The most desirable and collectible C4 Corvette is the ZR-1. Close behind is the gorgeous 1996-only Grand Sport.
This 1996 Grand Sport is especially desirable due to its options. It's one of only 190 convertibles built – most Grand Sports were coupes. Of the 1,000 Grand Sports built, 810 were coupes.
Of those 190 convertibles, just 41 featured the desirable red interior and RPO F45 High Performance Suspension option. These dampers offered selective real-time damping. That's pretty heady stuff for 1996.
All Grand Sports were powered by the 1996-only LT4 engine, a higher-performance variant of the LT1 that offered 330 horsepower and 340 lb/ft of torque. That's an increase of 30 horsepower over and 10 lb/ft over the standard LT1.
Each and every Grand Sport was equipped with a ZF six speed manual transmission and a 3.45 rear axle ratio. Car and Driver tested a then-new Grand Sport and managed a zero to 60 time of five seconds flat, with the quarter mile coming in 13.5 seconds at 104 miles per hour.
As a last hurrah for the C4 Corvette, it did its job well. If offered stunning good looks and impressive performance for its day. Today, it's on the cusp of becoming a bona fide classic.
This particular car has covered just 22,000 miles since new. It certainly looks the part, and its Russo and Steele for sale listing classifies it as “investment grade.”
The asking price of $49,500 is indeed a lot of money for a C4. However, it should be clear to you that this isn't just any C4 Corvette. Red LT1 coupes are a dime a dozen – but there are very few Grand Sport convertibles, and we doubt many present this well, with such desirable options.
