By Dean Larson

When building a replica of a historically significant vehicle, people often choose to emulate a successful original racer; Grand Sport #003 is often recreated in dark blue with a white center and No. 2 roundels. There are plenty of striking and unique Grand Sports to replicate, but still some choose to write their own chapter in the GS tale and build a totally unique car. If you dig this builder’s somewhat unconventional take on the Corvette, this street machine could be your best deal on a Grand Sport today.

We’ve exhausted our conventional research methods and weren’t able to dig up any historical precedence for the paint scheme on this GS, but it’s not a bad looking little Vette, and I always go for beige on classic cars. What we do know is that this is another well-done GS built at D&D Industries before GM’s lawyers halted Grand Sport replication. The build is based on an original C2 Corvette chassis and suspension using loads of new parts.

You might expect to find a high-strung small block under the hood, replicating the original Grand Sport’s 377-cubic inch aluminum small block, but you’d be about 91 cubes off. The builder instead opted for a 468-cubic inch (454 bored 0.060 over) Chevrolet built up with all sorts of goodies, including oval-port heads, roller rockers and an Edelbrock intake. The weight of the big block may have an adverse effect on the Vette’s handling, but the big cubic inches and trick cylinder heads should make good low-end torque for the street (provided the cam isn’t too radical).

To go along with the torquey big block under the hood, the builder installed a heavy-duty Munice M22 "Rock Crusher" four-speed transmission. Offered in period for some of GM’s factory-built muscle machines, the M22 close-ratio four speed featured straight-cut gears made of a higher nickel alloy, which were stronger and generated less heat than helical-cut gears. Some folks dislike the low rpm rattle and high rpm whine from the Rock Crusher’s gears, but to patrons of the H-pattern, there’s no better sound.

In its outward appearance, this Grand Sport was definitely finished to its builder's taste, which may not work for everyone. But getting beneath the skin, the car is quite solid for what it is. With discussions of paint off the table, I have only two complaints for commentary. For one, it would be in the buyer's interest to get a trunk floor constructed ASAP. Rocks or debris could easily fly into the open trunk space and cause damage to the fiberglass bodywork, or the finished paint on the other side. I also found myself questioning the use of standard slotted screws in the interior. Anyone who has ever turned a wrench knows slotted screws are a pain.

Beyond these concerns, the car is great for the money. With an asking price of $49,750, this is probably the cheapest semi-honest Grand Sport on the market right now by $10,000 to $20,000. 

With cubic inches running wild under the ventilated hood, a strong-arm old four speed at hand and wide Torq-Thrust wheels, this Grand Sport is more like a show-stopping street machine than a Nassau-lapping corner machine, but we definitely dig it. Sure, a nimble small-block car might take the cake in the twisties, but this torque-monster Grand Sport surly offers hide-boiling and gear-jamming fun on every mile public roads could take you. And who could ever complain about that in a ’60s American classic.

See the seller's ad here on eBay.