Story and photos by Dean Larson

One of the best things about hanging out at the race track is the unexpected people you meet and cars you’ll see. We were posted up at Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin, earlier this summer when a gentleman struck up a conversation with me. “I’ve actually got a Grand Sport replica here at the track today,” he says, and I think I grabbed the camera bag before he finished his sentence.

We drove our pit cart out to one of the back lots at the track, and there it was, an eye-catching silver and black Grand Sport from D&D Corvette. Owned by Jeff K. of Plymouth, Wisconsin, this Grand Sport is honest in shape, but sports a modern performance attitude. Jeff was hooked on the GS look, but admitted he wanted something unique. The two-tone silver and black finish on this Vette is definitely unique, and is perfectly suited to the Grand Sport shape. With P.S. Engineering 17-inch wheels, the car looks modern and aggressive, but a set of honest Grand Sport five-spokes would look right at home also.

Underneath its silver and black finish, Jeff’s car stays true to the Grand Sport recipe. A full tubular chassis provides a rigid structure and adapted C4 suspension supplies modern handling characteristics. A Chevrolet Performance ZZ4 small block provides power to the tune of 470 hp, some 115 hp over stock ZZ4 numbers, thanks to an upgraded 750 cfm Holley carb, MSD distributor, upgraded ignition and other power-producing tweaks. The iron block 350-ci engine comes standard with four-bolt main caps, forged-steel crank and aluminum heads. This nicely equipped small block should provide gobs of usable horsepower on the street and many years of worry-free driving.

With a practical performance mill under the hood and well-designed suspension parts, this Grand Sport is designed to eat up miles, and fittingly, the interior has been built on the same premise. The entire cockpit is finished with carpet and leather for a production car feel, and large Auto Meter gauges in the dash provide clear readouts. For comfort, the GS has an ididit tilt steering column, Vintage Air heat and A/C, power windows and a well-concealed, six-speaker sound system.

All together, Jeff’s Grand Sport is a lot like a GT version of the original no-compromise racer. A bit of extra comfort was built into the car making it well suited for long drives, but it’s still the performance that hooks Jeff. “It’s absolutely a head-turner and a blast to drive, very powerful,” Jeff remarks. The classic Grand Sport is actually one of two Jeff owns, the throwback equivalent to his 2013 GS. What a pair that must be in the garage, especially considering the latter was also available in silver.