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[corvetteweb]

Grand Sport Confusion

The latest marketing idea from the GM think tank has recently taken the form of a not so new version of the C6 Corvette. After a five year run the C6 has proven to be a world class contender in the sports car arena. With very few exceptions a base C6 will out perform every production car on the planet. The only thing that was lacking was a less than awe inspiring sense of style. The C6 is a beautiful car with classic lines. Most Corvette enthusiasts have very few if any negative comments on the Corvettes body style. The problem arose when the design boy's at GM requested some feedback on future design concepts. When Corvette owners were asked what areas of the C6 should be improved upon the answer they got was "make the base Corvette more like the ZO6".
Corvette guy's wanted more power, more sound and more aggressive body styling. Everyone loves wide body styling of the ZO6. Side and front air scoops, fat tires and big ass brake rotors scream hot rod. Purists may scoff at the boy racer image but most of us old hot rodders love the bad ass look of the ZO6 and ZR1. The marketing and styling guru's at GM actually listened and low and behold the Grand Sport was resurrected.

[corvetteweb]


All GM had to do was slap ZO6 body panels and nose on a stock C6 frame, equip it with bigger brakes, tires and a stiffer suspension, throw in a mysterious dry sump oiling system and bingo the Grand Sport was born. The finished product is exactly what Corvette buyers have been waiting for. Everyone would love to own a ZO6 but the price of admission to that exclusive club is out of reach for most of us.

Depending on your particular perspective, the newest rendition of the Corvette as a Grand Sport will either thrill you or leave you shaking your head in disbelief. The people doing the majority of head shaking are the members of the exclusive ZO6 fraternity. Late model C6 ZO6 owners bought these cars for two reasons. The first reason is that the C6 ZO6 is an excellent all around driver and offers the most performance bang for the buck than any other vehicle in existence. The second reason is that the ZO6 was seen as having a high potential for long term value appreciation. Up untill recently these were valid suppositions. That validity is now being challenged with the introduction of the GM sanctioned ZO6 clone that goes by the name of Grand Sport.


[corvetteweb]
[corvetteweb]
We got a chance to give the new GS a close look over at this years SEMA show in Vegas. All the other Corvette mags have made reference to the GM SEMA grand sport, as far as we know we are the only publication with actual photo's of it. To make a long story short the new GS is breathtaking. The wow factor for this car is off the charts. The SEMA GS was equipped with all the GM customizing options that will be available this year. Everyone who saw the GS exited the Chevy section of the show with one idea. That idea was that they wanted one. The GM reps at the show were very busy congratulating themselves on the new entry. These were the same guys that completely wrote off the Corvette at last years show. What a difference a year makes.


[corvetteweb] The flip side to all this new found celebration will be the ensuing marketing confusion. Chevy dealers throughout the country are flush with new Corvettes. 08 and 09 Corvettes have been sitting in dealer lots for months in spite of heavy incentives from the factory. Many dealers have adopted a very caviler attitude when it comes to Corvette sales. They reason that a Corvette will always be in demand and sell at a huge profit. From a historic perspective the assumption that a Corvette will always sell at a profit is correct. The new reality is that during these hard pressed economic times dealers will have to come up with some very innovative sales tactics to push Americas favorite sports car.


[corvetteweb]
The newly introduced Grand Sport will dramatically change the dynamics of future Corvette sales. The C6 in its base form is a very impressive machine. The problem is that the Grand Sport in terms of styling is light years ahead of the base model. An entry level Grand Sport will retail for about five to six thousand dollars more than the base model C6. The million dollar question is: why would anyone in his right mind buy a base C6. Another question also haunts us: why buy a ZO6 when you can get the same styling and damn near the same performance in a vehicle that costs about thirty thousand dollars less. I know that my last statement will draw fire from all you ZO6 owners out there. The sad truth of the matter is that GM's traditional lack of marketing vision has really put a lid on any investment potential that the ZO6 may have had.


[corvetteweb] That being said the new Grand Sport offers a wannabe ZO6 owner the chance to realize his dream. The only sacrifice is an aluminum frame, some carbon fiber and about seventy five horses. The latter can easily be reintroduced to the GS with the addition of some after market bolt on's. You can even order a GS with GM'S rock solid paddle shifter tranny and a rag top.

[corvetteweb]Take a look at the following video clip that GM recently posted on the internet it may interest you.



Tony Costa - Editor

CorvetteWeb Magazine