[PICS] Corvette Grand Sport GSX Rendered by Vengeance Graphix

The photoshopping experts at Vengeance Graphix are back again with another Corvette rendering, this time taking aim at the upcoming C8 Corvette Grand Sport. Vengeance calls this the Corvette GSX Concept that gives the car a smaller opening in the frunk for the pass-thru cooling radiator while it wears a full complement of the Z06’s carbon fiber aero.

Vengeance Graphix actually does two renders with the second one (see below) having the traditional hood with no pass-thru aero. Which one do you like the best?

When the Corvette Grand Sport makes its expected arrival for the 2027 model year, it will be the 6th different model of C8s to be offered. So I think it will be very important for the model to have some unique design features so that the car can stand apart and be readily identified as the Grand Sport. However, the hallmark of the car is also to give it some of free-flowing options from the higher performance models.

What I would want to see in the Grand Sport is the adoption of the ZR1s widebody for the car, especially with the two rear air ducts on the sides and rear of the car. Using the ZR1s body gives the Grand Sport some instant street-creds while creating further space from the Z06 and E-Ray. The Grand Sport should have a different rear wing as well, keeping the Z06’s two-post rear spoiler unique to the Z06. I also hope the Grand Sport doesn’t have the pass-thru aero on the front…save the frunk for storage as this will be a car to take on road trips and other excursions.

We know the Grand Sport will have a set of unique wheels offered in three or four different finishes. The ability to share the same wheels with the Z06 and E-Ray would mean that the visible carbon fiber wheels would be available for the GS, as well as the Bronze accessory wheels. I would make the base tires the same All-Season Michelins that are on the E-Ray, or offer an upgrade with a Grand Sport-specific performance package that then gives it the PS4 summer tires. Like the C7 Grand Sport, Brembo’s carbon ceramic brakes should be a free-flow option as well.

Obviously, one of the biggest selling points for the car will be the new 6.7 liter Sixth-Gen V8 that was confirmed through a GM Parts Book leak this week. I’ve been thinking that if I were a Chevy engine builder and that this might be on the last great NA engines produced for the Corvette, I would base it off the naturally-aspirated 7.0-liter LS7 used in the C6 Z06s. Updated with modern architecture, a 6.7L V8 could utilize a shorter stroke than the LS7 while retaining the higher rev capability than the current 6.2L V8s. Many are saying the 6.7-liter V8 with could offer upwards of 550 horsepower which is a great number while also leaving the Z06 with its value proposition of having the high-revving and more powerful LT6.

When we heard this engine in Rick Conti’s now deleted YouTube video, it offered some great sound with many pops and burbles that could be heard from inside the car. The exhaust notes for the Stingray and E-Ray are good, but it would be cool to see the base engine cars also have the ability to have a quad center exhaust set up. Putting those four exhaust tips together acts as a sound amplifier and Corvette’s engineers could take the tricks used on the Z06s exhaust to ensure some of the sound makes it back to the cockpit. Not sure if that will be possible if the Grand Sport will be exported, in which case it gets the Z06 export exhaust set up with the tips mounted on each side.

And finally, I do not see a manual transmission in the future for C8 Corvettes. It’s dead, Jim…at least for this generation. But perhaps now that the TREMEC’s manual transmission exists, it could be a potential candidate for the C9 Corvette which could be just a couple of model years away from being reality.

So that’s our quick take on what we would like to see out of the Grand Sport. Is there something you would like to see that I didn’t touch on, let us know in the comments!

Source:
Vengeance Graphix

Related:
Twice Confirmed: GM Parts Book Leak Shows 2027 Grand Sport LS6 V8 to be 6.7 Liters!
[VIDEO] Horsepower Obsessed on Rumored Grand Sport and a New ZR1X Aero Package
[VIDEO] Is this the Sound of the 2027 Corvette Grand Sport’s New 6.6L V8?

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