Spotted for sale is a 1963 Chevrolet Grand Sport Replica for $250,000
1963 Chevrolet Grand Sport Replica
Model Year: 1963
Make: Chevrolet
Model: Grand Sport Recreation
Exterior Color: White
Interior Color: Blue
Vehicle Type: Coupe
Engine:Fuel Type: GasolineEngine
Description: 540Ci Merlin Big Block
DriveTrain:Transmission: Turbo 400 Automatic
Zora Arkus-Duntov AKA “Father of the Corvette,” set out to design a car to be “Cobra Killers.” Only five original Grand Sports were made before GM shut down the project due to safety concerns and the motorsports ban. To prevent the five originals from being destroyed, Zora put these cars in good hands. John Mecum bought the 003, 004, and the 005 coupes, with Roger Penske of Penske Racing, buying the 001 and 002 roadsters in 1966.
In Nassau, Bahamas during the 1960s, Mr. Duntov’s dream became a reality. Mr. Duntov, with the help of John Mecum, was able to bring the Grand Sports to Nassau to compete in the races against the Cobras and the Ferrari GTOs. With skilled race car drivers like Dr. Dick Thompson, “The Flying Dentist,” the Grand Sports beat both the Cobras and Ferraris by 10 seconds. Zora Arkus-Duntov’s vision is now history. The well-known and respected Dr. Dick Thompson drove the 004 car to victory, but that was only the start of Dick Thompson driving these Grand Sports to victory lane.
Then came along a man who had a passion for Corvettes, particularly Grand Sports and decided he was going to build a replica of the 1963 Grand Sport. Mr. William “Dean” Hoskins of Akron, OH knew the Corvette and racing world very well. Mr. Dean Hoskins took measurements from the 005 original Grand Sport and set out to make his own cars. By 1990, D&D Motors had begun building their own cars. Mr. Dean Hoskins and his partner, Dante’ Lombardi, bought a 1964 Corvette Coupe, which was used to make the molds.
The 1964 Corvette was literally in pieces and had to be reassembled. After reassembling the 1964 Corvette, Dean and Dante’ made the necessary body modifications and from that car, a total of 40 molds were made.This car was the second car that D&D Motors made. This car was owned and driven by Dean Hoskins. Mr. Hoskins drove this car in the One Lap America race to promote his replicas. One day, Mr. Hoskins and his wife, Vicki, were at the ground-breaking of the Corvette Museum in Kentucky. Dean and his wife drove this car to the museum. Mr. Zora Arkus-Duntov was there at the ground-breaking and when he saw the replica of his Grand Sport, Mrs. Hoskins said his eyes lit up. Mr. Duntov signed the right door of the replica.To fund his dream of fabricating 1963 replicas, Mr. Hoskins reluctantly sold his beloved car to an accountant in Pennsylvania.
In October 1993, the Grand Prix in Pittsburg was in full swing. This car was entered into that race and was driven by none other than Dr. Dick Thompson. Dr. Dick Thompson took first place with this car. Mr. Dean Hoskins recalled later being at the Grand Prix in Pittsburg and losing to his former beloved car.Dr. Dick Thompson signed the dashboard of this car, along with two other men, important and influential, in the Corvette world. Mr. Larry Shinoda, the designer of the C2 and C3 Corvette as well as the Boss 302 Mustang, and Dave McLellan, the chief engineer of the Corvette after Duntov, placed their signatures on the car as well.Mr. Hoskins’ replicas were so close to the original Grand Sports, GM even filed a lawsuit against D&D Motors. However, the lawsuit was later dropped.This car has not only won multiple races and been used in local parades, but has been featured in 7 magazines:Cover of Kit Car, February 1992Cover of Kit Car Illustrated, December 1992Corvette Fever, December 1992Corvette Fever, January 1993Kit Car Illustrated, February 1993Victory Lane, October 1993Kit Car, January 1994
This car originally had a 406 cubic inch motor with a Turbo 350 transmission. This car could turn a 11.4 second run in the quarter mile. In 2001, this car was bought by Hillbank Motors (Superformance), and sat in their showroom. It was sold to a customer in California, who decided to upgrade the car.In 2005, Hayden Auto restored the car, with over $50K spent in upgrades. Hayden Auto installed a 540 Merlin Big Block, giving this car 750 HP and 700lbs of torque. Also, a custom chassis was built, which lightened the weight of the car to 2560 lbs. Additional upgrades include: aluminum grill, Be Cool radiator and support, electric fans, braided lines, Edlebrock 24 degree heads, Holley 950, Edlebrock intake, March Pulley system, custom valve covers, Holley electric fuel pump, MSD ignition, jet hotted headers, Mildon low profile oil pan, powder coated A arms, disc brakes, Hughes built turbo 400 transmission, rear mounted cooler, all new wiring, gauges, and interior.
This car is street legal and sits on Mickey Thompson tires. The car is titled as a 1963 Grand Sport and has less than 13K miles on the odometer. The car comes with a binder that has the pictures and receipts with this car’s unique history. When this Corvette cranks up, it is sure to get your adrenaline pumping.
This one-of-a-kind car is rich in history and would be the perfect addition to any Corvette enthusiasts’ collection.This vehicle is located at Atomic Motors in Henderson, Nevada just 20 minutes from the fabulous Las Vegas Strip!
What do you think?