AutoHunter Spotlight: 1996 Chevrolet Corvette Grand Sport

Featured on AutoHunter, the online auction platform driven by ClassicCars.com, is this custom 1996 Chevrolet Corvette Grand Sport. 

I met my first 1996 Corvette Grand Sport while doing a story for Grassroots Motorsports magazine on budget supercars. The story included a Porsche 911 Turbo, which at the time cost around $35,000, a Nissan 300ZX Twin Turbo, and a 1996 Corvette Grand Sport. Of those cars the only one that I had never driven was the Corvette. The performance of the car was astonishing and it was the first time that I seriously started to consider the Corvette as a true sports car. The handling, acceleration, and fun of driving that Grand Sport opened my eyes to just how good the C4 Corvette had become. The stock car had a 0-60 speed of 5 seconds, a 1/4 mile time of 13.5 and a top speed of 168 mph. These were strong performance numbers in 1996.

The 1996 Grand Sport was the swan song for the C4 Corvette. It offered 30 horesepower over the standard car, a special paint package, red leather seats, the tire and wheel package from the ZR1, and a manual transmission. Chevrolet only built 1,000 total Grand Sport cars, making it an almost instant collectors item for Corvette enthusiasts.

The 1996 Corvette Grand Sport featured as our AutoHunter Spotlight today is a collector’s grade example, but not one that is so perfect that you can’t drive it.

According to the seller listing the car on AutoHunter, this 1996 Chevrolet Corvette Grand Sport is a magazine-featured performance coupe that has covered just 33,864 miles since new. It is powered by an upgraded LT4 5.7-liter V8 backed by a 6-speed manual transmission and a limited-slip differential. In addition to the factory-allocated equipment such as a fiberglass removable roof panel, automatic climate control, and power convenience options, this Corvette is set apart with a Borla dual exhaust system, K&N air filter, long-tube headers, a performance camshaft, and more. It is finished in its original Admiral Blue Metallic with white and red accent paint over a two-tone Torch Red and black leather interior. The car is offered with its window sticker, service records, additional documentation, a new Covercraft car cover, a clean CARFAX report, and a clear title.

The car rides on its original black 17-inch alloy wheels wrapped with 275/40 front and 315/35 rear Z-rated Nitto tires. All four tires were installed in early 2021.

The interior of the car looks excellent with matching materials for the door panels, and contrasting black materials for the remainder of the cockpit. Amenities include embroidered floor mats with the Grand Sport logo, a center console, automatic climate control, a Delco/Bose AM/FM/CD/cassette head unit, cruise control, intermittent windshield wipers, a leather-wrapped sport steering wheel, and power windows.

Instrumentation includes a centralized digital speedometer, an 8K-rpm tachometer, and auxiliary gauges for the oil pressure, oil temperature, coolant temperature, and voltage. The digital odometer reads 33,864 miles, which is in line with the mileage on the CARFAX report.

The 5.7-liter LT4 V8 powering this Corvette was factory-rated at 330 horsepower when new and has been serviced recently per the maintenance history shown in the CARFAX report. It has a lot of thoughtful and not over the top performance customization includes the installation of a K&N air filter, Vinci High Performance mass air flow sensor, BBK 52-mm throttle body, 160-degree thermostat, GM Performance camshaft with adjustable roller rockers, a computer-programmed tuner, Exotic Muscle long tube headers, and an aftermarket fuel pressure regulator. Recent maintenance carried out includes an air conditioning system service and oil change in September 2023; a tune-up in 2021 that covered the replacement of the fuel pump, spark plugs, and an oxygen sensor; and a fuel injection system cleaning in 2020. Power is transferred to the rear wheels via a console-shifted 6-speed manual transmission and a limited-slip differential with a 4.10:1 ratio.

The 1996 Corvette Grand Sport marked the end of an era for the C4 Corvette and with only 1,000 built it is a nice collectible Corvette but still often a good value.

The auction for this 1996 Corvette Grand Sport ends Wednesday, October 18, 2023, at 12:30 p.m. (PDT)

Visit the AutoHunter listing for more information and photo gallery