2023 Corvette Nats highlight – Restomod C2
With the 2023 Corvette Nationals being the first of its type held since 2019, it was always going to be a big show. Held in Ballarat and co-inciding with this year’s 70th Anniversary of the Corvette, the 2023 Nationals attracted 136 registered entrants, while approximately 100 more Corvettes turned up for the event’s public Show ‘n’ Shine day.
There were highlights aplenty amongst the display cars, including this C2 (second-generation) coupe that had been transformed into a replica of Chevrolet’s short-lived factory racer.
When the C2 Corvette was losing its competitive edge against the Shelby Cobra in US racing in the early 1960s, GM authorised the development of a ‘lightweight’ version of the Z06 Corvette, incorporating a spaceframe chassis, thinner fiberglass body, disc brakes and stripped-out interior, amongst other changes from the standard Z06. The result was called the ‘Grand Sport’.
To homologate the Grand Sport for GT Production racing, 125 needed to be built (all race-spec cars and not street legal), but only five were completed before GM instituted a ban on factory involvement in racing. Ultimately, those five did the job they were designed to do – beat the Cobras – in the hands of privateers, but as the minimum number wasn’t built, they were regarded as prototypes, so ineligible for class wins in GT Production.
Attending the Corvette Nationals from NSW, this Grand Sport restomod started as a stock C2 coupe, before extensive bodywork modifications were made, accentuated with replica parts imported from the USA.
Details taken from the original Grand Sport racers include multiple cooling vents and air scoops, as well as fixed headlights and items like a flap on the offside front guard that allowed the brake master cylinder to be filled without opening the bonnet.
While the V8 in this car is of the same 377ci capacity as a C1963 Grand Sport may have had, it’s a modern LS3 small block, matched to a Tremec five-speed manual, while an aftermarket Hammerhead diff housing uses an Eaton centre with 3.42:1 ratio.
Brakes are discs out of a C7 Corvette Z06 and the suspension comes from a C7, too, while the wheels are modern Forgeline alloys, in a 19x10 front and 20x12 rear combination, fitted with Michelin Pilot Sport Cup tyres.
Inside this detailed and stunningly finished Grand Sport tribute, there’s 1963-style analogue gauges (including a 200mph speedo), a woodrim steering wheel and race-style touches like drilled pedals, toggle switches and push-button starting. Against this, modern additions include C7 Corvette seats with ostrich hide accents, while the headlining with Route 66 imagery is a quirky touch.
To see the JUST CARS report from the 2023 Corvette Nationals, click HERE.
