C2 Corvette Grand Sport Plays With LS Power
Read the full story on Backfire News
Few names in Chevy heritage are as respected as the C2 Corvette Grand Sport. Perhaps that's why some purists have a strong aversion to continuation models like this, especially when they come with a modern LS engine. But we like this sports car and think it would be a fun toy to own.Originally, the Grand Sport was a strictly a racecar, not a street-legal production model. Chevy created it as a smaller, lighter version of the C2 Corvette specifically to take on the Shelby Cobra, which is why some call it the Mongoose (a snake killer).
Superformance has permission from GM to make these continuation cars, which can be driven on public roads. Some people think continuation cars are inferior garbage or something that shouldn't exist. Others find them to be great ways of having fun. It can be a divisive topic.
Under the vented hood of this Grand Sport is a 408ci LS2 V8 built by V's Performance. As you can see, it has velocity stacks via Borla. With upgraded internals, it's tuned to make just under 500-whp.
With a curb weight under 3,000 lbs. this Grand Sport will move. A T56 Magnum XL 6-speed manual transmission backs that engine, adding to the fun a driver gets to have in this ride.
When it comes to the chassis, there are Bilstein coilovers up front, and a single leaf transverse setup made of a carbon composite. Instead of the original single-piston disc brakes, the Wilwoods come with six-piston calipers in front and four-piston in the rear.
We're fans of well-done continuation cars like this one from Superformance. It pays tribute to the original Grand Sports yet pushes modern performance and reliability, which in our minds is the best of both worlds.
Images via Autotopia LA/YouTube
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