Chevy Building 5 Grand Sport Heritage Edition Corvettes For Japan

The new Chevrolet Corvette Grand Sport fills the gap between the sporty base model and the high-horsepower Z06. In the U.S., Chevy gives buyers plenty of ways to customize the Grand Sport of their dreams – but in Japan, a new special edition has us longing from afar.

The so-called Grand Sport Admiral Blue Heritage Edition is a handsome new offering courtesy of GM Japan. The exterior wears an iconic shade of Grand Sport blue, which is accented by a central white stripe and red fender stripes. A number of new carbon fiber aero elements also come standard, and the black wheels have been accented with red racing stripes to match.

Inside, the cabin wears a handsome Jet Black finish. Details of carbon fiber, leather, and Alcantara can be seen throughout, while a pair of sport bucket seats come standard. Power stays the same, the factory 6.2-liter V8 produces 460 horsepower (343 kilowatts) and 465 pound-feet (630 Newton-meters) of torque, and comes paired to either a seven-speed manual or an eight-speed automatic.

But interested buyers better move quick, only five examples of the Corvette Grand Sport Admiral Blue Heritage Edition will be offered to buyers in Japan. Starting price is ¥12,800,000 yen, or about $115,000 at today's exchange rates. That may seem like a lot, but consider that it's only ¥700,000 yen (about $6,300) more than the standard Corvette Grand Sport in Japan.

While the special Admiral Blue Heritage Edition won't be offered stateside, U.S. buyers can spec the standard Grand Sport to be almost identical. The Corvette Grand Sport starts at $66,445 in the U.S., $13,000 less than the supercharged Z06.