Chevrolet Corvette Grand Sport Returns With 535-HP, 6.7-Liter V-8 and Available AWD

Competes with: Ford Mustang Dark Horse, myriad mid-engine sports cars costing twice as much

Powertrains: 535-horsepower, 6.7-liter V-8; eight-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission, rear-wheel or electric-assist all-wheel drive (Grand Sport X)

Release date: Summer 2026

What Car Shoppers Should Know

• Two new models join the Corvette lineup for 2027: the Grand Sport and Grand Sport X.
• All 2027 Corvettes receive a new engine: the LS6 V-8 making 535 horsepower and 520 pounds-feet of torque, mated to an eight-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission.
• The Corvette E-Ray is no more, but its front electric motor assist system lives on in “X” versions of 2027 Corvettes (Grand Sport X, ZR1X) to provide all-wheel drive.

Chevrolet’s next-generation V-8 is debuting in the 2027 Corvette Grand Sport and Grand Sport X come summer. The Grand Sport has always meant to bridge the gap between road-going Stingray Corvettes and more track-focused versions like the Z06 and ZR1. The Grand Sport debuts with the new 409-cubic-inch V-8, but the lesser Stingray will get the same engine, as well. The Grand Sport gets sportier equipment and the styling of the track-oriented Z06 and ZR1 trims, making for a more aggressive but still streetable version of the Corvette.

The Corvette E-Ray disappears for 2027, but its front-mounted electric motor that drives the front wheels will live on in the 721-hp Grand Sport X, with “X” now denoting AWD versions of the Corvette (like the ZR1 versus ZR1X).

Related: The Chevrolet Corvette Grand Sport Is Back; Here’s What We Know

Grand Sport Returns

The Grand Sport’s LS6 is a larger 6.7-liter version of the venerable Chevy small-block V-8, featuring more displacement than the outgoing 6.2-liter LT2 engine and changes like a 13.0:1 compression ratio, 95-millimeter throttle body, and tunnel ram air intake with high-velocity ports for better airflow. The result is an additional 45 hp over the LT2 for a total of 535 horsepower and 520 pounds-feet of torque; that’s routed to the rear wheels through an eight-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission (still no manual for the C8 Corvette). A new quad center-exit exhaust system is now available, a first for a pushrod-engine-equipped C8, which is said to finally offer the proper rumble that Corvette owners have missed in this new mid-engine Vette.

A number of performance options on basic Corvettes are standard on the Grand Sport, like Magnetic Ride Control and a Touring Suspension with Michelin Pilot Sport All-Season 4 tires. But if you want something edgier, the Z52 Sport Performance Package brings a stiffer suspension, Michelin Pilot Sport 4S summer tires and J56 iron brake rotors from the Corvette Z06. For true track-oriented fans, the Z52 Track Performance Package turns up the heat even more with track-level stiffness, J57 carbon-ceramic brakes, Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2R tires and aerodynamic upgrades that include a carbon-fiber front air splitter, dive planes, rockers, underbody strakes and rear wing.

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All-Wheel Traction: Grand Sport X

With the E-Ray ending, the “eAWD” system finds its way into the Grand Sport X variant, pairing an electric motor driving the front wheels with a small battery pack to bump system output to 721 hp. It’s meant both for improving traction in inclement weather and for helping grip on the track thanks to three different operating track modes:

• Endurance: Extends the Corvette’s range by adjusting the battery energy storage for extended lapping and consist output
• Qualifying: Maximizes power output for top lap times
• Push-to-Pass: Provides a temporary boost

Two other modes are meant for electric-only operation: Stealth, which works up to 50 mph, and Shuttle, which limits the Corvette Grand Sport X’s top speed to 23 mph and will not engage the V-8 engine — which sounds to us like the ultimate parking lot valet mode.

The Grand Sport X also comes with more standard performance equipment than the Grand Sport, boasting Magnetic Ride Control, carbon-ceramic brakes and Michelin Pilot Sport All-Season 4 tires as standard. A single Performance Package adds Pilot Sport 4S summer tires.

How to Spot a Grand Sport

Grand Sports are usually identified by stripes up the hood and two red hash marks on the fender, and the new model will be, as well. An archival color from the C4 Corvette Grand Sport, Admiral Blue Metallic, will also be offered on all 2027 Corvettes, as will a new Pitch Gray Metallic paint.

Stripes and hash marks can be had in a variety of colors, while the 10-spoke Grand Sport wheels can be had in four finishes; five-spoke carbon-fiber wheels are also available. Initially, a Launch Edition will be offered for the new 2027 Corvette Grand Sport, bringing a Santorini blue fully dipped interior with red stitching and accents.

If that’s a bit too blue for you, an asymmetrical Santorini blue-and-black interior is also new for 2027. Grand Sport logos will be featured on the embossed leather head restraints and floormats, while a leather-wrapped gauge pod hood also gets red accents. The Launch Edition also gets a special plaque and Grand Sport steering-wheel badging.

The new 2027 Corvette begins production in the summer at the car’s longtime manufacturing facility in Bowling Green, Ky.

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