- While the new Corvette Grand Sport is quick, the C7 model braked way harder.
- Car and Driver recorded a peak of 1.18 g during a handling test of the new Grand Sport.
- New 6.7-liter V8 is enough to send the C8 GS down the quarter-mile in 11.0 seconds.
The new Chevy Corvette Grand Sport has the potential to become one of the most popular C8 models, and based on a recent performance test by Car and Driver, it sits perfectly between the entry-level Stingray and the screaming Z06. It has all the right ingredients to be a hit.
The 2027 Chevy Corvette GS tested here was a $142,380 3LT fitted with the $20,695 Z52 Track Performance package and $10,995 carbon-fiber wheels.
Much like the 2027 Corvette Stingray, the Grand Sport has debuted with GM’s new sixth-generation LS6 small-block, a 6.7-liter naturally aspirated V8, rather than the outgoing LT2 6.2-liter unit. In both the Stingray and Grand Sport, this engine delivers 535 hp and 520 lb-ft (705 Nm) of torque, gains of 40 hp and 50 lb-ft (68 Nm).
Read: 35% Of 2027 Corvettes Built So Far Are The Pricier Grand Sport
With an eight-speed dual-clutch transmission, rear-wheel drive, and the same 5.56:1 final-drive ratio as the Z06, Car and Driver set a 0-60 mph time in the Grand Sport in 2.7 seconds with a one-foot rollout, or 2.9 seconds without it. Reaching 100 mph (161 km/h) took 6.8 seconds, while the quarter-mile came in 11.0 seconds, at 123 mph (198 km/h).
It Brakes And Corners, Too
This conveniently places the GS right between the old 6.2-liter Stingray with its 11.2-second quarter-mile at 122 mph and the 10.5-second set by a Z06 at 131 mph. In addition, the GS’s run to 60 mph sits perfectly between the 2.8 seconds of the old Stingray and the 2.6 seconds of the Z06. The publication has yet to test the 2027 Stingray with the 6.7-liter engine, but it should deliver times roughly the same as the Grand Sport.
It’s on the skidpan where the new Grand Sport really stands out from other C8 models. Clad in Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2R tires, it posted a peak of 1.18 g, above the Z06 at 1.16 g, ZR1X at 1.14 g, and the ZR1 at 1.13 g. Braking from 70 mph to a standstill took 144 feet, slightly longer than the ZR1X’s 135 feet, and actually well behind the decade-old C7 Corvette Grand Sport Z07, which managed the same 1.18 g of maximum cornering grip but needed just 123 feet to stop from 70 mph. The older car had a useful advantage on the scales, as it’s lighter by more than 200 lbs.
