The 2017 Chevrolet Corvette Grand Sport

The Latest Of The Grand Sports

 

     Are you an owner of the latest Corvette Z06 and thought it was a bit fidgety in handling? Chevy may have heard your complaints and in 2017 unveiled a new Z06 looking Grand Sport. And ever since this car was unveiled the fans responses have been mostly positive. Let's learn why by talking about this new Corvette.

     The 2017 Corvette Grand Sport is an American sports car that borders on supercar status, and is equipped with a naturally aspirated, (yes you heard me), V-8, an LT1 like the one found inside it's predecessor that delivers 460 hp and 465 pound-feet of torque. Top speed of the new Grand Sport is an estimated 195 mph. Naught to 60 takes 3.5 seconds, hence the near-supercar status. The engine is coupled to either a 7-speed manual, or an 8-speed flappy paddle automatic that includes paddle shifters. The latter has been chosen as the stock transmission for the new Grand Sport. That might tick some purists off. However this car was created to please the purists, so maybe it wont tick anyone off.

     The 2017 Corvette Grand Sport is technically a new Z06 on the exterior. To fix this problem Chevrolet offers a Heritage package that includes hash-mark fender graphics in one of six colors, and full-length stripes in the same colors if wanted. Both the hash-mark and stripes can be paired with any exterior color the Corvette offers. This includes three tintcoat hues, and five standard paint colors.

     The interior of the 2017 Grand Sport is a bit of a different story. Inside the Collector Edition, Chevy uses what they call Tension Blue suede and full leather, as well as the original Grand Sport which is embossed in the headrests. However all of the new Grand Sports will use more quality materials, more carbon fiber inserts, a flat-bottom steering wheel that has the Grand Sport logo on the lower spoke, and magnesium seat frame structures. All models equipped with the Heritage package will get brushed aluminum trim with the hash-marks.  

     The price of the new Grand Sport in America will cost $62,000 which is not bad, and $67,000 for the Collector Edition. Seems like a good deal to me.

The 2016 Apollo/Gumpert Arrow

Another German Car With Near-Italian Looks

 

    You may remember that article I did about the Artega GT; a German car with an almost Italian looking design. Well the German company Gumpert, (now Apollo Automobil GmbH), has decided to follow in Artega's footsteps, sort of, and came up with a new car called the Arrow. Let's learn more about this Italian looking German hypercar.

     The 2016 Apollo Arrow is a German hypercar equipped with a twin-turbocharged V-8 that delivers 986 hp, (borderline Koenigsegg territory), and a top speed of 220 mph. Naught to 62 takes 2.9 seconds. The engine is coupled to a completely synchronized sequential 7-speed CIMA transmission with a twin-plate clutch configuration, and a self-locking differential by a company called Torsen. 

     Let's talk about the brake and suspension technology in the Arrow. The Arrow uses magnetic-type dampers that keep adjusting to multiple street and track conditions. This helps to stop the movements of the center-locking 20 and 21 inch wheels of the Arrow. The Arrow also has adjustable ride height that can go from 40 mm to 120 mm. The EPS and ABS is created by German company Bosch, while the wheels cover a performance braking system from AP Racing. The Arrow also has the highest amount of brake cooling found in any Apollo/Gumpert car made. Unfortunately I couldn't find any info on what the car's chassis is made of. Sorry.

     The price of the Arrow in European Union countries is 1 million euros, while in the United States it costs $1,100,000. Many people seem to like this car. Question is do you?