The Grand Sport Is Back — And It Was Worth the Wait
Chevrolet made it official today: the 2027 Corvette Grand Sport is returning and it’s bringing something entirely new with it.
For anyone who has followed Corvette history, that name carries real weight. The Grand Sport is one of the most storied names in American motorsport, and Chevrolet has announced that the 2027 model year will mark its return to the lineup alongside an all-new variant: the Corvette Grand Sport X.
We’ve been selling and servicing Corvettes at 261 Elm Street since the model was introduced in 1953. So, when news like this lands, we pay attention.
A Name with Deep Racing Roots
To understand why the Grand Sport name matters, you have to go back to 1963, and I recently got to experience that history firsthand.
Last week I had the privilege of touring the Revs Institute in Naples, Florida — one of the finest private automotive collections in the world. Among the extraordinary cars on display was one of the five original 1963 Corvette Grand Sports: Chassis #004. Seeing it in person, from the steel blue paint, the orange center stripe, the #3 race livery, the side pipes, and the gold Halibrand wheels, was something I won’t forget quickly.
Chassis #004 — one of five original 1963 Corvette Grand Sports — on display at the Revs Institute, Naples, Florida. Photographed by Leo Karl III, March 2026.
The museum placard tells the story well. Corvette chief engineer Zora Arkus-Duntov had his eye on Sebring and Le Mans and secretly developed a purpose-built race car designed to beat Carroll Shelby’s Cobras. The plan was to build 125 lightweight examples – known internally as “The Lightweight” – to qualify for international GT racing. GM executives shut the program down after just five cars were completed.
Those five cars, racing under privateer ownership by drivers including Roger Penske, Jim Hall, Dick Thompson, and A.J. Foyt, dominated the 1963 Nassau Speed Week and won the 12 Hours of Sebring. The placard at the Revs Institute captures it perfectly, quoting journalist Leo Levine: “The Chevrolet equipment won so easily, there was even some embarrassment on the part of the factory personnel, who had hoped the journey south would escape unnoticed.”
And then there’s A.J. Foyt’s reaction after nearly being lapped by one of these cars at Sebring – while driving a 500-horsepower Ford prototype: “What’s in that damn dinosaur? It went by me like I was stopped.”
All five of the original Grand Sports survive to this day. Chassis #004, the one I photographed in Naples, weighed 2,150 pounds and was powered by a 377-cubic-inch aluminum V8 producing 485 horsepower. Each car is worth millions. Carroll Shelby later reflected that his Cobras had been “outgunned” and that the Grand Sport was “the great Corvette racer that never was.”
The name has periodically returned over the decades – most recently in the C7 generation – before stepping aside for the mid-engine C8 era. Now, with the C8 lineup fully established from Stingray to ZR1X, the timing is right to bring it back.
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- At a time when GM Corporate Leadership placed a ban on auto racing, a dedicated group of Chevrolet Engineers set off to build five 1963 Corvette Grand Sports. And after an incredible run on the track, the rest is history.
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- Revs Institute Museum wall display of the 1963 Corvette Grand Sport in racing action at Nassau. Photo by Leo Karl III taken March 2026.
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- Chassis #004 — one of five original 1963 Corvette Grand Sports — on display at the Revs Institute, Naples, Florida. Photographed by Leo Karl III, March 2026.
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- A view from the left rear of Chassis #004 — one of five original 1963 Corvette Grand Sports — on display at the Revs Institute, Naples, Florida. Photographed by Leo Karl III, March 2026.
What’s New for 2027
The 2027 Grand Sport is powered by an all-new LS6 6.7L V8 – a naturally aspirated engine producing 535 horsepower and 520 lb-ft of torque. That’s more torque than any other naturally aspirated V8 Chevrolet has ever built. This engine now serves as the primary powerplant for the Corvette lineup, also powering the 2027 Stingray.
The Grand Sport is engineered for the driving purist: rear-wheel drive, standard Magnetic Ride Control, Touring Suspension, and a new low-dust braking package. Available Z52 Sport and Z52 Track Performance Packages bring added track capability for those who want more.
Then there’s the Grand Sport X — a first for the nameplate. It pairs the same LS6 V8 with a front-axle electric motor borrowed from the record-setting ZR1X, producing a combined 721 horsepower and all-wheel drive. Driver-selectable Endurance, Qualifying, and Push-to-Pass modes — plus Stealth and Shuttle electric-only modes — let owners tailor the experience to any drive.
Both variants are available with heritage-inspired exterior accents: a center stripe and fender hash marks in hundreds of color combinations. If those hash marks look familiar, they should — they’re a direct nod to the livery of the original 1963 race cars, including Chassis #004 I photographed in Naples.
Production at Bowling Green Assembly begins this summer, with ordering opening in Q2 — Grand Sport and Stingray first, followed by Grand Sport X.
Karl Chevrolet and the Corvette: Seven Decades and Counting
When Chevrolet introduced the Corvette in 1953, Karl Chevrolet was already 26 years old. We’ve had Corvettes in our showroom every model year since — through every generation, every redesign, and every milestone.
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- 1962 Corvette C1
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- 1962 Corvette C1 Convertible
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- 1993 Corvette C3 Coupe at Karl Chevrolet
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- 1993 Chevrolet Corvette C3 Coupe shot from the left rear perspective
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- A peak inside a 1993 Corvette C3 Coupe driver’s cockpit
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- 2019 Corvette C7 … the last front engine, rear drive Corvette.
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- 2020 Corvette C8 pre-launch event held at Karl Chevrolet in New Canaan, CT
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- Proud owner Howard S after taking delivery of his 2020 Chevrolet Corvette C8 from Karl Chevrolet
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- A prototype 2027 Chevrolet Corvette C8 Grand Sport running laps.
No one on our current team was here for that first C1. But the ethos of those early cars still lives in this building. Our team has experienced the full evolution firsthand, from the classic front-engine generations to the sea change of the mid-engine C8. We hosted the first public unveiling of the C8 Stingray in Connecticut back in 2019, with nearly 600 people coming through our Elm Street showroom that day. Peter Bush, local radio personality and director of Caffeine & Carburetors, summed up the moment perfectly: “This is the one that is going to change the dynamics of the conversation in the sports car industry: the Chevrolet Corvette C8 mid-engine design.” He was right. Watch that day here.
And in 2014, we partnered with Splash Car Wash to give away a Corvette Stingray right here in New Canaan. Watch that moment here.
If you are curious to learn more about Corvette’s history and various facts about each generation, we recommend visiting the CORVSPORT website. They have compiled some remarkable information about all things Corvette. You can also take a virtual tour of the National Corvette Museum in Bowling Green, Kentucky, near the plant where every Corvette since June 1981 has been built.
Standing in front of Chassis #004 last week – one of the five cars that started it all – felt like a full-circle moment. The Grand Sport name has always represented Corvette at its most essential: pure performance, honest engineering, no apologies. The 2027 model carries that same spirit forward, with a naturally aspirated V8 that delivers more torque than any before it, and a new electrified variant that points toward what comes next.
We can’t wait to have one in the showroom.
What to Do Now
If you want to be among the first to know about ordering, availability, and what to expect from the Grand Sport and Grand Sport X, get in touch. Ordering opens in Q2, and we expect interest to be significant.
Stop by 261 Elm Street, visit us at karlchevy.com, or call us at (203) 966-9508. We’d love to talk Corvette.
For the full Karl Chevrolet story, read Since 1927: How Karl Chevrolet Earned Its Reputation for Fair Deals.