63_GrandSport

How many original 1963 grandsports were built? I read some where their were 6 built. I only have heard of three know to still be around.I want to know more but it is hard to find good facts.Help me learn more about my favorite corvette.

62Jeff

All 5 are still around
http://forums.corvetteforum.com/show....php?t=1439930

I've never heard of 6 being built

63_GrandSport

I am not sure where I read that 6 were built. I did not know if that was true or not.I allso did not know that all 5 were still around.I thought that some were destroyed.I know they were ordered to be destroyed but I did not know if any were or not.

Qblue92

5 and they all still exist. they had a reunion for the first time in forever on some island in the NE a few years ago.

Denney

I believe the reunion of the GS's was at the Amelia Island Concours (in Fla) show a couple/few years ago (2003?). Someone on the forum also took some pictures (if I recall)...

toolbox

As the story goes # 6 was a work in progress that was tossed in the dumpster, But disappeared from there. Knowing how Zora was, I think it might have been taken out the back door. I can't remember where I read this but if I recall Roger Penske(I could be wrong about who owed her) claims to have owned #6 at one time.

SWCDuke

There have been various reports/rumors over the years (including a couple of years ago in Autoweek) that a sixth GS was destroyed in a fire at the Proving Grounds and the carcass was scrapped.

Given the passage of time and undocumented nature of the reports it's unlikely that the existance of a sixth GS will ever be definitively proven one way or another, nor will any bonafide "remains" ever be presented, but it's likely that this story alone will motivate someone to "create" the "lost" #6 and put it on e-bay at some point in the future.

Duke

Vogie

We could just call Dick Guldstrand and ask.

mdz06vetter

following site has a lot of info on the FIVE Grand Sports - they were all brought together for the FIRST time in history since they were built in 2003 at Amelia Island - I took a lot of pix and posted then

http://www.racingicons.com/gs/index.html

toolbox

I was wrong in my previous post. It was John Mecom who claimed to own all 6 Grandsports. On an intresting side note it appears that he [John Mecom] was never interviewed for any of the books written on the Grandsports.John Mecom also claims that a picture of his shop was hanging in airport, located near said shop, where all 6 Grandsports are clearly visible. Alas the photo is missing at this point.

John goes on to claim that #6 eventually made it back to Gm where Bill Mitchell turned it into a styling exercise. The problem is that these exercises are often scrapped/destroyed. If Bill mitchell was still alive a major peice of the puzzle would be avalible to us.

It seems a shame that such a historical time in our passion is shrouded in mystery.

65air_coupe

When I first learned about Grand Sports, there were only 3 known to still exist! Funny how the passage of time and the incredible increase in value caused the reappearance of the other two and many rumors of the sixth to surface.

The first article I read about them was in the mid 70's and talked about the restoration of one where the owner went to the trouble and cost of having a new block cast from the original pattern!

JohnZ

I did extensive research on the Grand Sports for many years before I finally built mine in 1996, and had help from John Mecom and from Tom Armstrong (who owned #003 at the time) in detailing my car; in all these years, none of the GS owners ever said boo about a sixth car until the AutoWeek article, which had no solid information and remains simply rumors and undocumented foggy recollections from Mecom. I'd classify the "sixth GS" as another "urban legend".

toolbox

Urban legend or not,I think we should be on the lookout. Odd and unique vettes pop up all the time. Example Astoria chaz's 1967 drop top L-88 drag car.Which was stored away on December 1st 1969 with only around 1800 miles on the clock. Only to be discovered almost 31 years later. So maybe GS #6 is still around. I for one am looking for her. If I find her I'll let everyone know.

By the way Nice repop. When will we beable to see yours on display?

JohnZ

Thanks - sold it in 1998 to an east coast collector, and he sold it at Barrett-Jackson (Scottsdale) in 2005.

toolbox

Hey I love to pay a compliment to a really nice vette. I wish I had the money for a project like that

SebringBill

I've known GS #5 (and its current owner) since he bought it in the late 70s. He's never alluded to a 6th GS. Betcha dollar he'd laugh if I'd call him up and ask about it!

BTW, when I first saw it it still had the 1965 Sebring tech inspection sticker on the rollbar (and it's still there today!) and the body had been stripped; not only could I easily see the weave of the hand layups, but the body was so thin it was translucent! He has a 355 ci cast iron block with a casting number (yes, casting number) of "5".

toolbox

I still am not convinced that a 6th GS does not exist. This rumor was around long before John Mecom claimed to have owned it. But I'd love to know someone who would let me get a closeup look at a real deal Grandsport

rgs

A friend of mine worked on the Williams formula cars. He got a phone call from someone claiming to have just bought one of their historic cars from the 60's. I don't remember which one, but it may have been the Indy 500 car. The car had been wrecked and scrapped decades earlier. The person said that the car had the Williams ID tag on it. My friend informed him that he had the tag from the original car in his toolbox since he removed it from the wrecked chassis. Someone took a run of the mill Lola chassis, created the Williams tag, and sold it as a Williams car.

63_GrandSport

Thanks for the input.I will allways thank about the 6th even if it does not exist.I plan to build a repo for my play toy one of these days.I wish we all could get more info on the 6th so we could settle this for all the GS lovers out there.

ghostrider20

Is he the current owner John, and, what did it go for at BJ's?

I have always loved that car, and would love to own it someday.

Mark