Way back in 1962 Chevy’s chief engineer, Zora Arkus-Duntov, wanted to build a special Corvette (he was dubbed ‘Father of the Corvette’), one capable of winning the coveted GT class at the Le Mans 24-Hours race.

He came up with a stripped-down version, known internally as the LightWeight, until it became known as Grand Sport. A run of 125 was planned but when only five cars had been build GM brass decided to pull the plug, ordering that the cars be scrapped.

It’s said that all five still exist but even if you could buy one, I shudder to think how expensive they might be.

Help is at hand from Superformance (they already make Cobra MkIII, Cobra MkII ‘Slab Side’, MkII FIA, GT40, Daytona Cobra and they act as US importers for Caterham Cars), who have teamed up with Duntov Motor Company (Arkus-Duntov passed away in 1996 but his spirit and philosophy carry on) to produce their take on the Corvette Grand Sport theme.

The car, available in fully built or ‘turnkey-minus’ forms can be had in Coupe or Roadster versions, features a GRP body and period-correct transverse-leaf rear suspension, while engine choices are totally befitting of such a car.

Options include GM LT1 (460bhp) or GM E-Rod LSA (supercharged) producing 556bhp. Although it’s not officially available in the UK, I’m sure Superformance could accommodate you if you want one, just expect to pay the equivalent of £120,000 at least. More from www.superformance.com