[VIDEO] Driving Route 66 in a 2027 Corvette Grand Sport

Jul 27, 2026

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[VIDEO] Driving Route 66 in a 2027 Corvette Grand Sport

I love a good travelogue video and its always 100x better when it includes a Corvette. MotorTrend just wrangled a new 2027 Corvette Grand Sport and thought it would make a great car to drive on Route 66 which, coincidently, is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year. America’s favorite sports car driving on the Mother Road. You would think this review has got everything working for it.

Unfortunately, this new MotorTrend review gets bogged down with discussion of Route 66’s “complicated history” as opposed to entertaining and informing its viewers about a car that you love to drive on a historic road that is on many bucket lists. I also nearly hit the stop button after the host called the 1996 Grand Sport a “paint and stickers” special edition. Hello, LT4? Them are fighting words for any GS or C4 fan.

After putting Route 66’s “complicated history” in its place, MotorTrend does have a great new American sports car to discuss, and it does get thoroughly driven with Rout 66’s scenery providing the backdrop.

The Grand Sport used for this drive looks phenomenal in the Admiral Blue livery with the White racing stripe and Red hashmarks. This one also features the Launch Edition interior, and we can see it is wearing the Z06’s carbon fiber aero package. While the value proposition model starts at $88,500 for the base configuration, this particular Grand Sport as tested includes over $33,000 in upgrades for an MSRP of $141,000!

Our driver on this ride along provides us with some driving impressions of the new car. From a dead stop, the Grand Sport with its new LS6 launches 0-60 MPH in under 3-seconds with no wheel slip, and he remarks that the torque really feels strong especially with a mid-range surge at around 4,000 RPM. Our driver sings the praises of the 8-Speed DCT and says the chassis tuning is so good it makes the paddle shifters obsolete.

One of the highlights is when the Grand Sport hits Sitgreaves Pass between Oatman and Kingman Arizona. The road is notorious not only for the 191 turns in 8 miles with no guardrails, but for the fact you have to look out for the wild donkeys that occasionally wander onto the roadway. It’s a road that allows the Grand Sport to use “enough” of its 535-hp to pull you through the corners, whereas a Z06 or ZR1 would have to be driven very differently and even then, you can’t use 100% of the car’s capability.

At the beginning of the review, the question was asked about whether there was a place for the Grand Sport in the Corvette lineup. As the review comes to an end, it was answered with a resounding Yes.

As for the future of Route 66, our host says they stopped at the gift shop and the museums, and all the touristy spots along the way. They talked to people who are also confident that “Route 66 is going to be fine.” Of course, none of this makes the video, but we sure did get to hear about some “complicated history.” Remember, that’s the story that MotorTrend wanted to tell, instead of what they actually experienced while driving a Corvette on the Main Street of America.

From MotorTrend via YouTube:

We attempt to answer existential questions about both the Corvette and Route 66 on a road trip across the famous highway’s longest remaining stretch.

Source:
MotorTrend / YouTube

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3 COMMENTS

George Jul 28, 2026 At 5:01 am

So very true. I did NOT need the history lesson on the review. Totally off track with that !
IPD Jul 28, 2026 At 8:09 am

$88,500 + $33,000 – $121,500 – not $141,000.

I wouldn’t pay $141,000 for a new 3LZ HTC E-Ray. And that’s after years of people saying that the ER was “too expensive” and “overpriced”.
GT1Vette Jul 28, 2026 At 7:32 pm

The new C8’s are still a bargain compared to other sports cars with similar performance capabilities, but they’ve gotten too expensive for my desire or pocket book. I’ll still with my C7 Z06 for now.