The Z06 and the ZR1 hog every headline and every like, but the smartest buy in the seventh-generation Corvette lineup might be the quieter, cheaper, more balanced car sitting one rung down: the Grand Sport. Built from 2017 to 2019, it takes the naturally aspirated 6.2-liter LT1 V8 from the base Stingray and wraps it in the Z06’s wider body, suspension, and brakes. The result is 460 horsepower, 465 pound-feet of torque, and an available seven-speed manual — a combination that makes considerably pricier sports cars sweat.

On the used market, Grand Sports trade for roughly $54,500 to $59,900 according to Kelley Blue Book’s fair purchase values for the 2017, 2018, and 2019 model years. A 2026 look at Bring a Trailer sales found a median of $55,500 for unmodified examples sold between January and late October, most of them low-mileage cars.

Behind the wheel, it rewards with sharp steering, serious mechanical grip, and the kind of naturally aspirated American V8 soundtrack you simply can’t order elsewhere anymore. It isn’t flawless — the cabin feels a notch cheaper than its European rivals, the low front splitter demands constant vigilance over anything resembling a speed bump, and the ride stays firm even with Magnetic Ride Control doing its best.

There’s also an anniversary edition, the Carbon 65, a $15,000 package with Ceramic Matrix Gray paint, carbon-fiber trim, and a production run capped at 650 cars split between Grand Sport and Z06. It looks the part, but it doesn’t change the driving experience enough to justify the premium — a well-optioned standard Grand Sport remains the smarter purchase.

The sweet spot is a 2019 car with the manual gearbox and the 2LT package — heated and ventilated seats, a Bose stereo, a head-up display, and a front-view camera that actually earns its keep given how low that nose sits over curbs. The 3LT trim adds nicer cabin materials but nothing that changes how the car drives, so it’s an easy one to skip.

Before buying, get everything checked. The Grand Sport’s wheels are a well-documented weak point, prone to bending and cracking — a problem that showed up during Car and Driver’s own 40,000-mile long-term test, with a repair bill that ran past $1,100. Automatic-equipped cars can develop a torque-converter shudder that General Motors addressed with a service bulletin, and the Magnetic Ride Control dampers aren’t cheap once age catches up with them. A VIN check against the NHTSA recall database is cheap insurance.

The shopping list doesn’t stop there: the Chevrolet Camaro SS 1LE brings 455 naturally aspirated horsepower and its own manual gearbox, the Ford Mustang Shelby GT350 counters with a flat-plane-crank 5.2-liter V8 that revs to a screaming 8,250 rpm for 526 horsepower, and the Porsche 718 Cayman GTS trades V8 theater for a sharper interior and even better steering.

The C7 was the last Corvette generation built around a front engine and a manual gearbox — the eighth generation went all-in on a mid-engine layout paired exclusively with a dual-clutch automatic. That makes the Grand Sport more than just a compromise between Stingray and Z06. It’s the closing argument for an entire era, wrapped into one very well-sorted car.

Source: Motor1.com (https://www.motor1.com/reviews/814438/used-corvette-grand-sport-why-buy/)