Automakers don’t pick their first drive locations by accident. This all takes months of planning with many site visits and much scouring of drive routes. The entire world knows that Atlanta turns into a bubbling bowl of stew during the summer, and Chevrolet knows that all of you are paying close attention to how the all-new performs when the heat is quite literally on. I’m not sure if you’ve heard, but when it’s being pushed hard.

The good news for the Grand Sport is that it doesn’t have to worry about feeding all of the air and precious cooling fluids required by its bigger, badder brother. Instead of a 6.2-liter supercharged LT4 V8 pushing out 650 horsepower and 650 lb-ft of torque, we’re dealing with the naturally aspirated 6.2-liter LT1 V8. This mighty mill is cranking out 460 horsepower and 465 lb-ft of torque, and you can pair it with either a seven-speed manual gearbox or the eight-speed paddle-shift automatic.

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You wouldn’t be crazy for initially believing that the Grand Sport slots rather neatly in the Corvette lineup between the base and then Z51 at the bottom and the King Kong Z06 at the top of the tower. That makes sense on paper. Those dead trees are lying to you though, because the Grand Sport is actually the choice for purists who want the real deal near-race car experience.

No, it’s not as fast off the line and through the quarter-mile compared to the supercharged screamer. But the run from 0-60 miles per hour happens in a scant 3.6 seconds when you check the box for the Z07 package. You’ll rip the quarter mile in just 11.8 seconds, and you’ll hit 118 miles per hour at the end of that straight. This isn’t a straight-line bruiser though, as this Corvette absolutely shines when the road turns twisty.

Even better? When you put it on the race track… which is what I did.

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(Chevrolet wanted me to sample its latest Grand Sport so they put me on a Delta flight to the ATL. My hotel was paid for, and I’m thankful the hotel had a great air conditioning system. There was food and booze involved as well, after the day of driving was done.)

Heritage, Evolved

The Grand Sport is not new. This Grand Sport is new, in that it evolves the historical narrative of the family. It all started back in 1962 and 1963 when Zora Arkus-Duntov wanted to take a Corvette racing. At the time there was GM ban on factory-supported motorsports, yet Duntov managed to create five Grand Sports, and he snuck them out to folks he knew would take them to the track.

A Dash of Stingray + Bits of Z06 = Damn Good Looks

Because there’s no supercharged LT4 under the hood, the Grand Sport has the low hood line from the Stingray. On the nose you’ll find a satin black version of the Z06 grille. Those rear fenders receive similar high quarter ducts like the Z06, but they’re finished in body color matching paint here.

Black or gray calipers finish off the brakes behind the wheels while the wide rear end is lifted right from the Z06. Cars with Z07 bits will get the optional aero package but the rear spoiler doesn’t get the clear removable plastic bridge and tall end caps that you’d find on the Z06.

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Inside the cabin you’ll find a seating space that is world class. I know it’s easy to joke about a Corvette interior, but that joke died the moment the C7 was born.

The seats are excellent, the layout is driver-centric, and it’s the sort of place you could spend either a full day on the track or hours on a highway and emerge still smiling on the other end.

Chevy is offering Grand Sport shoppers a choice between seven colors between the doors. If you are one of the lucky few that plunks down extra coin for the Grand Sport Collector’s Edition, you can also get the Smurf Massacre Blue (It’s actually called Unique Tension Blue, similar to the Tension Blue hash marks on the front fenders, but I like mine better.)

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Outside, Chevy is embracing the Porsche philosophy a little bit. There will be 10 exterior color choices but you can further customize your Corvette by choosing different stripes and fender hash marks to pair or contrast with the body color.

Thankfully they’re not embracing the Porsche pricing policy here, wherein the Germans are probably researching new lightweight composite materials for valve caps just to add in something new for buyers to drool over, and pay for.

On The Track

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Atlanta Motorsports Park appears, at first glance, to be another in an increasing string of country-club style racing circuits. That’s not a bad thing, mind you, as the more race tracks on this planet the better. Occasionally though, some of those feature course layouts designed to appeal to rich guys that want to feel good about themselves and go fast. This means far more sweeping turns, less technical tight stuff, and not much of a challenge to be had. Mash foot, turn off brain, go fast Rich-y Bobby. This isn’t the case at AMP.

Created by a former karting champ, the facilities at AMP are top notch. The actual racing surface was designed by Hermann Tilke, who’s created a few bits of tarmac you’ve probably heard about. Atlanta Motorsports Park is 16 great corners spread out over 1.83 miles of road course that winds up and down through the North Georgia Mountains. It’s easy to get a number of the corners wrong, and it’s god damned rewarding when you nail a section that’s been laughing at you all day long. In short, it’s a hell of a place to put a new Corvette to work.

I’d driven to the track in a Grand Sport packing that GM eight-speed. This is a gearbox I’ve also sampled in the Camaro, ATS-V, CTS-V, and the standard Corvette. It’s also a gearbox I don’t much care for, because it seems to get confused easily or takes far too much time to kick down out of eighth and into something more useful. If you’re reading Jalopnik, I’m going to assume you would care to hear more about the seven-speed manual. You’re in luck because that’s the transmission Chevy reserved for the track.

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The Verdict

Right now, Chevrolet has a fairly amazing lineup of cars for people who love driving. Between the Camaro and the Corvette, there are vehicles with power outputs that range from 275 HP up to 650 HP. Cars with price tags that range from $27,000 to more than $120,000. This doesn’t even take into consideration the more luxuriously mental offerings from Cadillac. Just focusing on the Chevrolet lineup, it’s the Grand Sport that emerges as the purest sports car in the entire family.

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If you opt for the Stingray Z51, you’ve made a good choice. It’s a car that manages to straddle the sports car/grand tourer line very well. If you’ve got the cash to spend on a Z06, you’ve also made a strong choice because the most powerful Corvette ever made is parked menacingly in your garage. For those of you that decide on the Grand Sport, what you’ve done is make the right choice.

While the Z51 is more than acceptable out on the race track, it’s nowhere near as wonderful as the Grand Sport or the Z06 because it’s just not as fast or as sharp an instrument. Alternatively, the Grand Sport is more useful in a greater range of situations whereas the Z06 is always in “safety OFF” mode. You’re giving up some off-the-line speed, but you’re not losing as much as you think. In fact, Chevrolet test drivers managed to push a 2017 Grand Sport around the Milford Proving Ground and recorded times within one second of the 638-horsepower C6 ZR1.

The starting price of nearly $66,445 for the coupe ($70,445 for the convertible) has the Grand Sport sitting well below the $80,000 you’ll need to spend for a Z06. You’re only $5,000 more expensive than a Z51, and you’re getting far more car than the Z51 thanks to a wider rear track and chassis tweaks. Not to mention the tires, brakes, and aero bits.

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The 2017 Chevrolet Corvette Grand Sport is the one you want. It’s naturally aspirated (like the C7R actually, though the 5.5-liter V8 in that is a bit different). It’s got the best non-engine bits taken from the Z06, and it’s an absolute blast both on the street and track. Especially when you have the active exhaust open and screaming its song to the world around it.

While the Z06 is still great fun on a track, and a true beast between the stop lights, it’s the Grand Sport that offers what you seek from a dual-natured track and street machine. It’s the best current Corvette in the lineup, hands down.

Oh… and the temp gauge didn’t move from dead center the entire time. Try that in your Z06.

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Jeff Glucker is the co-founder and executive editor of . He’s often seen blowing oil smoke in the faces of others as he drives his 1965 Ford F100 around Southern California.