Chevrolet Corvette Grand Sport unveiled at the Geneva motor show

The track-focused Chevrolet Corvette Grand Sport has been unveiled at the Geneva motor show and will go on sale in Europe in September.

The Corvette Grand Sport will sit between the standard Corvette Stingray and the super-fast Corvette Z06 and benefits from bespoke chassis retuning, cooling systems, and new performance technologies.

The naturally aspirated LT1 V8 engine under the bonnet produces 460bhp and sends power to the rear wheels via a seven-speed manual transmission. An eight-speed paddle-shift automatic is available as an option.

It runs the Corvette’s magnetic ride control system, albeit with tweaked roll bars and springs. The standard electronic limited-slip differential is also derived from the standard car’s.

The Corvette Grand Sport rides on 285/30 ZR19 (front) and 335/25 ZR20 (rear) tyres fitted to a bespoke Grand Sport wheel design. The Brembo brake system with 355 mm rotors and six-piston calipers at the front and 340 mm rotors and four-piston calipers at the rear.

Available as a coupé or a convertible, the Corvette Grand Sport, “combines a lightweight architecture, a track-honed aerodynamics package, Michelin tyres and a naturally aspirated engine to offer an estimated 1.05g in cornering capability”, according to Chevrolet.

That cornering capability can be increased to 1.2g when the Z07 package, which offers even more performance, is added. It adds carbon-ceramic brakes, Michelin Sport Cup 2 summer tyres, and a carbonfibre aero package that delivers downforce.

“Racing has been part of Corvette’s essence for more than 50 years and that track experience has helped us build better, more capable cars,” said Mark Reuss, GM’s global product development boss.

“The global acclaim for the seventh-generation Corvette validates that direct link and the new Grand Sport takes its track-bred technology to a new, exciting threshold.”

At Geneva Chevrolet also showed off the latest Camaro, which is lighter, more powerful and more efficient than its predecessor, the 2016 Corvette Stingray and the latest model year Corvette Z06.