As the time is coming near when a fully-equipped assortment of electric vehicles is getting ready to descend upon the West Chevy of Knoxville landscape here and change the entire industry for good, there's a large amount of speculation regarding the arriving models. The Corvette is one of those All-American legends that never lose steam as far as being the completely legendary, high-powered, sensational, and salacious ruler of the track. It is now evident that one more high-octane gas-powered model is coming before the full-on presence of electrification as the bloggers on staff at Carbuzz reported the scoop last week.
The Carbuzz staff had recently uncovered a General Motors trademark for Corvette grand sport file just a week ago with the USPTO. This new information conflicts a little bit with other earlier rumors that had predicted a Korean sport would not be part of the instrumental makings of the C8 generation. That model was supposed to be replaced by the hybrid E-Ray, but it is still possible that the Grand Sport may be a type of hybrid, even though this is far from confirmed.
The Corvette model lineup typically sees its beginnings with a base-level Stingray, this Grand Sport in question, the Z06, and then the blisteringly fast and range-topping ZR1. The Grand Sport was usually positioned between the base model and the Z06 brandishing the stingray's power capabilities, and the track-tuned chassis upgrades of the ZO6. Chevy will begin selling the C8 Z06 later this year with its menacing 5.5-liter flat-plane crank V8 pushing out 670 horsepower and 460 lb-ft of torque, and it’s predicted that this Grand Sport will receive the larger 6.2-liter cross-plane LT2 engine that cranks out 495 hp and 470 lb-ft of torque.
Even without the full-on thunder and gusto of the ZO6’s undeniable power, the grand sport will most likely benefit from the scene handling improvements, including the six-pot Brembo brakes and much stickier and track-ready tires. It also may receive some awesome and exciting hand-me-downs in the form of the Z06’s wider bodywork, and maybe a different take on the Z06’s front bumper. It may not be able to boast the additions of the full high wing from the Z06 but could also brandish the very characteristic slimline adaptive rear spoiler.
It's most likely that the Grand Sport will reside between the Z06, and base-level Stingray equipped with the Z51 Performance Package. Here you’ll already be enjoying the performance boost in the form of Z51 performance brakes, suspension, fine-tuned exhaust, performance rear axle ratio, electronic limited-slip differential, rear spoiler and front splitter, and heavy-duty cooling system.
This amazing boost in track readiness intends to allow the original Stingray to run lap after lap without the danger of overheating, or losing any valuable braking efficiency. If you're looking for even better performance than this, all of us here at West Chevy recommend pairing the Z51 performance package with the optional Fe four magnetic selective ride control dampers, which work in conjunction with the performance traction management system!
