A multiple-time magazine feature car, this 1963 Chevrolet Corvette Grand Sport Replica Coupe is a professional build constructed at D&D Motors using measurements taken from one of the five original race cars. Corvette Chief Engineer Zora Arkus-Duntov set out to squelch the dominance of the Shelby Cobra roadsters and responded with the Grand Sport Corvette, with just five examples built at GM skunkworks. His design ethos was simple: remove approximately 1,000 pounds of weight from the stock 3,000 pound Corvette and install a race-bred drivetrain. The weight loss proved to be an extensive process, with Arkus-Duntov scrapping the existing ladder frame and building a rigid tube frame to which a very light, paper-thin Corvette body was affixed. The strength of this frame allowed it to absorb all of the structural rigidity and the body was a non-stressed envelope. This course of action—in combination with using super-light mechanical parts such as magnesium wheels, an aluminum bellhousing, aluminum alloy differential, plexiglass windows and other tricks—brought the Grand Sport down to the desired target of 2,000 pounds. Power was achieved with a 377 CI V-8 with four 55mm Weber carburetors placed on a special cross-ram intake manifold, altogether producing 460 HP. Arkus-Duntov’s Cobra killer was complete and ready for battle—until General Motors management stopped the program because of its corporate ban on racing. Arkus-Duntov was forced to sell the five Grand Sports; three went to John Mecom Racing and two went to Roger Penske Racing. The cars proved to be formidable and convincingly beat the Cobra roadsters at multiple venues. This Chevrolet Corvette Grand Sport Replica Coupe is exceptional. Far more than just modified body panels sitting on a stock Corvette, this car has been built along the same design parameters as the original. D&D motors constructed a rigid tubular frame, a close approximation to original Grand Sport design, and installed a lighter-weight body skin. The company managed to reduce the overall weight to that of 2,560 pounds, right in between that of a stock Corvette and a real Grand Sport race car. While heavier than the originals, this Grand Sport is street legal, meaning obligatory safety items such as safety plate glass, windshield wipers, sealed beam headlights and other items had to be retained. Nonetheless, this Grand Sport is one mean street machine that is faster than the original race car. The metrics speak for themselves. The real Grand Sport weighs 2,000 pounds and has 460 HP with the resultant power-to-weight ratio of 4.34 to 1; however, this car weighs in at 2,560 pounds and has 750 HP with a resultant power- to-weight ratio of 3.41 to 1. With the car equipped with a 540/740 HP Merlin engine mated to a Hughes-built Turbo 400 transmission, there is more than excess power available. The list of componentry reflects the focused build and includes a Be Cool radiator, braided lines, Edelbrock 24-degree heads, Holley 950 CFM carburetor, custom valve covers, electric fuel pump, MSD ignition, Jet hot-coated headers, powder-coated A arms, disc brakes, new wiring, gauges and interior, Mickey Thompson tires and more. It’s arguably one of the fastest street-legal cars available for sale. This 1963 Chevrolet Corvette Grand Sport Replica Coupe is a true testament of honor to its original designer, Zora Arkus-Duntov.
