A more powerful replacement for the hybrid Corvette E-Ray could be on the way for 2027, as a sibling to this new Grand Sport model, debuting a next-generation V8 engine.
The Chevrolet Corvette is set to revive an iconic badge – and upgrade the E-Ray hybrid with a new name and engine – with two new model variants due in 2027.
Chevrolet has confirmed it will reveal the Corvette Grand Sport this Thursday, 26 March (US time), as a new "high-volume" version of the supercar for "purist" customers.
It will be powered by "the next generation of GM V8 technology," which reports suggest will be a new 6.7-litre 'LS6' engine from the brand's inbound sixth-generation Small Block V8 range.
Reports claim the regular, non-hybrid Grand Sport will be followed by the Grand Sport X, a replacement for the E-Ray that combines the current car's front electric motor with the new V8.
Instagram user ZR1_M7 has claimed a power figure of 536kW (720 horsepower) from the Grand Sport X, citing information shared with Chevrolet dealers at a conference in Las Vegas.
CorvetteBlogger speculates that the Grand Sport X employs the same 119kW electric motor as the Corvette E-Ray, which could see the V8 deliver up to 417kW (560hp) to reach the combined number.
It is up from 369kW (495hp) in the E-Ray's 6.2-litre 'LT2' V8, which is also used in the base Stingray – another model rumoured to receive the LS6 V8 engine in 2027.
The name change separates the hybrid Corvette from the E-Ray badge used between 2024, which could be interpreted as if it is a battery-electric vehicle, and links with the flagship ZR1X with a 932kW (1250hp) 5.5-litre twin-turbo, flat-plane crank V8 hybrid.
Chevrolet has not released any details on the C8 Grand Sport, other than it will "follow in the footsteps of its predecessors," hinting at a similar combination of a V8 engine with a power output towards the bottom of the Corvette range, with chassis upgrades from more expensive versions.
The Grand Sport name was last used on the previous-generation C7 Corvette in 2019, mixing the Stingray's 6.2-litre 'LT1' V8 with suspension, brakes, and chassis components from the Z06.
It is unclear if these new models will make it to Australia, given Chevrolet has not added a new performance version to the line-up since the E-Ray launched 18 months ago, and the ZR1 and ZR1X are not offered locally.
