1963 Corvette Grand Sport

1963 grand sport corvette – The birth

While designing and constructing the very first C2 models of the corvette in 1962, the chief engineer of the project got an idea. For the last couple of years Chevrolet had performed very poorly in all of the races they had participated in, but with the C2 there was a faint stream of hope. The chief engineer, Zora Arkus Duntov, began to create a lighter and more powerful racing version of the standard C2 which later would be known as the 1963 grand sport corvette. This version of the C2 model featured a 377cid small block with Weber side-draft carburettors. It delivered 550hp at 6400rpm and was a monster on wheels, one of the most impressive racing cars ever built.

1963 grand sport corvette – The triumphs

The idea of the chief engineer Zora Arkus Duntov proved to be a stroke of genius since the grand sport corvette dominated the racing tracks from its creation to 1967 in a way that no one even though was possible. The grand sport corvette was planned to conquer the AC Cobras but no one was prepared when it left both Ferrari and Ford in the dust. The 1963 grand sport corvette was a super car capable of a high speed racing no car could match, winning both the Sebring and Le Mans. When retiring in 1967 the 1963 grand sport corvette was still seen in miscellaneous races and car shows all over the world.

1963 grand sport corvette – Issues

Although becoming a symbolic racing car for its time the 1963 corvette was not without problems, while creating the awesome super car the engineers had made the vehicle a little too light and a little too powerful. Two mistakes that together with the aerodynamics of the grand sport corvette made the actual driving a somewhat frightening experience. One driver claimed that it was the only vehicle he hade ever driven that could lift its front wheels off the ground on all four gears. An issue that made the 1963 grand sport corvette rather slow in the corners but luckily it was still fast enough on the straights to get ahead of the competition.

1963 grand sport corvette – Collectors item

Although a hundred grand sport corvettes were planned only five made out on the streets, the reason simply being that the head engineer Zora Arkus Duntov had acted without the consent of the leaders in the boardroom. All of these five 1963 grand sport corvettes are today found in the hands of private collectors and experts claim that the vehicles are close to priceless. All of the vehicles are in mint condition and can only be seen under tight security at various car shows around the world, transported there in trucks created especially for transporting unique cars. And with only five ever created, it is safe to say that they qualify for that title.