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<\/p>\n<\/div>Imagine if Superman and Wonder Woman had a love child. The offspring would be beautiful, powerful, regal. Come to think of it, he would probably be Chris Hemsworth. Superkid would knock the Trumps, Kardashians, and Jenners right off the tabloid front pages.<\/p>\n
But in lieu of this comic book fantasy, let me introduce you to the very-real spawn of a torrid Corvette Stingray and Z06 fling. His name is the 2017 Corvette Grand Sport.<\/p>\n
The young Grand Sport is an impressive supercar to behold. You\u2019ll know it by its birthmarks: twin \u201chashmark\u201d stripes on either bicep \u2014 er, front fender \u2014 just aft of the ginormous, 19-inch tires. Actually, this sci-fi child from Planet Bowling Green should come with a cape.<\/p>\n
Grand Sport has all the best attributes of its famous parents. From Momma Stingray it gets thrifty sensibility and a growly, normally aspirated, push-rod 460-horsepower V-8. From Papa Z06 comes the wicked athletic prowess: ground-hugging aero package, mega-brakes, wider track and massive, gummy tires. The result is a $65,445 C7 Corvette that won\u2019t break the bank, yet offers the 1.2-G cornering performance that helped the Z06 vanquish six-figure cyborgs like the McLaren 650S at Car & Driver\u2019s epic Lightning Lap face-off<\/a>.<\/p>\n I am familiar with the Corvette family, having spent weeks with both around Metro Detroit since the Stingray was introduced in 2013. I have driven the Stingray in anger at Illinois\u2019 Autobahn Raceway and the Z06 at full flight around the Mid-Ohio and Spring Mountain tracks.<\/p>\n So I was thrilled to hook up with Junior for a day around Atlanta\u2019s glorious neck-bending 3-D Atlanta Motorsport Park last week. The kid didn\u2019t disappoint.<\/p>\n With the Z06\u2019s wide body, he looks like dad, save the hood blister for the supercharger. Stingray\u2019s popular Z51 package is standard including rear-differential cooler and dry-sump oil system essential for hot laps. And since GS is all about track days, go on and option the Z07 package (what\u2019s $8K?) to get the Herculean, 151\/2-inch ceramic brakes so you\u2019ll never have to worry about stopping. Merging on the track out of AMP\u2019s pits and putting the throttle to the mat in third gear, I thought I was going to the moon \u2013 only to have the giant Brembos haul me back to earth like I had thrown Titanic\u2019s anchor out the back window.<\/p>\n Under the Grand Sport\u2019s composite skin is Corvette\u2019s familiar, 3,400-pound, aluminum chassis. There\u2019s no ultra-light carbon fiber tub like a McLaren. No magic, rear-steer-active-suspension engineering like the $90,000 Porsche 911. Over AMP\u2019s non-stop roller coaster of blind turns, the \u2019Vette\u2019s chassis twists and turns like a mechanical bull. Bellowing out of AMP\u2019s high-g ESS turns onto the Nurburgring-inspired pit straight at 130 mph, I feel the beast\u2019s weight moving underneath me.<\/p>\n No matter.<\/p>\n The Z07 downforce package of rear wickers and side-and-front spoilers sucks GS to the asphalt (and makes it look awesome, too). Standard magnetic shocks constantly balance the beast\u2019s four paws. And on those paws are fitted the Z06\u2019s massive 10-inch front and 12-inch rear Michelin Super Cup 2 tires \u2014 the rear glutes stretched 3.5-inches to cover their width. They grip. Like. Glue.<\/p>\n The beast roars past the start-finish line rattling every window in the timing tower.<\/p>\n The GS is a tantalizing mix of raw and digital, a wild beast civilized by modern tech. Happily, GM doesn\u2019t let the tech tame the monster, allowing drivers to dance as close to the edge as desired. I dialed the Drive Mode selector to TRACK SPORT 1, which gave me control while never completely turning off the electronic nannies.<\/p>\n