[SPIED] The 2027 Corvette Grand Sport Makes a Surprise Visit to Sebring

Mar 21, 2026

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[SPIED] The 2027 Corvette Grand Sport Makes a Surprise Visit to Sebring

Photo Credits: Keith Cornett

Corvette enthusiasts got their first look at the upcoming 2027 Corvette Grand Sport on Saturday morning at Sebring International Raceway ahead of the start of the Mobil 1 12 Hours of Sebring. The C8 Corvette was joined by other Grand Sports from previous generations as they ran a lap around the historic 3.74 mile track.

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We heard about the possible appearance of the Grand Sport at Sebring and made sure we were in position at the track to capture the drive-by. The C8 Corvette Grand Sport was wearing its historic livery of Admiral Blue with a White racing strip running across the top the car. The set of red hash mark graphics were located on the rear quarter panel of the car.

The wheels of the C8 Grand Sport resemble the “Cup” style wheels that were on the C7s, and the car was without any enhanced aero. The trim pieces were in body color just like the E-Rays and the on the side was the Grand Sport Logo which has “Grand” in Black and under it was “Sport” in a polished finish.

Joining the all-new Grand Sport in this preview was the 1963 Corvette Grand Sport Roadster #001 owned by Harry Yeaggy, as well as the VIN 001 1996 Corvette Grand Sport previously owned by John Heinricy, the former assistant chief engineer for Corvette during the C4 and C6 era. A C7 Corvette Grand Sport in the traditional Admiral Blue was there while a C6 Grand Sport Pace Car wearing a Brickyard 400 livery rounded out the group.

The apparent return of the historic Grand Sport nameplate to the C8 lineup has created an unprecedented buzz of interest among Corvette enthusiasts in recent months as a series of leaks from GM’s parts books points to the car making its debut with the GEN VI small block V8 called the LS6. The engine is expected to be a 6.7-liter aluminum overhead valve engine with both direct and port injection. Recent confirmations from a Chevrolet dealers meeting pinpoint the performance of the new engine at 535 horsepower.

Also expected for 2027 is a second Grand Sport model called the Grand Sport X, which combines the V8-powered sports car with the same all-wheel drive system found in both the 655-hp Corvette E-Ray and the 1,250-hp ZR1X. The Grand Sport X will essentially be a rebrand of the same performance hybrid Corvette E-Ray, which has been offered since 2024. Recent details about the GSX suggest it will be receiving the same 186-hp front electric motor found in the ZR1X which will make the total power output of 721 horsepower.

The lap at Sebring International Raceway also gave enthusiasts an opportunity to hear that the new engine for the first time. The Grand Sport we spied during this preview lap confirms it will be set up with an optional quad-center exhaust system which helps to amplify the sound from the engine and provides better feedback to the driver. Rumors of the Grand Sport being offered with a quad-center exhaust have been percolating for some time now.

Another leak in late 2025 also pointed to the return of the historic Grand Sport name with the regular production option (RPO) code of Z15 which indicated a specific Grand Sport Heritage Package. The Z15 RPO code was used exclusively for Grand Sports sold during the C6 and C7 generations, and it included the fender hash marks and racing stripes, as well as some interior upgrades including badging and floormats.

With this preview lap made in public at Sebring, the Corvette Team appears poised to release the details of the upcoming 2027 Grand Sport model at any moment now, although details on when that will happen haven’t yet been made public. GM will be closing the order books for the 2026 model year after the final order cycle on March 26. The 2026 model year is scheduled to end on Friday, May 29th and the new 2027 model year will start up on the following Monday, June 1st.

Check out our exclusive Grand Sport photos below and stay tuned to CorvetteBlogger as we’ll do a recap with any videos captured on social media as well.

Source:
Photos by Keith Cornett

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7 COMMENTS

Harold Mar 21, 2026 At 5:21 pm

So no one was able to capture any sound?
Rc Mar 22, 2026 At 7:48 am

Very nice. Clever on GMs part as ADM just went up $10000. Unless I can row my own gears, I will keep my C7 GS.
Don Kress Mar 22, 2026 At 10:39 am

Would love to see any more pictures of the original GS or the group parading around the track!
Hutch Mar 22, 2026 At 2:23 pm

Nicely done, Keith. Sorry I missed seeing you at Sebring. Guess I was too busy drooling. 🙂 Yeh, it was a pretty class act of GM to preview the new C8 GS with all those other iconic Grand Sports. Other than the lack of a manual trans, there is little not to like about the new GS. I even like their design choices in the Heritage Package. Speaking for all the other members of the Grand Sport Registry, we’re thrilled to see the return of the Grand Sport. What better way to usher out the remaining years of the C8?
Ronnie Mar 23, 2026 At 1:48 am

Can someone explain the “optional” quad center exhaust? Don’t all C8s have that along with C7s and C6s?
IPD Mar 23, 2026 At 10:49 am

And posers everywhere rejoiced! I can’t wait to hear about the 0.001% performance gain from the C8 GS.

@Ronnie

C8 SR and ER (and eurospec Z06) have corner exhaust.
Art Reilly Mar 23, 2026 At 12:34 pm

GM should have really honored the nameplate (and Penske) by painting car Sunoco Blue .
New one looks like every other Admiral blue Vette….ever.