The crown jewel of Larry Bowman’s collection of authentic Cobras and Corvettes is undeniably this 1963 Corvette Grand Sport. Although 125 were initially planned, only five were ever built, and three coupes were sent to Nassau to prove that Carroll Shelby’s Cobras were not invincible. Which they did—decisively.

Many years later, Shelby privately admitted that he’d been “outgunned”, since Duntov made his cars ultra lightweight and ultra powerful. In the end, they weighed in at about 1,900 pounds, about 1,350 pounds lighter than a stock Corvette coupe. And they were armed with a 377 cubic-inch, aluminum V-8 engine putting out 550 horsepower.

PHOTOS BY STEVE TEMPLE