those classic lines and incorporates the rear split window, which hasn't been seen on a Corvette since 1963. This could be the perfect time to undertake such a project.

The idea had appeal. We'd be able to document the modification of an iconic American car into something truly special. It would be unveiled at the 2010 SEMA Show, and a limited run of perhaps 150 cars would be available to the public.

CSOC has a history of more than 25 years of restoring, modifying, and upgrading Corvettes. The Bensaids are smart, accomplished, and reliable, with a perfect track record. They are passionate about cars, and particularly Corvettes. The brothers have been on Chop Cut Rebuild before as a service provider for other vehicle builds. They can do pretty much everything within their 40,000-square-foot facility. It all sounded terrific. This was something I could really get excited about.

We faced one major challenge from the production standpoint, however... time.

CSOC would have to come up with the rendering for their new vehicle--to be named the Grand Sport, or GS for short. They would have to acquire the base vehicle upon which the body modifications would occur. And then, of course, we had to account for the practical design considerations involved in translating the rendering to a working vehicle: creating the split window; sculpting the rear and front ends; upgrading the seats, door panels, dash, and headliner.

As for the engine, they planned to supercharge it. For Mike and Laurent, a 436-horsepower engine would simply be un embarrassement (the Bensaids are French).

Yet an increase in power would require an upgrade to the drivetrain, the suspension, and so many other things to ensure the chassis would be up to the task.

It was already late February 2010 when we decided to embark on this adventure. The SEMA Show takes place in November. The CSOC team would have to design and build the GS in less than nine months. Such an extensive project would ordinarily require 18 to 24 months.

Dan and I were already hooked though. We really wanted to profile this build. Less than nine months would have to be enough! Besides, the Bensaid brothers and their team were the ones who'd have to start pulling all-nighters if time started running out.

Failure to complete would not be an option. Our television schedule required that CSOC deliver the