2027 Chevrolet Corvette Grand Sport and Grand Sport X Debut

After a nearly 10-year hiatus, the Chevrolet Corvette Grand Sport is coming back for 2027 and for the first time, it’s taking a mid-engine form.

Anybody who loves old sports cars – or the fifth installment of the Fast and Furious movie franchise – will recognize the current car’s ancestor, the 1963 C2 Grand Sport. Starting life as a pure race car, the C2 was a purpose-built lightweight roadster powered by a 377 ci V8 of which they made just five examples. The intention was to race at Le Mans but while that never materialized, all five examples are currently in safekeeping and treasured by collectors.

The model skipped a generation, returning as a C4 in 1996 and while the first car turns to Fast Five for its pop culture connect, the C4 was popularized on the small screen in the Gran Turismo video game series where it’s appeared in every major edition save for the latest seventh entry. Like its C2 forebear, the C4 was built for a single year to the tune of 1,000 units. Every one was finished in the now legendary Admiral Blue with white stripe and red hashmarks on the left fender. To celebrate the C4’s final year, the 5.7-litre LT4 V8 was uprated to 375 hp and 370 pound-feet of torque, with chassis upgrades from the ZR1 model.

For the next GS, a generation was once again skipped, with the C6 Grand Sport model arriving in 2010. For the first time, the GS was built for more than one year, with production ending in 2013. Power from the LS3 V8 was the same as other models – 430 hp and 424 lb-ft – but it got wider bodywork, larger brakes and a dry sump oil system.

The “let’s skip a generation” rule (assuming, of course, that was the rule — there’s no official word on that) ended for the next GS, with the C7 Grand Sport arriving in 2017, and continuing on through 2019. Power now came courtesy of the LT1 V8 to the tune of 460 hp.

Which brings is to the present with not one but two new Grand Sport models – the Grand Sport, and the Grand Sport X.

Both get next-generation 6.7-litre LS6 V8 power, and both make more torque – 520 pounds-feet for the GS, and 721 hp and 665 lb.-ft for the GS X thanks to the addition of a front electric motor – than any other production car currently on sale with naturally-aspirated V8 power. Horsepower is rated at 535 hp and both cars get a 13:1 compression ratio and eight-speed dual clutch automatic transmission.

Chevrolet says it designed the GS with the driving purist in mind. To wit, magnetic ride control is standard, as are Michelin Pilot Sport 4 all season tires. For even more handling gusto, the Z52 performance package adds summer performance tires and high-performance brakes shared with the Corvette Z06. An also available track package includes carbon-ceramic brakes and Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2R tires plus additional carbon fibre aero bits such as a larger rear wing, dive planes and underbody strakes.

In addition to having more power, the GS X’s electric motor provides more instantaneous torque delivery. A host of driving modes provides drivers with the ability to tailor how the hybrid system operates, from a bona fide track tool to a long-distance cruiser. At the other end of the spectrum we find the electric-only Stealth mode, for when you don’t want to wake the neighbours. The arrival of the GS X spells the end of the line for the E-Ray model as it’s set to replace that car, which was the first hybrid Corvette.

Carbon brakes come as standard on the GS X, with Michelin Pilot Sport 4 all-season tires. The GS X can also be specced with Pilot Sport 4S summer performance rubber.

Styling-wise, the famous Admiral Blue colour returns (with a new Pitch Grey colour option for all Corvettes) as do the red hash marks although those have been moved to the rear fenders instead of the fronts because, well, that’s where the engine is in the current gen ‘Vette. A Launch Edition model adds a blue interior with contrast red stitching, as well as some special badging and a red line on the gauge hood that lines up with the steering wheel’s red centering band.

Production of the Corvette Grand Sport range starts at the famous Bowling Green, KY assembly this summer.