[VIDEO] Corvette Engineers Discuss New Corvette Grand Sport, GSX, and LS6 V8

Aug 31, 2026

146

[VIDEO] Corvette Engineers Discuss New Corvette Grand Sport, GSX, and LS6 V8

Chevrolet’s newest Corvette Grand Sport and Grand Sport X are already rolling out, and with them comes one of the most significant small block evolutions in decades.

In a recent deep dive with The Fast Lane Car, Assistant Chief Engineer for Small Block Engines Mike Kociba and Corvette Chief Engineer Josh Holder pulled back the curtain on the LS6, the first engine in GM’s sixth generation small block family.

[VIDEO] Corvette Engineers Discuss New Corvette Grand Sport and its LS6 V8

From the outset, Kociba stresses that the LS6 is both a tribute to small block heritage and a clean sheet redesign. The traditional 4.4 inch bore spacing remains — “all the generations prior to this had the 4.4 in bore spacing. Same thing with the LS6,” he says — but nearly everything else is new. Fewer than 30 part numbers carry over from the LT2, and most of those are fasteners.

The biggest change is displacement. Engineers stretched the stroke from 92 mm to 100 mm, creating a 409 cubic inch engine. It’s a deliberate nod to Chevrolet’s early 1960s 409, but this time the number sits atop a modern small block. The longer stroke, paired with smaller high velocity intake ports, produces staggering torque. As Kociba explains, “that’s what gives us the 535 horsepower and 520 pound feet of torque, which is the highest natural aspirated V8 torque ever.”

To support that output, compression rises to 13:1, a major leap from the LT2’s 11.5:1. Higher compression improves efficiency, power, and exhaust temperatures, but it also demands careful thermal management. Engineers added a cross flow cooling system with four targeted crossover passages to cool the spark plug and exhaust valve areas — “specific target cool the hottest areas of the combustion chamber,” Kociba notes.

Lubrication also receives a major overhaul. The LS6 uses a double barrel oil feed, forged pistons, rods, and crankshaft, and a continuously variable oil pump integrated into the dry sump system. The pump is driven off the crank and works with three scavenge stages — two in the lower end and one in the valley — keeping oil circulation stable under extreme loads.

Fuel delivery evolves as well. The LS6 combines direct injection with port fuel injection, a dual system approach Kociba calls PDI. Port injection quiets the engine at idle, improves efficiency, and gives engineers more flexibility to meet tightening emissions standards. “Using that system together with the high compression ratio allows this engine to actually have a 5% improvement in overall efficiency,” he says.

Even the exhaust is new. The LT2’s four into one manifolds are replaced with Tri Y headers, improving pulse separation and sharpening the exhaust note. Cylinder deactivation remains, but with stronger lifters and revised springs for durability.

The LS6 name itself is a deliberate callback. Kociba explains that GM reuses RPO codes to honor small block heritage: “when you hear an engine start with LS, you know it means performance… the six really represents the sixth generation.”

From there, Holder explains how the LS6 integrates into the current production 2027 Grand Sport. The engine’s 535 hp and 520 lb ft slot into a chassis originally engineered to handle far more — up to 1,250 hp in the ZR1. That headroom allows the Grand Sport to become what Holder calls the “sweet spot” of the lineup: wide body stance, serious handling, and everyday usability.

The Grand Sport X adds an electric front motor for 721 total horsepower and all wheel drive. The system is mechanically disconnected — no driveshaft between axles — building on lessons learned from the E Ray. The result is a Corvette capable of sub 3 second 0–60 runs and real all weather traction.

Customization remains a Corvette hallmark. Buyers can choose coupe or convertible, multiple brake packages, carbon fiber wheels, and nearly endless interior combinations. Even the LS6 engine cover can be color matched and displayed under the convertible’s retracting tunnel.

After years of development, Kociba says the team’s goal is simple: “I want customers to drive this and get the full assault on your senses that this engine’s capable of.”