Pro driver Randy Pobst hot laps the 2017 Chevrolet Corvette Grand Sport around Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca for Motor Trend's 2017 Best Driver's Car.
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00:00 (engine revving)
00:02 Question, when does a 460 horsepower Corvette feel slow?
00:14 Answer, when it's the Grand Sport
00:16 and entered in this year's Best Driver's Car competition.
00:20 First of all, the Grand Sport is one of the most
00:22 capable handling machines we've ever tested,
00:24 pulling 1.18 Gs of max grip
00:27 and running around our figure eight course
00:29 in an elite 22.3 seconds.
00:32 With all that grip comes the need for more power.
00:35 A 550 horsepower Grand Sport would split the difference
00:38 nicely between the 460 horsepower Stingray
00:41 and the bonkers 650 horsepower Z06.
00:45 Second of all, have you met this year's competition?
00:48 Let's see how this vet works on a racetrack.
00:51 (engine revving)
00:56 (engine revving)
00:59 Woo!
01:02 (engine revving)
01:08 Wow, this is not the Z06.
01:20 Sure sounds like one.
01:25 Oh yeah, I forgot, this is only 460 horsepower.
01:29 A lot of tire grip.
01:34 It's not like the power.
01:44 You know those easy power oversteer.
01:47 (engine revving)
01:53 (engine revving)
01:55 (engine revving)
01:58 (engine revving)
02:07 (engine revving)
02:14 (engine revving)
02:21 (engine revving)
02:23 One more.
02:34 The car's red, white, and blue.
02:41 How perfect for a Chevy Corvette.
02:43 This is a Grand Sport model
02:45 with the whole Z07 track package
02:47 from the big honk and supercharged car,
02:49 but it's the non-supercharged engine.
02:51 Still 450 something horsepower.
02:54 I went out in the Corvette in full-on race mode.
02:57 It had snap oversteer and entry oversteer,
03:00 and I felt like I was wrestling alligators.
03:02 I just wasn't happy.
03:04 I hit the switch, put it over in sport on the shocks,
03:08 which softens up the shock absorbers.
03:10 The softer setting changed the whole experience.
03:13 Suddenly the Corvette was like a big Labrador retriever
03:16 I'm petting in my lap.
03:17 It was a puppy dog.
03:18 And I could run it hard and aggressively
03:21 and take advantage of what's really incredible
03:23 about Corvettes, the braking.
03:25 It stops so well.
03:27 Strong bite, stays there every lap,
03:29 hauls the speed down.
03:31 In the sport mode on the shocks,
03:33 I could just lay that thing in the corner.
03:34 It was a friendly car.
03:36 Kids, the Grand Sport is quick on the racetrack.
03:39 It's not only quicker than a Lexus LFA or an Acura NSX,
03:42 but that is quicker than a Ferrari 458 Italia.
03:46 Impressive.
03:47 Brandy's big gripe was that the rear suspension
03:49 goes all kablooey when in track mode.
03:51 His solution was to put the suspension in sport mode
03:54 and turn everything off.
03:55 The problem with that for us mere mortals
03:57 is that GM's brilliant
03:59 Performance Traction Management System, or PTM,
04:02 is only available if the car's in track mode.
04:04 As great to drive as the Grand Sport is,
04:07 there are six cars we liked better.
04:09 Seventh place.
04:10 (dramatic music)
04:13 (dramatic music)
04:16 (dramatic music)
04:18 (dramatic music)
04:22 (dramatic music)
04:25 you