Chevy found a way to make the Corvette even better

Growing up, my mother told me Corvettes were for men with severe emotional deficiencies who couldn't afford a Ferrari. And since I (mostly) took Mom's word as gospel, this jaded automotive insight colored my view of — and attitude toward — Corvettes. That was, until I finally drove one.

Dropping behind the wheel of the latest Stingray for the first time in the fall of 2013 not only changed my attitude toward Corvettes, it still stands as one of the most divine driving experiences of my life. 

Hammering the bright yellow Corvette convertible up the twisty highway 74 outside of Palm Springs, with the wind in my hair, a manual gearbox shifter in my right hand, the sounds of both a boisterous American V8 and AC/DC in my ears, I found a slice of driving nirvana.

A year and half later, I fell in love again with the Corvette — this time slaloming the 640-horsepower Z06 up that very same mountainous desert highway. That car, though, overheated on the way to the summit in the sweltering summer sun. So, it wasn't perfect.

Regardless, I was staggered. It looked, sounded and performed like a European supercar for less than half the money.

For example, the Z06 is so good at cornering, it can pull 1.2 Gs in the bends. To put that into perspective, that's a little less than one seventh of the G forces experienced by astronauts during the Apollo 16 re-entry.

Now, why do I prattle on about both the Stingray and the Z06? Well, that's because Chevrolet took the best from both of those cars and combined them to create the 2017 Corvette Grand Sport. Let me explain.

Best of both

First off, designers blessed the Grand Sport with the body of the Z06, with its extreme, track-honed aerodynamic accoutrements that were developed for the Corvette racecars. That means the Grand Sport has a sharp front splitter and big rear spoiler that both push the car against the ground, extra air inlets to keep the brakes and engine cool and a wider body that allows for a broader stance (i.e. wider tires and better grip) as well as a lower hood, which improves driver visibility.

Underneath that low, wide hood is the 6.2-liter naturally aspirated (not turbocharged or supercharged) V8 engine from the Stingray that produces 460 horsepower and 465 pound-feet of torque. Routed to the rear wheels through either a 7-speed manual gearbox or 8-speed automatic transmission, the power will push the Grand Sport to 60 mph from a standstill in 3.6 seconds. That, for those keeping score at home, is as as fast as the $202,723 Ferrari California T.

Perhaps most impressive of all, thanks to its big, extra-cooled brakes, the Grand Sport can go from 60 mph to 0 in just 100 feet. What's more, it can do 25 mph to 0 in just 185 inches — the length of the car itself.

Inside, occupants are greeted by a large touchscreen in the center dash that, yes, can run either Apple CarPlay or Android Auto, as well as a large TFT display in the instrument cluster. What's more, the driver also enjoys a bright heads-up display that's virtually tucked into the bends of the hood ahead. Additionally, the car comes with a Performance Data Recorder (PDR) shared with the Cadillac ATS-V (the Corvette Stingray had it first, btw).

The interior isn't just tech-heavy; it's luxurious as well. For 2017, Chevy now offers details like quilted suede roof lining to match the optional suede-covered steering wheel and suede seats. Heck, you can even have brightly colored seat belts to match the red or yellow accent stitching.

Designers finished off the Grand Sport with 10 different paint colors, six different center-stripe hues and six additional fender hash colors. Add to that a slew of interior option colors and buyers can specify a truly distinctive car.

Now, clearly, the Grand Sport has been given the best bits of its Corvette brethren on paper. But do they translate to the pavement? I went to Atlanta Motorsports Park to find out.

On track

For as good as the Grand Sport looks, almost unbelievably, it drives even better. What's more, it tickles every one of a driving enthusiast's senses. It grips the ground as if it's holding on to it for dear life.

Thanks to painstaking exhaust tuning, the V8 bellows out a roar at full throttle that would make a lion feel impotent. And, really, dentists might want to consider employing the Grand Sport's brakes for molar removal, because a full-power stop nearly pulls loose even the healthiest and well-seated incisors.

Granted, that description sounds a bit brutal. But driving the Grand Sport wasn't. It has magnetic ride control suspension that can be dialed from into a Cadillac-like cruiser up to a stiff — but forgiving — track tamer.

With the Grand Sport, you really get the best of both worlds. You get the hardcore downforce and hardcore cooling designed for the Z06 with the manageable power and drivability of the Stingray in one. That means you can go drive it like an insane supercar without the risk of surpassing your talent in the blink of an eye. It's very predicable and manageable.

By the end of the afternoon of driving the Grand Sport on the track, as an afternoon lighting storm rolled into the skies above northern Georgia, my neck ached and yet I still yearned for a few more laps.

I'll grant you that the Corvette might still look like the kind of car that someone buys when they can't afford a Ferrari (à la Linda Jaynes). To some, that's a negative. But not to me. I don't know about you, but I'd love to have a $66,445 car that looks and performs like a Ferrari for a quarter of the money.

After I get out of most high-performance of cars, I say, "Man, I would love to own one of these." The thing is, with a Lamborghini, Ferrari or McLaren, I never could.With the Grand Sport, though, it actually enters the realm of possibility.

And that's perhaps what I love most about the Grand Sport. It gives the driver every bit of the enjoyment of a supercar without suffering supercar sticker prices or the fear of overshooting the moon with more power than can be reasonably handled by a mere mortal. The result is a car that you can afford, be proud of and truly enjoy.