control button twice, you put your foot on the floor, put it in first gear, pop the clutch, leave your foot on the floor, and the engine control system runs the system about 4000, holds it there and meter is out to the power dithers the engine to make the best use of the available traction. That's already sort of sensing what the traction is and optimizing for it.
We tried it not on the Grand Sport, but the Z01. Yeah, with the system turned on, I had -- my best time was 38 and the system managed to do a 36 over and over and over again. Mine ran from through from 38 to 44 or so. So very good system as far as the Launch Control.
Corvette Grand Sports are arriving at dealerships now. So they are available for sale. The price premium relative to the old Z51, this car cost 4,510 more to buy all that hardware that the Z06 has. Of course, it's about 20 grand less than an actual Z06. So it's a pretty good savings there. I think it's a pretty value for the money and to all of the folks here who reckon that as many as half of the new base Corvettes will be Grand Sports.
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