T
he early ’60s were truly a turning point
for the high-performance world where
Chevrolet, Ford and Chrysler had
their engineers hustling horsepower
at a feverish pace to maintain domi-
nance on the street, dragstrip and road
courses. It was also a time when the C2 Corvette was in
its prime and its legendary engineer Zora Arkus-Duntov
made the move to secretly develop it as a cutting-edge
race car, giving birth to the Grand Sport. The light-
weight, purpose-built racer featured a 377ci small-block
V-8, an aluminum tubular space frame and a wicked
power-to-weight ratio to make it a true contender on a
road course. GM, however, cancelled the project after
only five Grand Sports were built, making them some of
the rarest and most coveted versions of the car amongst
collectors.
At nearly the same time, 14-year-old Charlie Ranfos
of Candia, New Hampshire, was feeding his automotive
hunger by working at his uncle Angie’s Chevron station
in nearby Manchester. Little did the youngster know
that this passion would lead to the build of the 1966 C2
Grand Sport tribute presented here. The station was a
hotbed of activity, with plenty of local muscle car own-
ers stopping by on a regular basis. He eventually met
good friend Dave Parris, who ran a small shop—located