Homage to Grand Sport #001 is Part C7, Part C2, But Completely Cool
All tributes are well intentioned, but not all of them are well executed. A poorly done cover of a song only brings to mind how good the original was. A speech with the potential to touch hearts and produce tears may come out as a rambling mess. That’s not the case here. The owner of the C7 Corvette tribute car you see on your screen meant well and did well.
Corvette Forum member jagamajajaran has numerous versions of America’s sports car, but he also has a particular soft spot for the very first Grand Sport ever made, the 1963 model, #001. He decided to show his love for the rare race car through his 2017 C7 Grand Sport. That involved a lot of work and a little yellow. jagamajajaran had all of the body panels removed, sanded, and clear coated. Among many other custom touches, his C7 GS has a “custom carbon flash painted Grand Sport stripe with custom phantom Grand Sport in the stinger and velocity yellow edges, custom painted engine bay pieces and hood liner, custom painted interior parts, [and a] custom painted Z06 grille.”
Under the hood, there’s an impressive painting of the 1960s inspiration for jagamajajaran‘s labor of love and a few other visual nods to the first GS. Those continue on the outside and include the yellow-accented front splitter, “custom velocity yellow and carbon flash painted ADV.1 ADV 10 Track Function CS wheels,” and side skirts. All of the exterior parts, including those eye-catching wheels, were covered with a ceramic coating to keep them looking as impressive as they do right now. To make sure his car sounds as good as it looks, jagamajajaran had a Corsa X-pipe exhaust system installed.
Notice how we never mentioned a wrap or decals? That’s because we couldn’t. According to jagamajajaran, “One thing that I feel is very significant is the fact that everything is painted. There are absolutely no decals anywhere.”
We like the philosophy behind your build, jagamajajaran. It doesn’t deserve a sticker. It deserves a trophy. We’re sure you’ll have no problem picking up one or seven of those at car shows. Bravo.
Derek Shiekhi's father raised him on cars. As a boy, Derek accompanied his dad as he bought classics such as post-WWII GM trucks and early Ford Mustang convertibles.
After loving cars for years and getting a bachelor's degree in Business Management, Derek decided to get an associate degree in journalism. His networking put him in contact with the editor of the Austin-American Statesman newspaper, who hired him to write freelance about automotive culture and events in Austin, Texas in 2013. One particular story led to him getting a certificate for learning the foundations of road racing.
While watching TV with his parents one fateful evening, he saw a commercial that changed his life. In it, Jeep touted the Wrangler as the Texas Auto Writers Association's "SUV of Texas." Derek knew he had to join the organization if he was going to advance as an automotive writer. He joined the Texas Auto Writers Association (TAWA) in 2014 and was fortunate to meet several nice people who connected him to the representatives of several automakers and the people who could give him access to press vehicles (the first one he ever got the keys to was a Lexus LX 570). He's now a regular at TAWA's two main events: the Texas Auto Roundup in the spring and the Texas Truck Rodeo in the fall.
Over the past several years, Derek has learned how to drive off-road in various four-wheel-drive SUVs (he even camped out for two nights in a Land Rover), and driven around various tracks in hot hatches, muscle cars, and exotics. Several of his pieces, including his article about the 2015 Ford F-150 being crowned TAWA's 2014 "Truck of Texas" and his review of the Alfa Romeo 4C Spider, have won awards in TAWA's annual Excellence in Craft Competition. Last year, his JK Forum profile of Wagonmaster, a business that restores Jeep Wagoneers, won prizes in TAWA’s signature writing contest and its pickup- and SUV-focused Texas Truck Invitational.
