The 1963 Chevrolet Corvette Grand Sport was created to win FIA endurance races and compete against the venerable Shelby Cobra and Ferrari GTO. Corvette Chief Engineer Zora Arkus-Duntov furthered the development of a lightweight 1963 model featuring an aluminum block 377ci V8 that developed more than 550 horsepower intended to race in the 1963 24 of Le Mans. Chevrolet planned on producing 125 examples, but only five were said to be completed and wound up in the hand of private racing teams. Using the original blueprint from chassis #005, Dean Hoskins and Dante Lombardi (D&D Motors) created replica molds of the Corvette Grand Sport, reportedly producing a total of 40 kits. This particular example is vehicle #2 produced by D&D Motors, and remained in the care of Mr. Hoskins before being sold to an accountant from Pennsylvania sometime in the early 90s. It was purchased in 2001 by Hillbank Motors (currently known as Superperformance) who would later sell it to a customer from California who spent $50k in upgrades, including installing a 540 Merlin Big Block V8, producing 750 HP and 700 lb.-ft of torque. Showing 12,839 miles on the odometer, this D&D Motors Corvette Grand Sport is now being offered at auction by the seller based out of Arizona.
This example is originally based on a 1963 Corvette, finished in Ermine White (936) with a blue over-the-top racing stripe with red pinstripes, and a #3 racing livery with sponsorship logos including Champion spark plugs, Esso fuel, and Goodyear tires. This Grand Sport weighs in around 2,560 lbs, thanks to thinner fiberglass body panels, handcrafted aluminum components, and a custom lightweight tubular frame. Exterior equipment includes widened fender flares, a “cheese grater” reverse cowl hood, hood locking pins, a custom anti-glare windscreen, encapsulated headlights, side-exit exhaust pipes, front fender vents, an aluminum fuel filler door, a functional transmission cooler on the rear deck, rear bumper ducts, and 15” Halibrand-style wheels with knock-off spinners mounted with Mickey Thompson ET Street R performance tires.
The interior features two low-backed bucket seats with RJS racing harnesses mounted to a roll bar, trimmed in blue vinyl with matching door panels, headliner and dashboard. The center stack houses individual switches for ignition, starter, fuel, cooling, and lights. A 3-spoke steering wheel frames Autometer instrumentation, including a speedometer and tachometer, as well as gauges for fuel level, voltage, oil pressure, and coolant temperature. The door is signed by Zora Arkus-Duntov, while the dashboard is signed by Dr. Dick Thompson, one of the original racing drivers of the Corvette Grand Sport, Larry Shinoda, the designer of the C2 and C3 Corvette, and Dave McLellan, the chief engineer of the Corvette after Duntov.
Professionally fabricated by renowned engine builder Mike Hayden, a balanced and blueprinted 540 Merlin Big Block V8 was installed, which reportedly produces 750 HP and 700 lb.-ft of torque, sent to the rear wheels by a Hughes-built turbo 400 transmission. The engine is heavily modified, featuring Edelbrock Victor 24-degree heads, a Holley 950cfm carburetor, an Edelbrock Victor Jr. intake manifold, a chrome a K&N top air cleaner, custom fabricated Jet Hot-coated exhaust headers, polished billet March pulleys, an aluminum Be Cool radiator and support, dual electric puller fans, braided stainless steel fuel lines, a Holley electric fuel pump, custom aluminum “Grand Sport” valve covers, a Mildon low profile oil pan, a custom billet Moroso water inlet and thermostat housing, an MSD ignition system with Taylor spark plug wires, and more. This Corvette rides on transverse front and rear leaf springs, with the front being custom-tuned for track use, and stopping power provided by vented disc brakes.
This sale will include an Arizona title and extensive documentation showing the history of the vehicle, including a binder full of photos and receipts, as well as a build list for the car's current configuration.
Comments (19)
Sad to see this one not get the love it deserves, meaning in terms of bids.
Bid in the amount of $60,000
Bid in the amount of $25,750
Bid in the amount of $25,500
Bid in the amount of $25,250
Bid in the amount of $25,000
@TitanStorage thank you. Inspected in Arizona, and titled as a 1963 Chevy grand sport
Maybe a silly question. How is this car titled. As a 1963 Chevrolet Corvette. Or special Constuction?
@racedeck Your welcome!
@spadyautogroup thanks for the reply… Interesting on the trans, a lot of Auto-x guys use autos for that reason
@racedeck 1963 Chevrolet grand sport
Arizona title
@racedeck The previous owner preferred racing with an automatic ,better response time for him on the track
@racedeck thank you. Amazing car!
..any idea why this was built with or converted to an automatic?
what is the registered as? and where?
now this has my interest.. driven a bit and not just a trailer queen.
@TitanStorage Thank you.
Mechanic parts you can find with Chevrolet. We also have a lot of connections to parts, we will provide that to the winning bid.
Is D&D still around? How would get parts for it ?
Amazing car and history, don't miss this one!