Rolla and Ellen Dunkin of Kissimmee, Florida, first noticed a Grand Sport at the 5th Annual Corvette Caravan to the Museum in Bowling Green, Kentucky. They were immediately impressed with the car and decided that their next Corvette would be Admiral Blue with a white center stripe. Unfortunately, the time to buy one came sooner than they expected. The Dunkins 94 was totaled in an accident and the search began for their Grand Sport.
They finally found this excellent specimen through the Internet. It was available at Rogers Corvette Center near Orlando, an easy drive from their home. Once they arrived, one look at the Torch Red interior guaranteed the purchase. The Corvette had just 10,343 miles on it the day they drove it home and still carries low mileageabout 14,000.
The Dunkins Grand Sport is number 967 of the 1,000 produced in 1996. It is one of only 217 coupes with the red leather interior option and came with the Z51 handling package. Although Rolla and Ellen are the third owners of this Corvette, they have the owners manual, paperwork, window stickers, and even the video that came with the car at its original purchase.
The Grand Sport option was offered in the last year of C4 production as a tribute to the original 63 Grand Sport, of which only five were produced. The 96 Grand Sport package included the characteristic Admiral Blue paint with a white center stripe, the LT4 engine, and special detailing. As a mark of distinction, GM gave the Grand Sport series a separate serial number sequence from the rest of the 96 production.
Rolla and Ellen are aware of the uniqueness of their Corvette. According to Rolla, The Grand Sport is truly a magnificent Corvette. It has the look and feel of a race car.