- [Narrator] Question.
When does a 460 horsepower Corvette feel slow?
Answer.
When it's the Grand Sport and entered in this year's
Best Driver's Car Competition.
First of all, the Grand Sport is one of the most capable
handling machines we've ever tested.
Pulling 1.18 G's of max grip,
and running around our figure eight course in an elite,
22.3 seconds.
With all that grip comes the need for more power.
A 550 horsepower Grand Sport would split
the difference nicely between the 460 horsepower Stingray,
and the bonkers, 650 horsepower Z06.
Second of all, have you met this year's competition?
Let's see how this 'vette works on a racetrack.
- Woo!
Wow, this is not the Z06?
Sure sounds like one.
Oh yeah, I forgot, this is only 460 horsepower.
Lot of tire grip.
Does not like the power.
You know, that was an easy power oversteer.
One more.
The car's red, white, and blue.
Ha!
How perfect for a Chevy Corvette?
This is a Grand Sport model.
With the whole Z07 track package,
from the big, honking supercharged car,
but it's the non-supercharged engine.
Still 450 something horsepower.
I went out in the Corvette in full on race mode.
It had snap oversteer and entry oversteer,
I felt like I was wresting alligators, I just wasn't happy.
I hit the switch, put it over in sport on the shocks,
which softens up the shock absorbers.
The softer setting changed the whole experience.
Suddenly, the Corvette was like a big Labrador retriever
I'm petting in my lap.
It was a puppy dog!
And I could run it hard and aggressively and take advantage
of what's really incredible about Corvettes, the braking.
It stops so well.
Strong bite, stays there every lap, hauls the speed down.
And the sport mode on the shocks,
I could just lay that thing in the corner,
it was a friendly car.
- [Narrator] Kids, the Grand Sport is quick
on the racetrack.
It's not only quicker than a Lexus LFA or an Acura NSX,
but that it's quicker than a Ferrari 458 Italia.
Impressive.
Randy's big gripe, was that the rear suspension goes all
kablooey when in track mode.
His solution was to put the suspension in sport mode,
and turn everything off.
The problem with that for us mere mortals,
is that GM's brilliant
Performance Traction Management system, or PTM,
is only available if the car's in track mode.
As great to drive as the Grand Sport is,
there are six cars we liked better.
7th place.