Scheduled to cross the block at RM Sotheby’s Monterey Auction next month, this 1963 Chevrolet Corvette Grand Sport is among the most historically significant American competition cars ever built. Estimated at $11 million to $13 million, chassis 003 is one of only five factory-produced Grand Sports and the first of just three coupe variants, representing the pinnacle of Zora Arkus-Duntov’s ambitious vision to transform the Corvette into a world-class racing machine.
Developed in secrecy despite General Motors’ official withdrawal from factory motorsport, the Grand Sport was engineered as a purpose-built competition prototype rather than a modified production Corvette. It featured a lightweight tubular steel chassis, an ultra-light fiberglass body, aluminum and magnesium components, advanced suspension geometry, and extensive weight-saving measures that reduced its mass to roughly 1,900 pounds—over 1,000 pounds lighter than a standard Sting Ray. The result was a formidable racer designed specifically to challenge Carroll Shelby’s dominant Cobra.
Chassis 003 quickly proved its capabilities in period competition. Campaigned by Dick Doane during the 1963 SCCA season, it secured three class victories and famously led the Road America 500 before mechanical issues intervened. Later that year, the car became a cornerstone of the Mecom Racing Team’s celebrated Bahamas Speed Week campaign, where it finished second in class in the prestigious Nassau Trophy and helped establish the Grand Sport’s legendary reputation as the “Snake Eater” by outperforming Shelby’s Cobras.
Its racing credentials continued with a second-place class finish at the 1964 12 Hours of Sebring, where A.J. Foyt and John Cannon staged a remarkable charge through the field after starting near the back. The following year, under private ownership, the Corvette returned to Sebring to claim another podium result, finishing third in class and further cementing its endurance racing legacy.
Driven by American racing legends including A.J. Foyt, Jim Hall, Augie Pabst, Dick Thompson, John Cannon, Delmo Johnson, and others, chassis 003 has remained exceptionally well preserved throughout its lifetime. During the current owner’s 23-year stewardship, it underwent an exhaustive restoration that returned it to its authentic 1964 Sebring specification while preserving many original factory components. Multiple Bloomington Gold certifications, NCRS recognition, and appearances at Goodwood, Laguna Seca, and other premier historic events underscore its exceptional provenance.
More than six decades after its creation, this Grand Sport remains one of the rarest and most influential competition Corvettes ever produced—an enduring symbol of American motorsport engineering and one of the finest collector cars ever offered at public auction.
Source: RM Sotheby’s
