![[POLL] What's Your Favorite C8 Corvette?](https://www.corvetteblogger.com/images/content/2026/04/041026_20.jpg)
With the introduction of the Grand Sport twins for the 2027 model year, Chevrolet says the C8 Corvette family is complete. Like parents sending their kids off to college or walking a daughter down the aisle, this occasion has us pulling out the old scrapbooks to reminisce on how fast the car that feels like a member of our family has grown up while contemplating our favorite age of an incredible generation that’s produced no fewer than eight distinct models in as many years of production.
Stingray 1.0
Or, Stingray 6.2, if you will. The car that after literal decades of reports, rumors, and rumblings finally dropped a bomb on the sports car establishment by bringing mid-engine V8 mysticism to the masses with an optional power-retractable hardtop convertible, 495 horsepower, the ability to post quarter mile times previously only imaginable in supercharged “Z” badged models – 11.2 seconds at 122 mph – and still provide the comfort and daily usability of a true Corvette all starting at just $60,000. To say it was a gamechanger is to take top prize at the understatement games.
Z06
If the Stingray was a bomb, then the Z06 was a Death Star. Not only did the new ‘Vette wear classic Italians proportions, but this is where it proved that it could sing all the Italian hits, too. The largest Ferrari-style flat-plane crank V8 ever fitted to a production car (after years of testing and proving itself in competition in the C8.R) made the first C8 sub model into a bona fide exotic. With an 8,600 rpm redline, it revs to the moon, and on the way there, it makes more horsepower than any naturally aspirated production V8 in history – with its peak of 670 ponies besting the previous mark held by Mercedes-AMG by nearly 50 HP.
Grand Sport
It took eight excruciating years, but “Goldilocks” is finally back in the Corvette lineup for 2027, and it debuts a hot new generation of the venerable Chevy Small-Block in the process. Under the glass of the C8 GS’s sultry wide fenders resides a new 409-cube (6.7L) V8 that’s so good that it earned the legendary LS6 moniker. It ups the ante to 535 horsepower, and a monster 520 lb-ft of torque: the most twist ever seen from a free-breathing V8 in the SAE net ratings era. That motivator combined with the best paint scheme in the entire portfolio should easily catapult the GS back to the sales-leader status it enjoyed during the C6 and C7 generations.
Stingray 2.0
The new Grand Sport isn’t the only model on the receiving end of the LS6’s debut. In an ironic reversal of fortune from previous generations, it’s now the base Stingray that gets GS muscle after lending its big brother its LS3 from 2010-13 and LT1 from 2017-19. 535 represents a significant power grab, compared to the 495-horse 2020-2026 cars that were already capable of ripping off sub-three-second 0-60 sprints. The seemingly underappreciated base of the pyramid just got its mojo back!
E-Ray
Speaking of underappreciated, or maybe just misunderstood, “the Corvette of firsts,” just solidified starring roles in hundreds of future “did you know,” “have you heard of,” and suspenseful “this forgotten model was the genesis of hybrid and AWD ‘Vettes” articles and videos. The E-Ray has been retired after just three model years and fewer than 6,000 units sold (5,375 as of 4/3, according to the C8 production tracker). While it’s easy to pick on Ol’ ‘Ray for the lack of traction in the marketplace, you can’t argue against the traction its trick front axle brought to testing. When it hit the scene, it instantly became the quickest ‘Vette Car and Driver had ever tested, hitting 60 in just 2.5 seconds – .4 ahead of the 100-HP richer 2019 ZR1. It earned rave reviews from everyone who ever got a chance behind the wheel and stands out as an engineering marvel.
Grand Sport X
The E-Ray is dead, long live the GSX! Taking ‘Ray’s spot (and elevating it to new heights) is the new-for-’27 Grand Sport X that adds its predecessor’s electrified front axle – now in extra-strength 186 HP potency – to the widebody/LS6 recipe of the traditional GS. The result is a 721-horse AWD beast that should give the next car on the list a run for its money at any streetlight in America. With Z06+51 horsepower and a cleaver new designation, the GSX is going to be the car world’s most interesting case study in branding and judging by early hype surrounding the E-Ray by another name, this middle child’s sales woes should be a thing of the past!
ZR1
The modern rendition of the King of the Hill bolted the biggest turbos ever fitted to a production car to a beefed-up version of the Z06’s screaming DOHC V8 to the tune of 1,064 horsepower (which is, against all odds, actually underrated!). Throw in the most extreme aero package ever fitted to a civilian General Motors product, and you’ve got a track terror capable of giving everyone from McLaren to Porsche nightmares while also being as livable as a Stingray. This unthinkable miracle is where people really started thinking that maybe the Corvette team was into some sort of witchcraft.
ZR1X
But wait, somehow, there’s more. Add the driven front wheels from the E-Ray/GSX to the ZR1 recipe, the mainstream American hyper car is born. 1,250 combined HP in a Corvette that can even be driven in the snow; we’re still speechless. What can they possibly think of next?
All of this begs the question; what one is your favorite? Good luck choosing from this lineup, Corvette Nation!
Source:
Photos by Chevrolet
Related:
[POLL] Which of the Recent Corvette Concept Cars is Your Favorite
[POLL] Which of these $20K Corvettes Would You Park in Your Garage?
[POLL] Would You Take a Chance on a ‘Holy Grail’ Corvette with a ‘Severe’ Accident on its Record?
Subscribe Now:
![[VIDEO] Is this Twin Turbo C8 Corvette Z06 the Fastest One Yet?](https://www.corvetteblogger.com/images/content/uploads/2026/09/091026_14-218x150.jpg "[VIDEO] Is this Twin Turbo C8 Corvette Z06 the Fastest One Yet?")
Interesting results! I like seeing the GSX up there, and a little surprised about the Z06, but it is a beast. I’m just not big on the Ferrari engine, so it’s the Grand Sport for me!!
GSX having 2x the votes of the ER only proves how shallow the average Corvette buyer is. Note how the SR 1.0 has almost 3x the votes of the SR 2.0; that proves it isn’t just about the powerplant. People really do be out here crapping on the ER for no reason. I refuse to forgive anyone for that.
ZR1X having 2x the votes of the ZR1 proves how bragging rights and flexing is one of the most important factors to Corvette buyers; which is underscored by all of the holdouts for Z07 and ZTK aero bits.
The Stingray 1.0 being the second highest vote getter is surprising to me.
I have now owned a 2020 Stingray a 2023 Z06 and now a 2024 ERay Hands down The ERay is the best Vette all around I have ever owned since I started with one in 1962
Corvette models should always have a succession of improvements in power, handling, interior, etc. However, as the owner of a 2025 E-Ray and having driven it in all 4 seasons of Michigan weather it has been nothing short of fantastic! We’ve driven it to Florida and back and it has performed flawlessly with surprisingly excellent fuel economy. I have no plans to replace it any time soon.
My favorite Corvette? The one I own at the moment. Other than that, the GSX, for which I am at the top of my dealer’s waiting list. Maybe by the end of the year.
People getting butthurt over the poll results is hilarious. This is hella entertaining.
I like ’em all. I had a 2024 Z51 Stingray for 2 years. Great car – no issues at all. It’s amazing to think of how many basic Stingrays; capable of mid-11s are out there on the road. Long range per fill-up was impressive. But now it’s time to add to my collection of GM turbocharged cars: 1987 Buick Grand National and 1989 Pontiac 20th Anniversary (turbocharged) Trans Am Indianapolis Pace Car. The Stingray had to go and is being replaced by a turbocharged ZR1. I will miss the long range per fill-up convenience of the Stingray. But it’s a fair tradeoff. ZR1X would be nice because of the extra torque, traction and stealth capability. So although I may not be able to get one before the C9s come out, I voted for it.
Comments are closed.