super rare 1963 chevrolet corvette grand sport heads to auctionOne of the rarest Corvettes ever built is about to head to auction this weekend during RM Sotheby's Monterey Auction.After undergoing a painstaking restoration estimated to have cost in excess of $1 million, this 1963 Corvette Grand Sport is expected to be sold for close to $13 million.Under the care of its current owner for the past 23 years, the 1963 Chevrolet Corvette Grand Sport chassis 003 underwent a four-year, 4,000-plus-hour restoration by Terry Scarborough Racing (TSR) in Sonoma, California. Representing an investment approaching $1 million, the project returned the car to its exact 1964 12 Hours of Sebring livery while preserving its original tubular frame, unique lightweight body, interior seats, and dashboard.AdvertisementAdvertisementThe meticulous preservation effort earned the car two prestigious Bloomington Gold certifications along with official recognition from the National Corvette Restorers Society.super rare 1963 chevrolet corvette grand sport heads to auctionBeyond its accolades on the show field, the Grand Sport has been thoroughly maintained and track-sorted, backed by an extensive inventory of spare components. It remains an active participant in historic motorsport, having turned laps at premier events including the Goodwood Festival of Speed, the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion, and the Sonoma Motorsports Festival.With only five original factory Grand Sports ever produced, the car is significantly rarer than titan contemporaries like the Shelby Cobra Daytona Coupe and the Ferrari 250 GTO. Its unmatched provenance, extreme scarcity, and motorsport pedigree solidify its position as one of the most coveted American competition automobiles in existence.super rare 1963 chevrolet corvette grand sport heads to auctionHow Zora Arkus-Duntov Created the 1963 Corvette Grand Sport "Snake Eater"The Grand Sport was born out of urgency and corporate defiance. In the early 1960s, Carroll Shelby's Ford-powered Cobras began dominating American sports car racing, exposing the heavy production Corvette Sting Ray Z06's primary vulnerability: weight.AdvertisementAdvertisementZora Arkus-Duntov, Chevrolet's legendary director of high performance, knew incremental tweaks would not suffice. With quiet encouragement from Chevrolet General Manager S.E. "Bunkie" Knudsen, Arkus-Duntov initiated a secret program to build 125 lightweight, purpose-built sports-racing prototypes disguised as production Sting Rays to satisfy international homologation rules.super rare 1963 chevrolet corvette grand sport heads to auctionEngineering a 1,900-Pound "Snake Eater"While the Grand Sport retained the iconic silhouette of the 1963 split-window coupe, virtually every component was re-engineered for competition:Chassis & Body: The standard production frame was replaced with a seamless, thin-wall tubular steel structure with hand-formed aluminum bracing. The body was hand-laid as a single-piece, ultra-thin fiberglass shell with widened fenders, fixed headlights, and Plexiglas windows.Weight Reduction: Aluminum, magnesium, and custom steel forgings replaced standard components throughout the steering, differential housing, hinges, and wiper mechanisms. Curb weight plunged from a stock 3,200 pounds to roughly 1,900 pounds.Race Hardware: The package included Girling disc brakes with aluminum calipers, Halibrand magnesium knock-off wheels, custom radius arms, and an internal FIA-compliant spare tire compartment.Before the planned production run could get underway, GM Chairman Frederic Donner discovered the clandestine project during private testing at Sebring and ordered the program shut down immediately to enforce GM's strict ban on factory racing. Only five chassis-three coupes and two roadsters-were assembled before the shutdown.super rare 1963 chevrolet corvette grand sport heads to auctionPrivateer Triumph: From Nassau to SebringRefusing to let the cars sit idle, Arkus-Duntov covertly funneled the five Grand Sports to trusted privateer teams. Chassis 003 was initially loaned to Illinois dealer Dick Doane, who campaigned it in SCCA C-Modified events with an iron-block 327 V8. During the Road America 500, Doane punched eight cooling holes beneath the rear taillights to combat engine heat-a crude field modification that proved so effective it was adopted on every subsequent Grand Sport.Nassau Speed Week 1963By late 1963, chassis 003, 004, and 005 were sent to John Mecom Jr.'s Texas racing team for Nassau Speed Week in the Bahamas. Upgraded with all-aluminum 377-cubic-inch V8s breathing through four Weber 58 DCOE carburetors on cross-ram intakes, the cars produced well over 600 horsepower.AdvertisementAdvertisementAfter engineers solved rear differential overheating with an external, decklid-mounted radiator, the Grand Sports dominated the event. John Cannon drove chassis 003 to second in class and eighth overall in the Nassau Trophy, while Dick Thompson won the class in chassis 005. By thoroughly outrunning Shelby's Cobras on the long straights, the Grand Sport earned its famous nickname: the "Snake Eater."The 1964 12 Hours of SebringIn March 1964, chassis 003 entered the 12 Hours of Sebring under the Mecom Racing banner, driven by John Cannon and racing legend A.J. Foyt. After mechanical issues forced a 62nd-place starting position, Foyt delivered a legendary opening lap, carving past roughly 50 cars before completing circuit one. Despite a loose wheel spline that cost significant time in the pits, Cannon and Foyt recovered to finish 23rd overall and 2nd in class.Chassis 003 returned to Sebring in 1965 under Ridgeway Racing, powered by a 427-cubic-inch big-block V8, where drivers Delmo Johnson, Ed Sevadjian, and Dave Morgan secured another 3rd-in-class podium finish.super rare 1963 chevrolet corvette grand sport heads to auctionModern Vintage Racing and LegacyUnlike many period competition cars that suffered catastrophic racing crashes, chassis 003 escaped major structural damage throughout its active career, preserving its rare original factory components.AdvertisementAdvertisementIn recent years, the car has remained an active, functional piece of motorsport history. It has turned laps at the Goodwood Festival of Speed, the Sonoma Motorsports Festival, and the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion at Laguna Seca-where it was recognized in 2024 as the "Best Corvette to Ever Race at Laguna Seca."As one of just three Grand Sport coupes in existence, chassis 003 represents the genesis of Chevrolet's factory-backed GT racing pedigree, standing today as a cornerstone offering for post-war American automobile collectors.
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