The is our 14th Corvette and the culmination of a dream come true. Ever since the limited edition '96 Grand Sports were announced, we've dreamed of the day when we might own one. One of only 810 coupes produced, GS #633 is an awesome automobile in every respect! The LT4 engine is perfect for the street, providing gobs of power, plenty of torque, and responds well to performance tuning.

Not wanting to settle for second best, we recently took the opportunity to have the entire car repainted by the expert craftsmen at Burke's Corvette in Orlando, Florida. They took their time to do this paint job the way the factory SHOULD have done it in the first place. All the original paper tape stripes were removed and masterfully replaced with painted Arctic White stripes over the new Admiral Blue base. The whole shebang was then covered in multiple coats of hand-rubbed clear for a baby-butt smooth finish.

No more wax build-up along the tape edges or nicks in those famous hash \\ marks. From a distance it looks just like the original factory Grand Sport paint job, but up close you notice the blue is a bit deeper, the white is a tad brighter, the stripes are razor sharp, and you are blinded by a brilliant reflective shine that must be seen to be believed! You can keep your GM original paint job *with* the factory orange peel, thank you very much! ;-)

But of course, just looking good wasn't enough so the was treated to a healthy dose of bolt-on performance goodies. Our first dyno test verified our LT4's oomph with a very respectable 320.3 RWHP. Still wanting a bit more, it was now time for CNC heads, CNC intake, and a Competition Cams roller camshaft along with all the other right parts (pro magnum rockers, springs, valves, lifters, etc).

Back on the dyno, this combination yielded 349 RWHP on a Dynojet 248C and 364 RWHP on the BPP Mustang dyno. With only 3 runs to test, our best 1/4 mile was 12.77 @ 109.64. Seeking just a bit more punch, we recently installed a Crane 222/230 cam, full length TPIS ceramic coated headers, and 30# injectors. We haven't raced with the new goodies yet, but we're hoping to do 12.5's. The driver still needs a lot of practice, but it sure is fun trying! :)

We are active members of the Central Florida Corvette Association (CFCA), the largest (and the best, IMHO) Corvette Club in Florida. When you find yourself in Orlando, if you see a blue Corvette with a huge white stripe zip by and a couple of folks grinning like wild Cheshire cats, be sure to return our wave! Oh yeah, I'm the CFCA webmaster, too (go figure).

I am also the webmaster for Roger's Corvette Center here in sunny Orlando, Florida. If you like their site, your positive comments sent to salesinfo@rogerscorvette.com will help keep me employed and our Wild Thing well fed and pampered.

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