RE: Superformance Builds New Chevy Grand Sport

RE: Superformance Builds New Chevy Grand Sport

Author
Discussion

dinkel

26,884 posts

257 months

Sunday 15th November 2009
quotequote all





bosscerbera

8,188 posts

242 months

Sunday 15th November 2009
quotequote all
This is the one I covet....

dinkel said:


The Superformance one doesn't come with that lot under the hood - and that's where it's at to my mind. A pile of Webers on a trick alloy small block full of bespoke bits with experimental electronic ignition.

Delmo Johnson said:
As far as I'm concerned, if any driver ever says he had complete control of [a Grand Sport], he's lying to you.
Roger Penske said:
It was so light in the front end that when you really stood on the gas, the front end would come off the ground like a dragster.
AJ Foyt said:
What's in that damn dinosaur? It went by me like I was stopped.
(Foyt was driving a (then) cutting edge GT40 when he got dusted by a GS...)

dinkel

26,884 posts

257 months

Sunday 15th November 2009
quotequote all
When was that: '65? Ford GTs are heavier than you think BTW.


Dunno what got to me: I just found this topic 7 mins before me posting and got mail from Nigel Hulme some 2 days ago. The HiRes snaps are pretty cool me thinks.

My q to him was if / how to get it roadlegal . . . LOL! Must be a rolling riot and imagine it to be in London traffic!!!

bosscerbera

8,188 posts

242 months

Sunday 15th November 2009
quotequote all
dinkel said:
When was that: '65? Ford GTs are heavier than you think BTW.
....or the GS was a lot lighter than Foyt thought! hehe I believe the homologation weight for a GS was just over 900kg - Mk1 GT40s are north of 1000kg.

By the time the 'new' mid-engined GT40 was on the scene, the Grand Sports were yesterday's tech, a Cobra rival. Foyt's comment is probably my favourite quote about Grand Sports, I like the idea of the new age rocket ship getting its arse handed to it on a plate by an old-skool bruiser. Yeehar!

What I love about the Grand Sport in-car video from Spa6 is that the car's behaviour LOOKS exactly like I'd always imagined a GS to be. Explosively fast on the straights and requiring a firm but delicate hand to make it change direction. Remind you of anything else Albert....? wink

ccharlie6

773 posts

239 months

Sunday 15th November 2009
quotequote all
watching the videos of that real grand sport running at spa....it blew past a gt40 at the top of eau rouge as if it was standing still!! any ideas what kind of power and torque that special V8 is running??

bosscerbera

8,188 posts

242 months

Sunday 15th November 2009
quotequote all
ccharlie6 said:
watching the videos of that real grand sport running at spa....it blew past a gt40 at the top of eau rouge as if it was standing still!! any ideas what kind of power and torque that special V8 is running??
The Spa Grand Sport is a continuation; it's not one of the 'famous five' ...it's, erm, #6 of 5. tongue out

The 377ci motor in it was making something like 700Nm and north of 600bhp.

bosscerbera

8,188 posts

242 months

Sunday 15th November 2009
quotequote all
DJC said:
bosscerbera said:
DJC said:
Er, they have competed at the Revival havent they? Because Im sure Ive watched Pirro blow the bloody field away in one!
nono

The Grand Sport is no ordinary C2.
Ahh sorry Boss. Yank metal from the 60s isnt my area. Feel free to enlighten me...
Not mine either really. tongue out But I love the Grand Sport.

The Cobra/Ferrari war is pretty well known - less well known is the Cobra/Corvette war (read GM vs Ford), the epicentre of which was Nassau in the Bahamas. Riveting story, detailed in the book "Corvette Grand Sport - Photographic Race Log of the Magnificent Chevrolet Corvette Factory Specials 1962-1967" by Lowell C Paddock and Dave Friedman. Recommended.

I've pipe dreamed about building a Grand Sport replica ever since I read that book. I'd thought about building a proper wrongun to do battle with my Cobra buddy Cheng - he could be Ken Miles, I could be Roger Penske. hehe

At the Silverstone Classic this year I walked around a corner and spotted a Grand Sport hood. scratchchin Looked further and there were the mad GS arches... more scratching chin... it wasn't one of the famous five, I was confused... Then I looked under the hood and there was a pile of Webers. Looked beneath the motor and there's the unmistakeable twin tube Grand Sport(-only) chassis. WTF? Somebody had clearly 'done a number' and made what looked like a very authentic Grand Sport. I met its creator who explained that it was, in fact, the first homologated 'continuation' Grand Sport - Number Six of Five.

It was running at Silverstone with an iron block motor and was overweight and undepowered (by at least 150bhp) in Grand Sport terms. The motor went sick in the main race and yet with less than 4500rpm it banged in some impressive lap times and finished 6th or 7th IIRC. They told me it would be at Spa, in the Six Heures race, running the proper alloy motor.

As usual these days there were some rumblings about 'why that replica is racing in our race' from some people but the continuation car is so much more than a replica. And, frankly, the chance of seeing one of the close-to-priceless Famous Five race at all let alone this side of the Atlantic is close to zero. Aside from another chance to dance on the podium this year, seeing a Grand Sport in action made my weekend. Very special. smile

dinkel

26,884 posts

257 months

Sunday 15th November 2009
quotequote all
That Dutch GS:

. . . and there's more power in that engine still to come.


Handfull!


Brute!


. . . and loud. (Foto: Scandinavian Racing Press)

http://www.grandsportcorvette.com/gs/gs002.htm
Love the original in Roadster guise.

I'm not Tony Dron here but having listened to quite a few of the 6 Hrs racers: I think a car like this GS Cont has little to no place in the 6 Hrs race . . . just like a 2:47 secs Ford GT BTW.

bosscerbera

8,188 posts

242 months

Sunday 15th November 2009
quotequote all
That must be Karen Campagne's Amazon and Mustang lined up with Michiel's Vettes?

Did you take that snap?

Great photos! Love the oversteer and smoke/flames! biggrin

dinkel

26,884 posts

257 months

Sunday 15th November 2009
quotequote all
Must be her Amazon indeed. She's on FB BTW.

Nope, not my snaps. I use a pola filter wink and like to be a bit more close up.

http://www.superformanceuk.com/coupe_gallery.php

Looks like a complete riot.

Miguel

1,030 posts

264 months

Monday 16th November 2009
quotequote all
vetteheadracer said:
All five of the original Grand Sports do still exist and infact all 5 were at Amelia Island Concours a few years ago. One of the 5 that belongs to the Collier Collection in Florida was at Goodwood FoS in 2003.
Another interesting fact about the Grand Sports is they were all built to 7/8ths scale of the original road cars!

There are a number of replica cars out there one of which was at the Corvette Nationals this year:



P.S. I want one!
I don't know where you heard that about the 3/4 scale, but it's absolutely not true. If it were, they would look really bizarre in the pictures, especially the photo you just linked showing it next to a production C3, which had the same chassis, including wheelbase. They're the same size as an early Stingray. The weight, however, is rather less than 75% of the production Vette.

Miguel

dinkel

26,884 posts

257 months

Sunday 22nd November 2009
quotequote all