Five original Lightweights, a 1,000-car C4 sendoff painted Admiral Blue, and now a mid-engine 2027 debut at Sebring. Members get the full Grand Sport lineage, production figures and why 1996 cars still sell under $50,000.
CORVETTE MODELS
C4 Corvette Grand Sport (1996):
The Complete Guide
Every C4 Corvette Grand Sport, 1996: The 1996 send-off to the C4: 1,000 cars in Admiral Blue with an Arctic White stripe and red hash marks, the 330-hp LT4, the ZR-1’s wheels on the coupes and a numbered plaque. The story, every model year with its own section, the specs and the figures, how many were built and more.
Quick Nav: The Story · The Years · 1996 · Specs · The Siblings · Videos · News · Buyer’s Guide · What to Pay · Known Issues · Market Reports · For Sale · FAQs
The Basics
The Car: The 1996 send-off to the C4: 1,000 cars in Admiral Blue with an Arctic White stripe and red hash marks, the 330-hp LT4, the ZR-1’s wheels on the coupes and a numbered plaque
Years: 1996 (1 model year)
Built: 1,000 by GM’s counts
Engine: LT4 5.7-liter V8, 330 hp / 340 lb-ft, six-speed only
Power: 330 hp
Performance: 0–60 in 5.1 s · quarter mile 13.6 @ 104 · 168 mph (1996, period test)
Price New: $40,475
The Code: RPO Z16 Grand Sport, $3,250 (coupe) / $2,880 (convertible) plus the $1,450 LT4; 810 coupes and 190 convertibles
Successor: C6 Corvette Grand Sport
Related: Corvette Grand Sport guide, the C4 hub, C4 Corvette ZR-1
The Overview
The C4 Corvette Grand Sport was built 1996, 1,000 cars by GM’s counts. The 1996 send-off to the C4: 1,000 cars in Admiral Blue with an Arctic White stripe and red hash marks, the 330-hp LT4, the ZR-1’s wheels on the coupes and a numbered plaque.
The C4’s farewell, built for one year only. The Grand Sport (RPO Z16) put the 330-horsepower LT4 and the six-speed in 1,000 Admiral Blue cars with a white stripe, two red hash marks on the left fender, black 17-inch ZR-1-size wheels, flared rear arches on the 810 coupes and a VIN series of their own, in homage to Duntov’s five 1963 Grand Sports; the 190 convertibles got narrower tires and no flares. The Collector Edition (RPO Z15) was the volume special: 5,412 Sebring Silver cars, 4,031 coupes and 1,381 convertibles, with silver five-spoke wheels, black-trimmed emblems and embroidered seats, with either engine. Grand Sports sold for $32,500 to $50,000 at auction in 2026 and are the most collectible C4 after the ZR-1; Collector Editions trade close to a standard 1996.
This page has every model year of the C4 Corvette Grand Sport in its own section with the year page’s account, the specs, the numbers and the posts; the figures by year; the colors; how it compares to its siblings; the site’s guides, videos and news; and a buyer’s guide: which year to buy, what to pay, how to verify one, what goes wrong and the site’s market reports. The Corvette Grand Sport guide has the whole line across every generation.
The C4 Corvette Grand Sport Story
1996: The First Production Grand Sport
Thirty-three years later John Heinricy, Corvette’s assistant chief engineer and a racer himself, gave the C4 its send-off by reviving the name: RPO Z16, $3,250 on the coupe and $2,880 on the convertible, with the 330-horsepower LT4 (the 1996-only hot small-block, $1,450) and the six-speed required. The car was Admiral Blue Metallic with an Arctic White center stripe and two red hash marks on the left front fender, the livery of the Mecom Grand Sports, on black five-spoke ZR-1-size wheels, 17 x 9.5 and 17 x 11 under molded rear flares on the coupe, with black calipers, embroidered headrests, black or red-and-black leather and a VIN series of its own from 600001. Exactly 1,000 were built, 810 coupes and 190 convertibles, 730 black and 270 red-and-black; Car and Driver ran one to 60 in 5.1 seconds and to 168 mph. Documented cars sell for $33,000 to $50,000 today, and the recipe, the fast car’s hardware with the base engine and the stripes, was set.
The Hash Marks
Every production Grand Sport has carried the marks of the 1963 racers: two diagonal stripes on the left front fender, red on the 1996 car and in six colors on the Heritage Packages of the C6 and C7, and on the 2027 moved to the rear haunch because the engine is there now. They began as a Mecom team marking at Nassau, and they are the quickest way to tell a Grand Sport from the Z06 whose body it wears; the Collector Edition’s Tension Blue marks, the Drivers Series’ red ones and the Carbon 65’s carbon ones are the editions’ signatures.
The 1996 Grand Sport features a single white stripe and two red "Sebring" stripes.The C4 Corvette Grand Sport Year by Year
Every model year of the C4 Corvette Grand Sport: what changed, how many were built, what it cost and what it made. Each year has its section below and its own research page on the site.
MORE: THE C4 HUB / CORVETTE GRAND SPORT GUIDE
| THE YEAR | BUILT | PRICE NEW | POWER | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
1996 C4 Corvette Grand Sport The first production Grand Sport, John Heinricy’s C4 send-off: RPO Z16, the 330-hp LT4 and six-speed required, Admiral Blue with the white stripe and red hash marks, ZR-1 wheels under flared coupe quarters; 810 coupes, 190 convertibles, its own VIN series |
1,000 | $3,250 pkg coupe / $2,880 conv. (+ LT4 $1,450) | 330 hp |
1996 Corvette Grand Sport
John Heinricy’s send-off for the C4 and the first production Grand Sport: RPO Z16, $3,250 on the coupe and $2,880 on the convertible plus the required 330-hp LT4 and six-speed, in Admiral Blue with an Arctic White center stripe and two red hash marks on the left front fender, the livery of the 1963 Grand Sport racers. Black ZR-1-size five-spoke wheels, 17 x 9.5 and 17 x 11 under molded rear flares on the coupe, black calipers, embroidered headrests and black or red-and-black leather, and a VIN series of its own from 600001. Exactly 1,000 were built, 810 coupes and 190 convertibles, 730 black and 270 red-and-black.
Car and Driver ran one 0–60 in 5.1 and to 168 mph. In 2026 documented cars sold for $33,000 to $50,000 at auction, the convertibles and the lowest-mileage coupes at the top.
MORE: THE 1996 RESEARCH PAGE
The 1996 Grand Sport features a single white stripe and two red "Sebring" stripes.1996 C4 Corvette Grand Sport: Specs and Numbers
The 1996 C4 Corvette Grand Sport by the numbers, from the 1996 research page and the Compared dataset.
| SPEC | 1996 |
|---|---|
| Engine, LT4 (RPO LT4, $1,450.00, 6,359 cars; standard with Z16) | 350 ci (5.7 L) small-block V-8, VIN 5: 10125327 block, new aluminum heads (10239902, late 12555690) with taller ports, 2.00-in intake and 1.55-in exhaust hollow-stem valves, oval-wire springs, 1.6:1 Crane roller rockers, camshaft 0.476/0.479-in lift and 203/210° duration, taller intake, roller timing chain, stronger crank and water-pump drive, premium head gaskets, 10.8:1; 330 hp @ 5,800 rpm, 340 |
| Power / torque | 330 hp / 340 lb-ft |
| 0–60 / quarter mile | 5.1 s / 13.6 @ 104 |
| Top speed | 168 mph |
| Weight | 3,298 lb |
| Built | 1,000 of 21,536 Corvettes |
| Price | $3,250 pkg coupe / $2,880 conv. (+ LT4 $1,450) |
C4 Corvette Grand Sport Specs by Year
The figures for every year with a row in the site’s Compared dataset: GM’s where published, otherwise the period road tests.
MORE: CORVETTES COMPARED / THE ENGINES
| YEAR | ENGINE | POWER | TORQUE | 0–60 | ¼ MILE | TOP SPEED | WEIGHT | PRICE |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | 350 ci LT4, 330 hp | 330 hp | 340 lb-ft | 5.1 s | 13.6 @ 104 | 168 mph | 3,298 | $40,475 |
The C4 Corvette Grand Sport Against Its Siblings
Where the C4 Corvette Grand Sport sat in the C4 range: the other performance models of the generation, their figures and the gap between them.
MORE: C4 CORVETTE ZR-1
| GENERATION | BASE CAR | GRAND SPORT | Z06 | THE GAP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| C4 Corvette | 1996 coupe: 300-hp LT1, $37,225 | 1996 Grand Sport: 330-hp LT4, $3,250 package, 1,000 built | — | No Z06; the Grand Sport was the C4’s performance farewell beside the Collector Edition |
The C4 Corvette Grand Sport Buyer’s Guide
The 1996 Grand Sport is the C4 collectors want: 1,000 cars in Admiral Blue with the white stripe and the red hashes, the 330-hp LT4, a six-speed only, 810 coupes with the ZR-1’s wide rear wheels and flared fenders and 190 convertibles, each with its own VIN series. It is the last C4 and the first production Grand Sport, and it trades well above an ordinary 1996.
Buy on documentation and originality: the Grand Sport’s value is in being one of the 1,000, so the VIN, the build sheet, the paint and trim codes and the original wheels and badges matter more than on any other C4. The LT4 and the 1996 chassis are robust; the inspection list is short.
What a C4 Corvette Grand Sport Costs Today
Auction and dealer results the site has tracked, by year; check whether a result includes the buyer’s premium, and treat asking prices and unsold high bids separately from completed sales.
The Grand Sport is the C4 collectors want: 1,000 cars with their own VIN series, bought new as the last edition and often stored, so documented low-mileage examples are plentiful and command the highest C4 prices after the 1990 and 1995 ZR-1s, with the 190 convertibles and the 270 red-and-black interiors at the top.
MORE: THE C4 BUYER’S GUIDE / MSRP BY YEAR
| YEAR | BUILT | NEW | SOLD AT AUCTION |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | 1,000 | $3,250 pkg coupe / $2,880 conv. (+ LT4 $1,450) | Documented cars $33,000 to $50,000 at auction in 2026, convertibles and the lowest-mileage coupes at the top |
How to Verify a C4 Corvette Grand Sport
The VIN positions, the labels, the stampings and the parts that prove a C4 Corvette Grand Sport is what it claims to be, from the year pages.
Verification of a Grand Sport: the 600001-series VIN with a 5 in the eighth position, paint 28 and trim 195 or 705 on the tag, Z16 on the build sheet, molded rear flares on a coupe, black five-spoke wheels in the ZR-1 sizes, black calipers, embroidered headrests, red valve covers and plug wires, and the two-color decal hash marks.
MORE: THE 1996 RESEARCH PAGE
The C4 Corvette Grand Sport Inspection List
What to check on a C4 Corvette Grand Sport before the money changes hands, from the year pages.
On a Grand Sport the stripe and hash marks are the costly cosmetic item and the 315-section rear tires are expensive and rub if the ride height has been lowered.
MORE: THE C4 BUYER’S GUIDE
What Goes Wrong: The C4 Corvette Grand Sport’s Known Issues
The faults a C4 Corvette Grand Sport is known for, the years they affect, what they look like and what the fix is. None of them should stop a purchase; all of them should be on the checklist, and a car with the paperwork for them is the one to buy.
| ISSUE | YEARS | WHAT HAPPENS | THE FIX |
|---|---|---|---|
| Optispark | 1996 | The vented 1995–96 distributor is better than the early one but still ages and dislikes water. | Ask when it was replaced; listen for a misfire. |
| Intake and water-pump gaskets | 1996 | The LT4’s gaskets weep coolant. | Look for staining; a known job. |
| Fender flares (coupes) | 1996 | The riveted rear flares on the coupe are easy to damage and hard to replace. | Check fit and condition. |
| Wheels and tires | 1996 | The black five-spoke ZR-1-style wheels and the 315-section rears on coupes. | Originals carry value; check for curb damage. |
| Interior | 1996 | The black or red/black interior with the Grand Sport embroidery; the seats wear. | Originality matters. |
| C4 general | 1996 | Weatherstrips, the roof-panel seals, the Bose amplifiers, the power antenna. | The site’s C4 buyer’s guide has the list. |
The C4 Corvette Grand Sport Options and Editions That Matter
What moves the price of a C4 Corvette Grand Sport beyond mileage and condition: the packages, the equipment groups and the special editions, and what each does to the value.
MORE: THE SPECIAL EDITIONS / MSRP BY YEAR
| OPTION OR EDITION | WHY IT MATTERS | WHAT IT DOES TO THE PRICE |
|---|---|---|
| Z16 Grand Sport package | Every car has it: the paint, the hashes, the LT4, the six-speed, the wheels. | The car is the option. |
| Coupe (810) or convertible (190) | The coupe has the flares and the wide rears; the convertible does not. | Convertibles have led the results. |
| Red/black interior (Torch Red) | The two-tone interior. | The collector’s preference; a small premium. |
| Original wheels, badges and stripes | The parts that make it a Grand Sport. | Originality is the premium. |
| Mileage | Many were bought to keep. | The price driver. |
What a C4 Corvette Grand Sport Costs to Own
A Grand Sport is a 1996 C4 to run — cheap, with parts everywhere and any shop able to service the LT4 — until something Grand Sport-specific needs replacing, when the flares, the wheels and the trim become a search. Insure it on an agreed value as a classic.
MORE: THE C4 BUYER’S GUIDE
The Site’s Market Reports on the C4 Corvette Grand Sport
What CorvSport has written about buying, selling and valuing the C4 Corvette Grand Sport: the market reports, the bargain hunting, the auction results and the cars it has listed, newest first.
C4 Corvette Grand Sport: Recalls, Service Bulletins and Maintenance
The site’s recall, service-bulletin and maintenance-schedule posts for the C4 Corvette Grand Sport’s model years and the C4 generation.
C4 Corvette Grand Sports For Sale
The C4s the site has listed for sale, newest first; the C4 Corvette Grand Sports are among them. The for-sale page has every Corvette the site is following and the auctions page the results.
Go Deeper
The pages around this one.
Corvette Grand Sport: the ultimate guide — every generation
The C4 Corvette hub — the generation, 1984–96
Corvettes Compared — every year’s figures
FAQs
What years was the C4 Corvette Grand Sport made?
1996. The 1996 send-off to the C4: 1,000 cars in Admiral Blue with an Arctic White stripe and red hash marks, the 330-hp LT4, the ZR-1’s wheels on the coupes and a numbered plaque.
How many C4 Corvette Grand Sports were built?
1,000 by GM’s counts.
How much horsepower does the C4 Corvette Grand Sport have?
LT4 5.7-liter V8, 330 hp / 340 lb-ft, six-speed only. 330 horsepower
How fast is the C4 Corvette Grand Sport?
1996: 0–60 in 5.1 s, 168 mph (GM’s figures or the period tests; the Compared page has them all).
How much did the C4 Corvette Grand Sport cost new?
1996: $3,250 pkg coupe / $2,880 conv. (+ LT4 $1,450). The MSRP by Year page has every year in today’s dollars.
What is a C4 Corvette Grand Sport worth today?
See What to Pay in the buyer’s guide above: the site’s tracked auction and dealer results by year. The figures move, and the for-sale feed shows asking prices now.
How many 1996 Grand Sports were built?
1,000, all Admiral Blue: 810 coupes and 190 convertibles, each with a numbered plaque; the coupes wore the ZR-1’s 17-inch wheels and rear fender flares, the convertibles the standard wheels.
What is the LT4?
The last Gen II small-block: the LT1 with aluminum heads from the Corvette ZR-1 program’s know-how, a hotter cam, roller rockers and a 6,300-rpm redline, 330 horsepower, manual cars only; it was standard on the Grand Sport and a $1,450 option on other six-speed 1996s.
Why the stripe and the hash marks?
The livery of the 1963 Grand Sport racers — the blue with a white stripe and the red identification marks on the left front fender — which every later Grand Sport has echoed.
How much is a 1996 Grand Sport worth?
The site’s tracked results run from the thirties for a driven coupe to the fifties for a convertible or a delivery-mileage coupe; the Values table has the figures.
Is the 1996 Grand Sport fast?
330 hp from the LT4 with the six-speed: 0–60 in the mid-fives, quicker than any C4 but the ZR-1. It is bought for what it is more than for the numbers.
What should I check on a 1996 Grand Sport?
The VIN series and the build sheet, the originality of the wheels, badges and stripes, the coupe’s flares, the Optispark and the LT4’s gaskets, and the usual C4 items.
